The Kansas City Chiefs have a big problem and no idea how to solve it.

[Eleazar]

What we learned (and didn't learn) in Week 12 of NFL




Dan Graziano
ESPN Staff Writer


The Kansas City Chiefs have a big problem and no idea how to solve it.

Their offense -- which dominated the NFL with explosive plays and creative concepts through the first five weeks of the season -- has stopped working. Kansas City gained 236 total yards in Sunday's 16-10 home loss to the Buffalo Bills. This just one week after losing to the New York Giants.

You don't want to lose to the Giants. The only other team to lose to the Giants this season is the Denver Broncos, who did it in Week 6 and haven't won since. It's possible that a loss to the Giants is to a team's 2017 season what Mrs. O'Leary's cow was to 1871 Chicago. We'll find out when and if the Chiefs get this thing turned back around.

The question is whether they can. Kansas City's offensive struggles aren't rooted in injury or personnel deficiencies or even in Alex Smith, really. The root of the Chiefs' current issue is that opponents keep defending them the same way, and they can't overcome it.

The Bills kept both safeties deep for much of Sunday's game, allowing the Kansas City offense to unfold in front of their defense and reacting accordingly to cut off the big play. Cover 2 isn't the most common of looks for the 2017 Bills, but it's an awfully common one for the Chiefs' opponents over the past two months.

"We've played some teams that show a very low percentage of Cover 2 in their other games and then they've popped to that against us," Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz said. "We have Cover 2 beaters, but conversely, if they're in Cover 2, that should open up our run game. So we need to run the ball better somehow."

Schwartz and the offensive line are taking this on themselves, shouldering the blame for the rut in which the running game finds itself. Schwartz pointed to what he described as "next-gen stats" that show how much room running back Kareem Hunt had to run early in the year vs. lately. In the first five weeks of the season, Hunt averaged 3.88 yards per carry before first contact -- the third-best figure in the NFL over that time. In Weeks 6-12, he has averaged 1.37 yards per carry before first contact -- the 41st-best figure in the league over that time.

Good for the line for taking the blame, but a lot of this is the ability of opponents to take away big plays. During the Chiefs' 5-0 start, Hunt and Tyreek Hill were lining up in all kinds of zany formations and confusing defenses with their speed and the types of plays the Chiefs were running. Andy Reid was Jean Girard to the rest of the league's Ricky Bobby -- sipping a macchiato and reading French literature while still driving his race car too fast for anyone else to catch. Problem is, he got caught, and he can't seem to catch back up.

"Just limited the big plays," Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White said after Sunday's game, as if it had been that simple all along. "A guy like Hill, they want to get him the ball in space and get him over the top. We did a great job of keeping him in front of us."

The Chiefs understand the problem. After the loss to the Giants, tight end Travis Kelce said, "Teams are running Cover 2. Until we can beat Cover 2, we're going to struggle."

But that's crazy, right? It's not as if Cover 2 was invented this year. Teams see it -- and beat it -- somewhat routinely. When you have offensive weapons the caliber of Hunt, Hill and Kelce, you should be able to figure out a way to beat it. That's why the calls to replace Smith with raw rookie first-round pick Patrick Mahomes at quarterback are too simplistic. Sure, you can make the case that the team "needs a spark" and that Mahomes might provide one. But the issue here is that Reid's offensive design has taken a punch and hasn't regained its footing yet.

Every NFL team encounters problems during the season. The teams that find ways to fight through and overcome them are the ones that win. The teams that don't are the ones that lose. Minnesota was 5-0 last season but went on to miss the playoffs. It happens. The Chiefs are still in first place in the AFC West, but they're far from home free. The Raiders and Chargers are each a game behind, and the Raiders already beat the Chiefs once. The Chargers, who started 0-4, have the look of a bully who can rough you up with elite edge rushers and slice you up with a still-game Philip Rivers, the best quarterback in the division.

The good news for the Chiefs is that they know exactly what the problem is, and exactly how teams are going to continue to try to make it worse. The bad news is that they've had time to fix it but haven't. Which makes you wonder whether they can. Kansas City has the time, it has the information and it has the players. It's up to the Chiefs' coaching staff to muster a counterpunch before it's too late.


http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2...akness-stop-it

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

Have any of you football geniuses thought of looking at the tape and focusing on problems other than the QB? Or realizing that we don't know what Smitty's 1st and 2nd reads are?



Hmmmmm.

Just had Cassel flashbacks from this post.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

Have any of you football geniuses thought of looking at the tape and focusing on problems other than the QB? Or realizing that we don't know what Smitty's 1st and 2nd reads are?



