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The Kansas City Chiefs' biggest selling point is clearly their offense.
The flashy plays of Patrick Mahomes paired with the snazzy play-calling of Andy Reid and their loaded roster are a recipe for domination. That is what the Chiefs have done over the last three years. However, their defense has always been the skeleton in the closet.
This seems to be the biggest question for the team going forward. Great offenses can carry sub-par defenses to a dominant regular season. That said, the playoffs will expose the Chiefs' defensive shortcomings if something doesn't change.
Whether it is schematically or through trades, the defense may need to see some big mid-season adjustments if they continue as is.
Kansas City Chiefs' defense a problem in 2021
The Chiefs' defense is currently ranked dead-last in the league through two weeks. They're giving up 21 more yards per game than the next-lowest team. In other words, they're the worst ranked team in the league by a noticeable margin.
Luckily, the season is still young and one good game on defense could shoot the Chiefs up to the low 20s. However, if this is what the Chiefs' defense is going to be this season, they're dangerously close to Atlanta Falcons territory. Here's why.
Last season, the Atlanta Falcons were built somewhat similarly to the Chiefs right now. They had a great offense with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Calvin Ridley, but they also had the worst-ranked defense in the NFL. The Falcons went 4-12 last year.
Of course, no one expects the Chiefs to suddenly fall to roughly 4-12 after a Super Bowl appearance, but it simply goes to show how important it is to have a somewhat useful defense. Even the best offenses need stops once in a while.
In addition to having the bottom-ranked overall defense, the team also has the last-ranked rushing defense in the NFL. This isn't as big a cause for concern since they just played the Ravens, who notoriously run first and ask questions later.
That said, they need to rebound this week in the rushing defense department.
If the Chiefs indeed have a weakness against the run, it will simply invite other teams to imitate the Ravens and run the ball as much as possible against the Chiefs. Considering teams with less firepower are already inclined to do so to keep Patrick Mahomes on the sideline as much as possible, the recipe could lead to disaster.
It doesn't get much easier for the Chiefs this week as they play the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chiefs know how the Chargers play, so if Justin Herbert has a big day on Sunday, it could be the final nail in the coffin of the Chiefs defense in its current form.
Will the Chiefs' defense bounce back after giving up 29 and 36 points in each of their last two games? If not, trouble could be afoot in Kansas City this year.
