A loss that shakes: The Chiefs must prove they are not who they now appear to be

[Hammock Parties]

Most ominous shit Sam has ever written

https://www.kansascity.com/sports/sp...223500455.html

SEATTLE

Do this job long enough and the signs make themselves obvious. The worst losses have a different sound afterward, the busy silence occasionally broken up by a locker door slamming, or team leaders declining to talk to reporters, or hope for hope’s sake.

The losses that sting make clear the difference between a team that’s earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a team that might still wear that title despite itself.

The moments that shake are the difference between a team that lost, and these Chiefs who lost their swagger after a 38-31 nationally televised loss here to the Seahawks.

“It seems extreme right now but that’s not the reality of it,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Just a fix a couple things and we’ll be alright.”

He might be right. Actually, that’s not true. He is right. Just a couple things. The Chiefs have now lost four games, by a total of 10 points, each of them decided in one form or another late in the fourth quarter.

They’ve lost to two AFC teams. The Patriots have lost three of five, and the Chargers have led the Chiefs for exactly 4 of 7,200 seconds this season. The Chiefs play the Raiders at home next week, which is the closest thing the NFL offers to a week 17 bye. Win that and the Chiefs have the No. 1 seed.

So, Reid is right. Just a couple things. This is not a disaster.

But you sure can see disaster from here.

“You have to find a way to win these games,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “We haven’t been lately, so that’s the most frustrating thing. Everybody’s got to step up.”

Repeat: Just a couple things. We’ll be alright.

That works enough as coach speak in a postgame press conference, words that nobody in the room believes tell the whole story, but let’s play along. A couple things.

One would be the run defense. The Seahawks ran for the most predictable 210 yards in NFL history. Up the middle, around the edge, quarterback Russell Wilson on a scramble. Whatever. It all worked.

One would be the pass defense. The Chiefs again could not cover, and when they did cover, they could not make the play. They made up for all of that by missing far too many tackles.

One would be penalties. They padded their league-leading total with eight more, including one on a missed field goal and four others that gave the Seahawks first downs.

One would be the offense. Nobody wants to admit it, but this is two games in a row the offense has not been good enough. Last week against the Chargers, they needed one first down on their last possession. They went three and out. This week, they managed just 10 points with two turnovers (one that gifted the Seahawks a touchdown) before halftime. They had five possessions in which they punted or turned it over within three plays.

This team was always going as far as the offense would take it, whether that’s fair or not, and the last two weeks the offense hasn’t been good enough.

That’s four things, which is technically more than “a couple,” but this is no time for nitpicking so let’s get to the point.

Do you have confidence the Chiefs will fix these problems? And if so, why? How?

The Chiefs are in a precarious place. They are the probable No. 1 seed, even still, and are giving seldom-used rookie defensive backs the ol’ screw-it-how-much-worse-could-they-be opportunities in week 16 road games.

They have been the AFC’s best team for virtually the entire season, but at this point that feels more like an indictment on the rest of the conference than a reason to be confident in the Chiefs.

Assuming they beat the Raiders next week — and if they don’t, they’ve got much bigger problems — we are still three weeks from the Chiefs’ next real test.

And the heck of it is that Reid is factually accurate. They’re not that far off. The NFL’s gravitational pull means parody rules the day, always has, and the Chiefs will likely have homefield advantage, the best quarterback, and the best offense in the field.

That is an incredible place to be, particularly in what the organization originally forecasted as a transition year.

But the Chiefs are trending the wrong way, at the wrong time. That offense isn’t as dynamic as it once was. Eric Berry is playing again, but most of the biggest problems on defense still exist, even when he’s not on the sideline during the most important moments.

The Chiefs have everything in front of them, even still.

But the truth is a lot of their fans are terrified of what that means.

[srvy]

Originally Posted by dwwataz

I feel the same way. 4-3 with a competent coordinator and I'd be willing to bet they'd be substantially better.

So you think you can polish a turd do ya?

[Scorpion05]

I actually thought the coverage the Chiefs Dbs had on several plays were tight

From the outside looking in, I don’t think you guys are ever going to have a great defense with the offense you have. I think you’re suffering from the Chip Kelly effect. Quick strike offense that scores a lot of points, but also puts the defense on the field more. Mahomes will sometime ignore the easy 5-7 yard gain for the big play. There’s pros and cons to that approach

[Naptown Chief]

Originally Posted by srvy

So you think you can polish a turd do ya?

I think there's a lot more talent than is being shown. I think a coordinator to play to their strengths, a new scheme, and a piece or two, then yes. If that's polishing a turd I guess I do.