Hmmmmm.

Btw. You don’t know shit either. You have no ****ing clue what his reads are or the problems. You’re just speculating like everyone else.

Hmmmmm?

Stupid moron.

[RunKC]

It's Chrystal clear that players have turned on Alex. Comments from Kelce and Schwartz. You can see it in Peters

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

Have any of you football geniuses thought of looking at the tape and focusing on problems other than the QB? Or realizing that we don't know what Smitty's 1st and 2nd reads are?

Hmmmmm.

. Mahomes knows to start with the 3rd option. You know, the one thats downfield headed for the end zone

[JakeF]

Originally Posted by Eleazar

That's why the calls to replace Smith with raw rookie first-round pick Patrick Mahomes at quarterback are too simplistic. Sure, you can make the case that the team "needs a spark" and that Mahomes might provide one. But the issue here is that Reid's offensive design has taken a punch and hasn't regained its footing yet.

Coaching

[Best22]

Only way to jumpstart this team is to start Pat

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

Have any of you football geniuses thought of looking at the tape and focusing on problems other than the QB? Or realizing that we don't know what Smitty's 1st and 2nd reads are?

Hmmmmm.

Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me 20 times a game.

It's pretty damn obvious. Looks to the tight end in the middle. Looks to the flats. Sometimes a designed screen or gimmick shovel pass playcall. You're right, its hard to figure out which one of those he reads to first.

We know this because the past 5 games defenses are literally completely ignoring big chunks of the field they know Alex will not throw to.

[ILChief]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

Btw. You don’t know shit either. You have no ****ing clue what his reads are or the problems. You’re just speculating like everyone else.

Hmmmmm?

Stupid moron.

I know when someone is running down the field wide open, that's who you throw it to. Reads be damned.

[greg63]

Patrick Mahomes is how they fix it.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by ILChief

I know when someone is running down the field wide open, that's who you throw it to. Reads be damned.

You’re hired.

[Hydrae]

To me this is the most relevant line in the whole article:

Originally Posted by OP

Kansas City has the time, it has the information and it has the players. It's up to the Chiefs' coaching staff to muster a counterpunch before it's too late.

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

Have any of you football geniuses thought of looking at the tape and focusing on problems other than the QB? Or realizing that we don't know what Smitty's 1st and 2nd reads are?

Hmmmmm.

Have you ever done that and focused on the QB? You have issues with everyone (besides you and Tiger) on here placing blame on the QB yet you pin none on him and instead blame everyone else. Fact is that he is the second highest paid player on the field and is filling the most important position on it and he is not playing like it. He is not leading his team to victory nor is he making those around him better. This team can’t figure out the Cover 2. Part of that is coaching, but a large part of that is on our veteran QB. If he was a rookie than it would be more understandable, he is not. You can’t see he is the largest part of the problem because you don’t want to.

What will he have to do or fail to do for you to stop defending his performance?

[Easy 6]

That pic of Kelce, lordy... it definitely says 1000 words

For Gods sake man, its just Cover 2, the most dirt simple friggin defense ever created... this is so embarrassing

[PAChiefsGuy]

Originally Posted by tredadda

Have you ever done that and focused on the QB? You have issues with everyone (besides you and Tiger) on here placing blame on the QB yet you pin none on him and instead blame everyone else. Fact is that he is the second highest paid player on the field and is filling the most important position on it and he is not playing like it. He is not leading his team to victory nor is he making those around him better. This team can’t figure out the Cover 2. Part of that is coaching, but a large part of that is on our veteran QB. If he was a rookie than it would be more understandable, he is not. You can’t see he is the largest part of the problem because you don’t want to.

What will he have to do or fail to do for you to stop defending his performance?

Not once did I not blame him for our offenses struggles past few games. I just said it is more than just him. I said he has sucked the past few games and if it continues he needs to be benched. Only difference between what I've said and others is that I said our problems our more than just Smitty and that I believe he will bounce back. Also, that he should not be benched YET.

If you look at his numbers for the season even with these past couple bad games they are still very good. It's funny how a lot of the Alex Smith haters are avoiding posting his numbers for the season when they criticize him. They focus on the past couple games which is not fair. QBs/offenses have bad stretches at times. He can still turn it around but I agree the clock is ticking.

[BlackOp]

Originally Posted by Easy 6

For Gods sake man, its just Cover 2, the most dirt simple friggin defense ever created... this is so embarrassing

The NFL wants you to buy that story...that Andy Reid has no answer for a cover two defense and they are helpless.

This is no different than a prize fighter taking a dive.....follow the teams with new stadiums in the works...always.