Chiefs' historically poor defense could ruin chances of winning Super Bowl
The Kansas City Chiefs have stumbled to a rough start to the 2021 season, holding a 2-3 record through the first five games.
Although the campaign is only more than a quarter of the way through, the Chiefs have had a troubling trend concerning the lackluster play of their defense. Kansas City have fallen to back-to-back losses, primarily due to their struggles defensively.
Chiefs' lackluster defense could be their downfall this season
The Chiefs' defensive issues flared up on Sunday night in the blowout 38-20 loss against the Buffalo Bills. Star quarterback Josh Allen comfortably led the Bills offense with a strong performance, piling up 436 total yards with 8.1 yards per play.
Allen lit up the Chiefs’ secondary for numerous big plays, leading him to post 315 yards on 15-of-26 completed passes with three touchdowns and held a 139.1 passer rating. The disappointing loss pushed Kansas City to allow a league-worst 7.1 yards per play, which is on pace to set an NFL single-season record, according to Pro Football Talk.
The average DVOA of Kansas City's five opponents so far is 18.8%. No other team is above 11%. They've played BUF (1) CLE (6) BAL (8) LAC (11) and PHI (16).
Average DVOA of their 12 remaining opponents: -1.3% (21st)
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The current mark tops the previous all-time mark set by the New Orleans Saints, who gave up 6.6 yards per play in the 2015 season. However, the Chiefs are playing so poorly at a pace that will well surpass what the Saints recorded six years ago.
The defensive struggles have been at the root of Kansas City’s struggles as the team is giving up a league-worst 32.6 points per contest. Their defense simply isn’t stopping any opposing offense, while placing tremendous pressure on star quarterback Patrick Mahomes to put up a high-scoring performance each week just to give his team a chance to win.
Through the first five weeks, Mahomes leads the league with 16 touchdown passes, seventh with 1,490 passing yards, and holds a 106.1 passer rating. He’s on pace to record 51 touchdown passes, pass for 4,768 yards and throw 19 interceptions.
“They’re embarrassed by it … we all are,” says Andy Reid about losing by 18 points at Arrowhead.
The lack of defensive stability has pushed Mahomes into taking more risks with his passes to give his team a chance to compete. Beyond that, the Chiefs are in a rut with the rest of the AFC West pushing their way above them in the standings.
The Los Angeles Chargers hold the early-season momentum, looking every bit the part of a playoff team with second-year quarterback Justin Herbert leading the charge. There is plenty of time for the Chiefs to turn it around, but the current outlook isn’t looking so bright.