Super Bowl rematch on Monday Night Football

Monday night’s game felt like the perfect opportunity for the Chiefs to turn it around on offense. They were coming off a bye week, playing at home against the best team in the NFC. not to mention that it was a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl versus the Philadelphia Eagles. And for one half, it looked like Kansas City was ready to turn the corner. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, it was the same old story.

Last week, I wrote about how the same issues have plagued the Chiefs offense all year. These issues are turnovers, penalties, and drops. Once again we saw all three of these cost the Chiefs a win on Monday.

Turnovers

Kansas City had 2 turnovers on Monday, both in the red zone, and both by their two best players. The first turnover was a Patrick Mahomes interception with 6:51 left in the first half. Following a L’Jarius Sneed interception off  Jalen Hurts, the Chiefs looked primed to break the 7-7 tie. On the Eagles 14-yard line, it felt like worst case the Chiefs would go up 10-7. But that was not to be. On 1st and 10, Justin Watson, who had a roller coaster of a game, beat Kevin Byard in the end zone, but Mahomes underthrew Watson, leading to their first turnover.

Monday night football

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (87) and Eagles CB Bradley Roby (33) – Denny Medley/ USA TODAY Sports

The Chiefs’ second turnover was a red zone fumble by Travis Kelce. After punting on their first two drives of the second half, Kansas City was finally moving the ball up the field. Leading 17-14, and having just converted a 4th and 1 at Philadelphia’s 16, the Chiefs once again looked determined to get in the end zone. But on the very next play, Mahomes hit Kelce for what would have been a 5-yard gain. That was until Bradley Roby punched the ball out.

Penalties

False starts and holding calls once again crippled the Chiefs offense. In years past, Kansas City could overcome a 1st and 20, or a 3rd and short turning into a 3rd and long. And with Mahomes at QB, they’re still capable of doing so, but not with the way they’ve been playing lately.  For the game, the Chiefs had 7 team penalties, the same as the Eagles.

The Chiefs offense has to become more disciplined and play better as a unit. The penalties are killing any chance they have at establishing rhythm and finishing drives in the end zone.

Drops

The most glaring and worrisome trend of the Chiefs offense is the drops. On Monday this problem was magnified more than ever. The most egregious drop came with 1:50 left in the game. Trailing 21-17, Mahomes dropped back and threw a dime into the hands of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was running free to the end zone. The ball hit MVS in the hands, but he still came up empty.

Credit to Mahomes for once again being a good teammate. In his post-game press conference, Mahomes said he could have thrown the ball a little shorter and that one play didn’t cost them the game. Mahomes said, “That didn’t just lose the game, there was a lot of stuff that happened, it starts with me, I’ve got to make better throws at certain times.” This is true leadership from a 2 time MVP who has seen his receivers drop a league-high 26 passes.

Another crucial drop came two plays later. Facing a 4th and 25, Mahomes stepped up and threw a rocket right at the first down marker to a slightly open Justin Watson. Watson had to slightly reach up, but on replay, you can see the ball go right through his hands. This was his second drop, as earlier in the second half he dropped a 3rd and 4 slant route.

Watson did have some nice moments in the game and with Kelce being doubled all night, Mahomes targeted Watson 11 times. However, he only hauled in 5 of those for 53 yards and a touchdown. Watson has speed and some play-making ability but often times he and Mahomes are still not on the same page. This isn’t just a Mahomes and Watson problem, as the chemistry is off between everyone.

Run Game

The lone bright spot for the Chief’s offense on Monday was the run game. As a team, they ran the ball 30 times for 168 yards and a 5.6 average. This was against a very good Eagles defensive line. Isiah Pacheco led the charge with 19 carries for 89 yards. Mahomes also had a solid game using his legs; he ran 6 times for 38 yards. It was also good to see Clyde Edwards-Helaire make the most of his two carries, going for 20 yards.

Run game Monday night

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (10) – Jesse Newell/ The Kansas City Star

Defense

There’s not much more we can say about this defense. They have been lights out all year and Monday was no different.  Chris Jones was outstanding with 2 sacks and 4 tackles for loss. Trent McDuffie also picked up 2 sacks and George Karlaftis added one as well. In the last two weeks, they’ve held Miami and Philadelphia to a combined 31 points. The good play by the defense has allowed the offense to go through these growing pains without costing them games.

What’s next

The Chiefs will have a quick turnaround as they travel to Vegas this Sunday. The Raiders are 2-1 since firing Josh McDaniels and have been a strong defensive team all year. If KC continues with the same struggles, they could very easily lose this game and slip to 2-2 in their division.

I’m sure we’ll hear the same talk all week about correcting mistakes. But that’s all it’s been this year, is talk. It’s past time for the Chiefs to back up their words and play winning football again.