[NJChiefsFan]

Originally Posted by Scorpion05

I actually thought the coverage the Chiefs Dbs had on several plays were tight

From the outside looking in, I don’t think you guys are ever going to have a great defense with the offense you have. I think you’re suffering from the Chip Kelly effect. Quick strike offense that scores a lot of points, but also puts the defense on the field more. Mahomes will sometime ignore the easy 5-7 yard gain for the big play. There’s pros and cons to that approach

I agree with both your points about the Chip Kelly affect and Mahomes sometimes not taking what is given to him. But if you watched this team all year you would see just how horrible the secondary is. The problem is that there are so many horrible breakdowns that a few tight coverages only helps so much.

[Naptown Chief]

Originally Posted by Scorpion05

I actually thought the coverage the Chiefs Dbs had on several plays were tight

From the outside looking in, I don’t think you guys are ever going to have a great defense with the offense you have. I think you’re suffering from the Chip Kelly effect. Quick strike offense that scores a lot of points, but also puts the defense on the field more. Mahomes will sometime ignore the easy 5-7 yard gain for the big play. There’s pros and cons to that approach

I don't get the vaginal bleeding going on. A lot of CPers pissed themselves all year asking for Scandrick and Parker to be sat. They were and those same members pissed themselves because they were sat. I think, given how little experience the two rookies had coming in, they played as well as they could have...sure as **** no worse than Scandrick and Parker. No corner in football could have played those Baldwin catches any better. Period.

[FAX]

Wow. Wally got pissy in today's conference call.

You don't get to hear Short-Fuse Wally very often.

I don't think he's happy.

FAX

[MVChiefFan]

Originally Posted by Scorpion05

I actually thought the coverage the Chiefs Dbs had on several plays were tight

From the outside looking in, I don’t think you guys are ever going to have a great defense with the offense you have. I think you’re suffering from the Chip Kelly effect. Quick strike offense that scores a lot of points, but also puts the defense on the field more. Mahomes will sometime ignore the easy 5-7 yard gain for the big play. There’s pros and cons to that approach

You have a good point, but the problem is we can’t stop anyone, anytime. If we do, it’s almost like it’s a complete fluke. If we’re in a shoot out, which is quite often, it’s literally whoever has the ball last will win.

[Scorpion05]

Originally Posted by NJChiefsFan

I agree with both your points about the Chip Kelly affect and Mahomes sometimes not taking what is given to him. But if you watched this team all year you would see just how horrible the secondary is. The problem is that there are so many horrible breakdowns that a few tight coverages only helps so much.

Fair enough. I haven’t watched every game like you guys

I guess in some respects I’m comparing our defenses. Our ranking would be much worse if we didn’t sustain drives with the rushing attack and Russ. The thing is the team doesn’t care if Russ throws for 70 yards or 300, so long as we win

In comparison, I think Andy Reid sometimes falls too in love with the pass. And I think Mahomes is so confident in his amazing arm he wants to use it as often as possible. I’m not so sure Reid and Mahomes are okay with passing less and winning time of possession. Differing ideologies I guess. But I do believe your defense will benefit, even just a little, from more ball control. Just an opinion from a guy who wants the Chiefs to win it if we don’t

[MVChiefFan]

Originally Posted by Scorpion05

Fair enough. I haven’t watched every game like you guys

I guess in some respects I’m comparing our defenses. Our ranking would be much worse if we didn’t sustain drives with the rushing attack and Russ. The thing is the team doesn’t care if Russ throws for 70 yards or 300, so long as we win

In comparison, I think Andy Reid sometimes falls too in love with the pass. And I think Mahomes is so confident in his amazing arm he wants to use it as often as possible. I’m not so sure Reid and Mahomes are okay with passing less and winning time of possession. Differing ideologies I guess. But I do believe your defense will benefit, even just a little, from more ball control. Just an opinion from a guy who wants the Chiefs to win it if we don’t

Our defense is so bad that if we don’t score 40 points, we have almost no chance to win. Hell, we’re the first team in history to score 50 and lose. If we tried to play ball control we would be down 21-3 before we knew it. We have to strike quick and strike often. Unfortunately, it’s our only hope.

[NJChiefsFan]

Originally Posted by Scorpion05

Fair enough. I haven’t watched every game like you guys

I guess in some respects I’m comparing our defenses. Our ranking would be much worse if we didn’t sustain drives with the rushing attack and Russ. The thing is the team doesn’t care if Russ throws for 70 yards or 300, so long as we win

In comparison, I think Andy Reid sometimes falls too in love with the pass. And I think Mahomes is so confident in his amazing arm he wants to use it as often as possible. I’m not so sure Reid and Mahomes are okay with passing less and winning time of possession. Differing ideologies I guess. But I do believe your defense will benefit, even just a little, from more ball control. Just an opinion from a guy who wants the Chiefs to win it if we don’t

It's a fine line. Part of the intimidation and explosion of this offense is being aggressive. That being said I agree that, like yesterdays game, there are situations where running the ball does a couple things. It protects the defense for a minute, gains yards and first downs because the opposing team is basically handing you 5 yard games, and it eventually forces the other team to adjust.

