Observations at 9-3

[TEX]

KC looks the part of a team that will lose in the Divisional round of the playoffs. They'll beat the bad playoff teams, with no QB. But when matched up against a team with a good QB, that's where they'll lose. The defense is still bad. No pass rush with the down 4 will kill them. Just my opinion..

[JPH83]

Originally Posted by TEX

KC looks the part of a team that will lose in the Divisional round of the playoffs. They'll beat the bad playoff teams, with no QB. But when matched up against a team with a good QB, that's where they'll lose. The defense is still bad. No pass rush with the down 4 will kill them. Just my opinion..

I think we can beat anyone, including the Bengals and Bills, IF our offense is humming as well as the SF game and the play-calling is on-point. It's harder to see us beating 2 teams like that back-to-back and then a team like Philly or SF when they're fit. It's just a lot of perfect execution and "game of their lives" type stuff from some of our weaker links, and a lot of shootouts. Possible but I'd say not probable.

[Abba-Dabba]

Spags will have his ball gobblers come out in force to defend him. Conversely though, if the offense had an en equal body of work they would be calling for OC head. Oh wait, they already do that when the offense is better prepared, execute better and have better results week in and week out.

Until Spags is gone we will always have trouble beating teams with a great downfield passing games like the Bills and Bengals. The exact teams we will face deep in the playoffs. Unless Andy gets a hold of his guy by the throat, I would expect more of the same of this defense to not be able to hold a lead when push comes to shove.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by RubberSponge

Spags will have his ball gobblers come out in force to defend him. Conversely though, if the offense had an en equal body of work they would be calling for OC head. Oh wait, they already do that when the offense is better prepared, execute better and have better results week in and week out.

Until Spags is gone we will always have trouble beating teams with a great downfield passing games like the Bills and Bengals. The exact teams we will face deep in the playoffs. Unless Andy gets a hold of his guy by the throat, I would expect more of the same of this defense to not be able to hold a lead when push comes to shove.

People have been saying the same thing about Sean McDermott. We are getting a taste of what mahomes does to defenses that are way higher rated than we are. They just find ways to win. So far in the playoffs I’m not pinning any of those losses to spags. In fact apart from the buffalo game we won, the defense has been more than adequate. It’s been our offense that let us down in Cincinnati and Tampa. It was the defense that largely kept us in the game for the Super Bowl.

Last year we followed a defensive disaster in cincy up with a more than good enough defensive performance to win in the playoffs. We gifted them a td with an offensive interception. Then we intercepted burrow and made nothing of it. We even won the OT coin toss and didn’t score.

[MahomesMagic]

Originally Posted by TEX

KC looks the part of a team that will lose in the Divisional round of the playoffs. They'll beat the bad playoff teams, with no QB. But when matched up against a team with a good QB, that's where they'll lose. The defense is still bad. No pass rush with the down 4 will kill them. Just my opinion..

We look like the Green Bay Packers a few years ago.

Top seed that prays they don't draw the 49ers.

[TwistedChief]

Originally Posted by TEX

KC looks the part of a team that will lose in the Divisional round of the playoffs. They'll beat the bad playoff teams, with no QB. But when matched up against a team with a good QB, that's where they'll lose. The defense is still bad. No pass rush with the down 4 will kill them. Just my opinion..

Counterpoint: you thought the Chiefs would lose 7 games this year during the regular season with a middling offense so have been down on and wrong about them all year long.

[Pepe Silvia]

Originally Posted by TEX

KC looks the part of a team that will lose in the Divisional round of the playoffs. They'll beat the bad playoff teams, with no QB. But when matched up against a team with a good QB, that's where they'll lose. The defense is still bad. No pass rush with the down 4 will kill them. Just my opinion..

I agree. It sucks but it is what it is.

[crayzkirk]

Coaches coach and player play. At the end of the day, it's up to the players to make the plays on the field. The Bengals coached their players to take advantage of the Chiefs tendencies and weaknesses. There seems to be a little of that Belichick in the Bengals coaching staff; they seem better able to put their players in position to succeed. Too many times, it looks like the defense is playing a scheme instead of the strength of the players.

