Kansas City sweeps the Broncos for the seventh-straight season, but the Chiefs’ issues and concerns were fully displayed as they barely squeaked by Denver. Special Teams, Defensive, and Offensive miscues continue to haunt the Chiefs, causing the game against Denver to be too close to comfort.
The Kansas City Chiefs won their thirteenth game of the season against Denver, and it was closer than they wanted it to be. The Chiefs were able to make timely plays against a very bad Broncos team to win by three, but a lot of the negatives hang over the same and they are the same problems they have had all season.
The Chiefs had special teams issues and turned the ball over twice against a struggling defense and offense. Both turnovers were in horrible spots and led to points, and the special teams unit left four points on the field in a close game.
But the positives were great, the Chiefs’ defense forced three turnovers and were able to get consistent pressure in the face of Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes had another great game outside of a mistake in the red zone. Watch for Playoff Mahomes in the next game against the Raiders and whoever they face in the first round of the playoffs, it can be scary to think he can play better, but he usually does when it comes to the postseason.
It’s Time to Move on from Dave Toub
The Chiefs’ Special Teams Unit is one of the worst in the league, and Dave Toub is to blame for most of this. Dave Toub has been a great coach for a number of seasons in the league, but his special teams unit this season is his worst by a large margin.
The Chiefs are tied for the second most missed field goals, tied for first for the most missed extra points, and first in special teams turnovers. This is simply unacceptable and a lot of these turnovers were self-inflicted by Toub’s insistence on returning punts from within the ten-yard line or to force Skyy Moore (a player who hasn’t returned punts since middle school) to return.
Toub’s lack of consistency was on full display today, Kadarius Toney fumbled on a punt return on a punt that was going to land inside the five, the field goal unit allowed an inside defender to block a field goal, and yet another missed PAT on a fumbled snap by the holder.
Toub’s decisions and the undisciplined nature of his units this season should be more than enough to get rid of him this offseason, especially if special teams cost the Chiefs a game in the postseason.
Patrick Mahomes makes History, Yet Again
Patrick Lavon Mahomes II is just making history with every passing week of his career, he is now tied with Tom Brady for the second most 5,000-yard seasons in a career. Mahomes only trails Drew Brees for the most 5,000-yard seasons, but all of those players accomplished this milestone in 20+ year careers and Mahomes is in year five.
Mahomes has yet to have the “down” year the sports media wants him to have, he just is the best quarterback in the league year in and year out. If he plays against the Raiders on Saturday, there’s a possibility he could try to beat Peyton Manning’s single-season passing record and officially have one of the most efficient passing seasons in NFL history. This seems to be Mahomes’ best season of his career, even though the 2018 season is just an incredible season, and it seems like there shouldn’t be much of a debate on who the MVP is.
As said on this channel before and will be said again,
DON’T TAKE PATRICK MAHOMES FOR GRANTED!
George Karlaftis is Starting to Find his Rhythm
The rookie defensive end out of Purdue has had a fairly rough rookie season, he didn’t register a sack until his tenth career game. Since then he’s registered five and a half sacks and 10 QB hits. Karlaftis is finding his role and is starting to look like the first-round talent everyone thought he was going to be.
Karlaftis has been able to find his role in the defense through his raw strength, especially in the run game, he has been excellent at setting the strong edge and messing up running lanes. Especially against Denver’s tosses and sweeps this past week, he was able to move pulling blockers and get in the way of the running back, setting up Nick Bolton, Leo Chenal, and Willie Gay to get to the ball carrier.
Karlaftis is finding his role and his rhythm at the perfect time, the Chiefs’ defense has needed some energy on the front line, and if Karlaftis is finally playing to his potential. He looks like a different player, one who actually hits the quarterback instead of pressuring him, and it’s brought some juice to the Chiefs’ defense over the past couple of weeks. If the Chiefs’ defense can make some bigger plays, watch for them to be incredibly dangerous in the playoffs and look to Karlaftis to be a possible X-Factor.
Run the Ball
The Chiefs’ offensive line has been one of the better units in the game over the past half of the season, allowing fewer pressures and sacks than they did in the first half. One thing they were always pretty good at was running the football, the Chiefs’ offensive line has been able to consistently get running backs lanes for four to five yards in every game besides Tennessee. But the Chiefs have seemingly refused to run the ball even though defenses are baiting them to do so.
The Chiefs have faced the lightest seven-man boxes in the league since Week 9 and are running the ball at the lowest rate with a one-score lead or a tie. For most of the Mahomes era, this wasn’t much of an issue because they have Patrick Mahomes throwing the ball, he’s one of the most efficient passers in the history of the league, but now it’s starting to become worrisome.
Against Denver, the Broncos were able to force three straight three-and-outs by the Chiefs because the Chiefs threw every down. The Broncos dropped back in coverage, even with two tight ends on the field, and dared the Chiefs to run. The Chiefs should have taken the hint because they were averaging over four yards per carry in the game against Denver. It’s time to stop beating around the bush in some of these situations, run the ball and the Chiefs win more games and keep the defense fresh.
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