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The Kansas City Chiefs are 3-4 through seven games in 2021. Seven games ago, many expected the team to have at least double the wins that they currently have. However, the AFC West is in a new world this season. With the Chiefs falling and the Chargers and Raiders rising, it feels like the sky is falling in Kansas City.
Has the NFL caught on to Andy Reid's explosive Chiefs offense?
After last Sunday's blowout loss to the Tennessee Titans, some are starting to say that the NFL has finally caught up to the Chiefs in the same way the NFL eventually catches up to most teams. In the loss against the Titans, the Chiefs' defense did what the defense has been known to do over the last several years. However, what's new for the Chiefs is the complete lack of offensive production.
With Andy Reid still on the team with the same core players, many are mystified as to why the offense isn't moving the ball. With the same players but different results, it only leaves the scheme as the main suspect. The scheme starts with Andy Reid. As such, the head coach was asked whether his scheme was falling behind. Reid fought back against this sentiment, according to Chiefs Wire.
“I’ll tell you, last week it sure looked that way,” Reid said with a smirk on his face. “Right, it wasn’t a very good performance. The week before, you almost had 500 yards. So, I mean, I don’t know if they’ve caught up to it. We’ve been giving some things away free and we’ve got to take care of that.”
In other words, Reid said he believed the scheme was fine, but the team wasn't executing correctly. Put simply, Reid wasn't at fault but the players were and needed to execute better. Patrick Mahomes has echoed the same sentiment in interviews this week.
Specifically, turnovers have become an issue this season. Through seven games, the Chiefs have 17 turnovers, more than any other NFL team. Patrick Mahomes has nine interceptions, including five in his last three games. It is tough to win when turning the ball over on what could be a touchdown drive.
If the Chiefs drive down the field and turn the ball over, they've shot themselves in the foot twice. They've shortened the game and scored no points. In other words, they did the same thing the other team would do if they tried to run the ball to run the clock. If the turnover results in points, the swing is tough to come back from.
For instance, if the Chiefs spend five minutes driving down the field and turn the ball over, that is five minutes they can't get back. They would be up at least three points. Instead, by turning the ball over, they get no points. If the team drives down the field and scores a field goal or a touchdown, it's doubly bad. It only takes one or two instances of this happening to swing a game.
For the Chiefs to get better, they need to do something they've never been good at: they have to play it safe for a while. If they can drive down the field like normal and are willing to make safer playcalls inside the 40-yard line, they can mitigate a lot of lost points. However, if they keep trying to push the ball down the field and look fancy while doing it, the turnovers and losses will continue.