[Sofa King]

Originally Posted by FAX

Wow. Wally got pissy in today's conference call.

You don't get to hear Short-Fuse Wally very often.

I don't think he's happy.

FAX

About goddamn time. There a link to it?

[gold_and_red]

Originally Posted by FAX

Wow. Wally got pissy in today's conference call.

You don't get to hear Short-Fuse Wally very often.

I don't think he's happy.

FAX

He had two winnable games to get HFA, he better be upset.

[Scorpion05]

Originally Posted by MVChiefFan

Our defense is so bad that if we don’t score 40 points, we have almost no chance to win. Hell, we’re the first team in history to score 50 and lose. If we tried to play ball control we would be down 21-3 before we knew it. We have to strike quick and strike often. Unfortunately, it’s our only hope.

Yea I disagree. Style of play and in game situations matter

The most dangerous offenses aren’t just the ones that can score 50. It’s the ones that can score on almost every drive, while methodically driving down the field. Eating away at the clock

Even if it means one less possession for the opposing teams offense, it changes the dynamic of the game. It would give your defense, especially your pass rush a chance to make the big play. I’ve seen some truly horrific defenses in my time watching football. That’s not what I saw yesterday. I saw a defense thats had a long season and was getting worn down quarter by quarter. Sometimes, a team who only needs 4-6 plays to score can affect a defense almost like a 3 and out can. Your defense is back on the field in no time. People always look at stats and numbers, but football is so complimentary in the way both the offense and the defense affect each other

For a team who throws the ball as amazingly as you guys do, you guys don’t leverage it as well at all imo. You could, and should be running the ball a lot more. It will mean less gaudy stats, maybe even less points for Mahomes. But in my opinion it will lead to more wins, especially in the post season. Passing is a lot more unpredictable than running. You can pass often and before you know it, a ball gets tipped, receiver drops or fumbles, Mahomes makes a mistake, or 3 and out and the clock stops. All of a sudden your defense is back out again. That’s actually what happened in one sequence last night. Quick 3 and out by you guys, and we ate up more clock, continued to wear out your defense, and scored

Ball control is the key to an offense as explosive as yours. The Greatest Show on Turf’s biggest strength was Marshall Faulk, in an era where teams still loved to run the ball. I just think you guys are in a situation where Andy Reid wants to drive his Ferrari Enzo(Mahomes) everyday. And that car will win you a lot of races. But the Enzo gets like 10 mpg. Take out the Toyota Hybrid every now and then and be smart about it. Just my take. Andy won’t change, but run the ball a lot more. The opportunity is there

[gold_and_red]

Originally Posted by Scorpion05

Yea I disagree. Style of play and in game situations matter

The most dangerous offenses aren’t just the ones that can score 50. It’s the ones that can score on almost every drive, while methodically driving down the field. Eating away at the clock

Even if it means one less possession for the opposing teams offense, it changes the dynamic of the game. It would give your defense, especially your pass rush a chance to make the big play. I’ve seen some truly horrific defenses in my time watching football. That’s not what I saw yesterday. I saw a defense thats had a long season and was getting worn down quarter by quarter. Sometimes, a team who only needs 4-6 plays to score can affect a defense almost like a 3 and out can. Your defense is back on the field in no time. People always look at stats and numbers, but football is so complimentary in the way both the offense and the defense affect each other

For a team who throws the ball as amazingly as you guys do, you guys don’t leverage it as well at all imo. You could, and should be running the ball a lot more. It will mean less gaudy stats, maybe even less points for Mahomes. But in my opinion it will lead to more wins, especially in the post season. Passing is a lot more unpredictable than running. You can pass often and before you know it, a ball gets tipped, receiver drops or fumbles, Mahomes makes a mistake, or 3 and out and the clock stops. All of a sudden your defense is back out again. That’s actually what happened in one sequence last night. Quick 3 and out by you guys, and we ate up more clock, continued to wear out your defense, and scored

Ball control is the key to an offense as explosive as yours. The Greatest Show on Turf’s biggest strength was Marshall Faulk, in an era where teams still loved to run the ball. I just think you guys are in a situation where Andy Reid wants to drive his Ferrari Enzo(Mahomes) everyday. And that car will win you a lot of races. But the Enzo gets like 10 mpg. Take out the Toyota Hybrid every now and then and be smart about it. Just my take. Andy won’t change, but run the ball a lot more. The opportunity is there

Solid post. I don't think Reid is going to change but like you already posted Reid can make up for the lack of running by calling for more short completed passes. It also depends on how patient Mahomes is. On the first series yesterday I thought there was an easy 1st down if he chose to simply keep running instead he tried a difficult deep ball to a single covered Robinson, 3 and out to start. Momentum is real, I doubt Reid will ever figure it out after 20 years but Mahomes might.

[New World Order]

We have the best player in the league

Put the game in his hands. Let him loose.