The Kansas Chiefs have now lost four of their last six games with the latest loss coming at the hands of the Tennessee Titans. Patrick Mahomes made his return, but there were too many mistakes made in all three phases of the game, resulting in a 35-32 loss.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
Mahomes is fine
It’s unfortunate that Mahomes didn’t get a win considering how well he performed in his return from a dislocated kneecap. He had a great game statistically, throwing for 446 yards and three touchdowns to no interceptions while completing 72% of his passes. The best thing is that his knee didn’t appear to slow him down. Mahomes was able to move around and escape the pocket and buy time like he usually does. He reported no pain or concerns after the game either, which is a good sign.
Although Mahomes moved around well, he did look a little rusty at times throughout the game. He almost threw an interception on his first drive and missed his mark a couple of times on throws that we typically expect him to make. He did miss a few weeks, so it’s not exactly shocking that he looked off at times. Overall he looked really good and he’s only going to get better as he continues to get back into his groove.
Chris Jones needs to get paid
After missing three games in October, Jones is on a roll, notching two sacks against the Titans. Jones has easily been the Chiefs’ best player on the defensive side of the ball. He can take over at any moment in a game.
There were times against the Titans when Jones bull-rushed an offensive lineman into the lap of Ryan Tannehill, forcing him to scramble. This is the type of play that is going to make it very hard for the Chiefs to let him walk this offseason. There just aren’t many guys who can do what he’s capable of doing on the defensive interior.
It would be in the Chiefs’ best interest to make sure that Jones isn’t on a different team next season. It may be hard to give him the contract he wants with some of the big contracts already on the team and the ones they are preparing for. Brett Veach is going to have to be creative if he wants to sign Jones to an extension, and the franchise tag is also an option. Either way, it would be a big mistake to let Jones walk.
Special teams were to blame
The Chiefs’ special teams haven’t been performing the way they should. The performance by special teams against the Titans was probably the worst of the season. The loss was sealed by a blocked field goal, and there was a botched snap on another field goal. Harrison Butker missed an extra point too. That is seven points that Kansas City missed out on. If the Chiefs would have just been better on field goal attempts, they would have left Tennessee with a win.
Mecole Hardman also had a hard time on punt returns, including making a fair catch at the 3-yard line. It seemed Hardman was confused about what he was trying to do out there, and it cost the Chiefs valuable field position.
Coordinator Dave Toub needs to figure things out and fine-tune the special teams. There are too many penalties and mistakes made on a weekly basis. It’s not all on this unit, but they did share a part in the loss. This is the type of stuff that could really hurt the team down the line and prevent them from making big strides in the playoffs.
What happened to the defense?
After playing well against the Packers’ and Vikings’ top offenses, the defense allowed the Titans to have a great game. We were just starting to believe that the Chiefs’ rushing offense was fixed when they held Dalvin Cook to only 71 yards on the ground. Then they turn around and allow Derrick Henry to get 188 yards rushing and two touchdowns while averaging 8.2 yards a carry.
Ryan Tannehill took advantage of the Chiefs’ defense as he led the Titans to a game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the game. He was also accurate, completing 13 of his 19 passes. He only had 181 yards, but he had zero interceptions and two touchdowns, which is all you can ask for when your running game is working at the level it was.
There is still plenty of time for Steve Spagnuolo to figure things out before the playoffs, but it looks like teams have already figured out the adjustments he made on defense.
Injuries continue to be a problem
The Chiefs are without two starting offensive linemen Eric Fisher and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, so the line isn’t performing at the level it should be. Add in a possible season-ending knee injury for Martinas Rankin and they now are playing third-string offensive linemen. If Fisher and Duvernay-Tardif can get healthy the offense will be in better shape and it’ll be hard for opposing teams to stop Mahomes.
The Chiefs also lost their sack leader, Emmanuel Ogbah, to a torn pectoral muscle. He will likely need season-ending surgery, which is a huge blow to the Chiefs’ defense. Alex Okafor is battling an injury, and Frank Clark hasn’t been 100% healthy this season, citing a nerve injury in his neck.
If the Chiefs can get healthy, they will be a force to be reckoned with, but until then, let’s just hope they can survive the trip to Mexico City against the Chargers in Week 11. After that, the Chiefs will have their bye week to get healthy before the final run toward the playoffs.
