Totally dominated in all four quarters, the Kansas City Chiefs are officially approaching collapse in what has been a disappointing start to their 2021 campaign. To their credit, the Buffalo Bills played a solid game, keeping Kansas City at bay with their resurgent defense and setting the pace offensively behind a masterful game from Josh Allen.
Buffalo did everything they needed to do to unseat the Chiefs as AFC favorites, handing them their third loss of the season. While there is plenty of season left to get things back on track, panic seems to be setting in at Arrowhead Stadium, and if answers don’t come soon, fans will clamor for some kind of change.
It’s always tough to see a team fall from grace the way Kansas City has this year, but a change of the guard atop the conference could give the Chiefs a chip on their shoulders that carries them to success as the schedule progresses. Losses like this are all about the bounce-back, so if they can get it together defensively and find their offensive rhythm, things might not be as bad as they seem right now.
Injuries pile up, Chiefs still in need of contributors
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Even though they’ll find themselves in must-win scenarios through the end of the season, Kansas City will need to find new contributors on both sides of the ball amid a major injury concern. Maybe it’s not the worst thing given the dysfunction playing out every week from their starters, but with players like Joe Thuney, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Tyreek Hill sustaining injuries against Buffalo, things could get very hairy for the team in the coming weeks.
Chris Jones and Charvarius Ward headlined the Chiefs’ inactive list in this embarrassing loss, with the defense looking as suspect as ever despite the return of Rashad Fenton, Frank Clark, and Willie Gay Jr. Gasping for breath defensively for three quarters, and with little progress being made to get the offense back to form, Kansas City needs to find answers fast to salvage a season in which they thought they could compete for another championship
Failing pass rush dooms defensive development
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Registering just 10 pressures and no sacks on the evening, the Chiefs’ pass rush was abysmal in this loss, failing to make any sort of impact in the game. Even with Clark’s inclusion, the absence of Jones and reliance on Mike Danna to get after the quarterback proved to be an ineffective strategy against one of the league’s most potent offensive attacks. The interior of the line has failed to get any kind of push time and again this season, which begs the question; are Kansas City’s front four doing anything right?
To this point, the answer is an emphatical no. Listless against the run and totally flat against the pass, the big guys have been among the weakest links on a defense where seemingly every positional group has taken a step back. If the lack of pass rush isn’t addressed in the next three or four weeks, it just might be the nail in the Chiefs’ coffin in the 2021 season.
Chiefs’ AFC West stranglehold now in jeopardy
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It seems like Kansas City has run their division for a lifetime, but they now sit alone at the bottom of the standings as the only team with a losing record in the AFC West. Any talk about playoffs, the way this Chiefs’ roster has played, would be foolhardy at this juncture and it could signal an end to their run of dominance against divisional competition.
It might be too soon to count them completely out of anything, given that their reputation would suggest they’re better than they’ve played in these five games, but the writing is certainly on the wall. The Chargers have been one of the league’s top teams to start the season. They beat Kansas City in Week 3, so the uphill battle they’ll have to get back to the top will run through Los Angeles barring a major midseason shakeup.
When Mahomes looks average, the rest of the team follows
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This game came down to the Chiefs not being able to score on offense or stop anyone on defense. One quarterback had a field day, the other didn’t, and the result speaks for itself. Patrick Mahomes turned the ball over three times, throwing two interceptions and fumbling a late snap to give Buffalo every bit of the momentum they needed to steamroll Kansas City in the matchup. Nobody expected the kind of regression that’s unfolded regarding Mahomes’ ball security, except for maybe his biggest detractors. Playing with a defense that can’t get stops with any consistency, it’s no wonder he feels the need to force the issue in the passing game.
Their running game was a serious liability in this game too, with Mahomes leading the team by a wide margin in rushing production. Edwards-Helaire went out early with an injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of the game, but even in his seven attempts, he couldn’t even manage two yards per carry. The Chiefs are clearly not above beating themselves this season, and the total dysfunction they’ve exhibited in 2021 is supremely concerning.
This win may or may not end up defining their season. But Mahomes will need to carry Kansas City every step of the way, on his back, singlehandedly, to even approach relevance further into the schedule.
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