The price of success means not drafting early enough to get the star players. The Bengals have drafted consistently at the top of rounds for years, their average players are better than the Chiefs average players and their skill players, outside of QB and TE, are also better.

Their coaching staff seems to know how to put their players in positions where they fit instead of forcing them into a scheme.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by crayzkirk

Coaches coach and player play. At the end of the day, it's up to the players to make the plays on the field. The Bengals coached their players to take advantage of the Chiefs tendencies and weaknesses. There seems to be a little of that Belichick in the Bengals coaching staff; they seem better able to put their players in position to succeed. Too many times, it looks like the defense is playing a scheme instead of the strength of the players.

The price of success means not drafting early enough to get the star players. The Bengals have drafted consistently at the top of rounds for years, their average players are better than the Chiefs average players and their skill players, outside of QB and TE, are also better.

Their coaching staff seems to know how to put their players in positions where they fit instead of forcing them into a scheme.

I think you nailed it with the tendencies. When KC got down by the goal line, and ran the ball on first down, the next two plays the Bengals showed a base D front and then dropped everybody back into coverage. They knew that Kansas City was going to pass near the goal line. I was screaming at the TV to just run it three times and they would score, but instead, they played right into the Bengals hands and ran two two pass plays, got stopped, and had to settle for a short FG. A TD there and a successful point after would have netted four more points....

[Chris Meck]

The results are the results, but there's a ton of hyperbole and misguided rage in this post.

[Coogs]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

The results are the results, but there's a ton of hyperbole and misguided rage in this post.

While we did score the TD on a 4th down scramble by Mohomes, I do agree with the OP on having Mahomes playing WR on 2nd and goal.

We have the best QB in football. And a RB in Pacheco who is asserting himself to be legit.

Instead of cute crap at the goal line, play action could now be a solid part of the equation inside the 5. Having a RB who can bang it in from the 3 might just be the ticket to getting receivers open down there without having to go to the bag of tricks it took in the past to score. Everybody seems to be on to that now, and the success rate of those plays is plummeting as a result.

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by Coogs

While we did score the TD on a 4th down scramble by Mohomes, I do agree with the OP on having Mahomes playing WR on 2nd and goal.

We have the best QB in football. And a RB in Pacheco who is asserting himself to be legit.

Instead of cute crap at the goal line, play action could now be a solid part of the equation inside the 5. Having a RB who can bang it in from the 3 might just be the ticket to getting receivers open down there without having to go to the bag of tricks it took in the past to score. Everybody seems to be on to that now, and the success rate of those plays is plummeting as a result.

I agree.

I think having Thuney out, and Wylie and Alegretti in gave Andy pause.

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

I agree.

I think having Thuney out, and Wylie and Alegretti in gave Andy pause.

That play with McKinnon in the wildcat really pissed me off. What a WASTE of a down. I HATE when teams put a RB in the wildcat just to let him take it on an obvious keeper. Just hand the damn ball off..at least there's some doubt for the defense then.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Coogs

While we did score the TD on a 4th down scramble by Mohomes, I do agree with the OP on having Mahomes playing WR on 2nd and goal.

We have the best QB in football. And a RB in Pacheco who is asserting himself to be legit.

Instead of cute crap at the goal line, play action could now be a solid part of the equation inside the 5. Having a RB who can bang it in from the 3 might just be the ticket to getting receivers open down there without having to go to the bag of tricks it took in the past to score. Everybody seems to be on to that now, and the success rate of those plays is plummeting as a result.

I’ll say the uncomfortable thing… but if we can get Melvin Gordon to two hands the ball like his life depended on it he’s a short yardage option we really really need. We all know it because our running in a td on 3rd and 4 was such a surprise even though other teams run on this down and distance routinely. We have to claw our way through every third and short and that’s not a good spot to be. Love Pacheco and McKinnon but I haven’t seen them be consistent options here.

[RunKC]

CP just bleeds everywhere when we lose. It’s hillarious