How tables have turned - Sitting bottom of the AFC West, where's it gone wrong for the Chiefs?
Heading into the 2021 season, the Kansas City Chiefs sat primed to make a strong push toward another Super Bowl.
However, the first month of the campaign hasn’t transpired how the Chiefs had hoped, currently sitting at the bottom of the AFC West division standings. Kansas City remains the gold standard of the division, but the rest of the competition is proving to be more formidable than expected.
Chiefs are no longer the dominant force of old
The Los Angeles Chargers are on top after a strong showing in the Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Rising star quarterback, Justin Herbert, threw three touchdown passes. Although the loss pushed the Raiders behind the Chargers, it marked their first loss of the season.
Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos have quietly taken care of business, winning three out of their first four games with offseason addition Teddy Bridgewater under center. It’s extremely early in the 2021 season, but the Chiefs are certainly nowhere near the position they believed they would be a month into the year.
Tried to find a category where Mahomes ranks poorly in his first 50 games. He's sixth in completion percentage, seventh in pass attempts. He's 18th in sacks for QBs with 1,000 pass attempts, moves up to 5th if you bump it up to 1,500.
Kansas City split its first four games that have brought forth questions concerning the team’s viability to secure the AFC West division title for the sixth straight season. Star Patrick Mahomes is playing at an MVP level behind a league-best 14 touchdown passes, but it’s other areas of the team that are drawing concerns.
The Chiefs possess some major issues defensively, as the team isn’t slowing down opponents this year. They currently rank second-worst, giving up 31.3 points per contest and second-most yards per game (437.8).
Kansas City is struggling to show any effectiveness against opposing offenses, allowing each of their first four opponents to score at least 29 points. Mahomes’ continued brilliance with five touchdown passes against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 led them to a win. However, they allowed 461 total yards, with second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts throwing for 387 yards.
A play is never over with Hurts under center. https://t.co/CzQ9aThlZf
All those issues speak to trouble ahead, and it already has within the division. Herbert torched the Chiefs' defense in Week 3, grabbing a road win. The schedule doesn’t get easier with a Week 5 matchup against the Buffalo Bills while also possessing other non-division games against the Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, and upstart Cincinnati Bengals.
It’s not to say that Mahomes and Chiefs will get back on track, but the pathway to another AFC West division title could be a much more daunting task than expected.