KANSAS CITY, Mo. — You could listen to just about any NFL analyst about the ongoing struggles of the Kansas City Chiefs offense and they’ll give you a different perspective.
Kurt Warner, the Hall of Fame quarterback and analyst for NFL Network, offered a simple analysis Monday night via his X (formerly Twitter) account after the Chiefs’ upset loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, a game in which their offense committed back-to-back giveaways that resulted in easy touchdowns for their archrival. Warner said the unit had one of its worst performances in the Patrick Mahomes era, which began six years ago. The offense, Warner wrote, was bad everywhere.
On Tuesday’s episode of “The Athletic Football Show,” Nate Tice, a former NFL offensive quality control assistant and former college quarterback, voiced harsh criticism of Mahomes’ teammates.
“It is so sloppy,” Tice said of watching the unit led by coach Andy Reid. “This team led the league in penalties per snap on offense going into last week and I don’t think their numbers are going to change much. This Chiefs skill-position group — receivers, tight ends a little bit because (Travis) Kelce can be a little loose and running backs — is probably the lowest collective football IQ I have ever seen, at least from a contender.”
Despite Mahomes throwing a pick-six, getting sacked four times and loudly challenging his offensive linemen on the sideline to perform better, analyst Sheil Kapadia of The Ringer absolved the league’s reigning MVP because of the suboptimal circumstances he has had to perform in.
“I have no time for those Mahomes arguments,” Kapadia said Tuesday on “The Ringer NFL Show.” “I don’t want to see any clips this week of, ‘Oh, this is the way the play is drawn up (or) he should’ve gone in structure here.’ They have sabotaged his season. He is looking to be the greatest quarterback of all time. He’s in his prime, he’s healthy and they have riddled him with garbanzo beans pass catchers, garbanzo beans offensive tackles and coaches with no answers for how to help him.”
Even former receiver Dante Hall, the Chiefs’ newest Ring of Honor member, pleaded with Mahomes on Wednesday morning to change his play style — from less mesmerizing backyard-like gunslinger to more captain checkdown — to help improve the offense’s effectiveness.
“I love you; you’re my favorite quarterback,” Hall said on “Good Morning Football.” “But I think you need to fall in love with the mundane. Yes … we’ve been used to the big play to (receiver) Tyreek (Hill), to Kelce. It’s time to be checkdown Tom Brady. Fall in love with the swing route, the checkdowns. These plays have been there for the taking. … Get a rhythm.”
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Before Wednesday’s practice, Mahomes had the opportunity to share his thoughts on his worst performance of the season. After rewatching his effort against the Raiders, Mahomes acknowledged that he struggled with almost every task required from an NFL quarterback. His footwork wasn’t sharp. His movement within the pocket was lacking. And he missed more open receivers downfield — when he wasn’t pressured or scrambling out of the pocket — than he often does.
With his season-high 58 dropbacks, Mahomes finished with 235 passing yards, 53 rushing yards and one touchdown. Pro Football Focus’ grade of Mahomes’ performance was just 34.2, the lowest of his career.
“I’ve got to play better, read the field better,” Mahomes said. “You have to be critical with yourself. You have to be true to what’s on the film. A lot of people will make excuses, and that’s why they don’t take that next step or become better because of it. You look at the film, you made a lot of mistakes that you can’t make in this league if you want to have success, and you have to learn from it.”
Mahomes spent much of Monday’s game throwing short passes, including 18 attempts that were either behind or at the line of scrimmage. When he was asked to throw the ball past the line of scrimmage, Mahomes said he drifted too far back in the pocket, making it more difficult for right tackle Jawaan Taylor and rookie left tackle Wanya Morris to contain Raiders edge rushers Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce.
The last time Mahomes struggled this much was during the 2021 season when the Chiefs were blown out by the Tennessee Titans, a game in which Mahomes completed just 20 of his 35 attempts for 206 passing yards and one interception while being sacked four times.
“I’ve got to help him,” Reid said of Mahomes. “He’s aware of what he’s got to work on. He’s a very positive thinker, so he’s very focused. He understands he’s got to do his part and the other guys have to do their part. He’s a joy to coach.”
Surrounding Mahomes, though, is an offense that leads the league in drops from receivers (26). Of course, Kelce and fellow tight end Noah Gray each dropped a pass in Monday’s loss, too. One of the biggest issues is that the Chiefs are tied for last in the league, with the 4-11 Washington Commanders, in turnover differential (-10). And even though the Chiefs have played 15 games, Mahomes still hasn’t found a reliable third pass-catcher open behind Kelce and rookie receiver Rashee Rice, a problem that has made it easier for opposing defenses to counterattack the Chiefs’ play calls.
On multiple plays during Monday’s game, Mahomes either didn’t notice that receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was open downfield or declined to target him. No receiver on the active roster has had a more disappointing season than Valdes-Scantling, a six-year veteran who has generated just 20 receptions on 39 targets for 312 yards and one touchdown.
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Valdes-Scantling was on the field for 61 snaps Monday, the most among the receivers, yet Mahomes targeted him just once, an incompletion in which the ball touched one of his hands.
“I’ve got to find ways to get him the ball,” Mahomes said of Valdes-Scantling. “There’s times where he’s open and I can see it on tape. If you look at the two games we played against the Bengals last year, he was a big part of those games (combining for eight receptions, 187 yards and a touchdown).
“The best part about him is he’s being professional. Even though I’m not getting him the ball in some of those moments, he’s blocking his tail off and doing whatever he can to help the team.”
The Chiefs have lost four of their last six games, averaging just 20.8 points in that stretch. The team that led the NFL in scoring last season has dropped into a tie for 11th in 2023.
During Monday’s game, Kelce showed his frustration by slamming his helmet on the sideline. Reid responded by not allowing Kelce to immediately get his helmet back from equipment director Allen Wright. Kelce returned to the field a few plays later after a quick chat with Reid.
“It’s not just one guy,” Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast with his brother Jason, the Philadelphia Eagles’ center. “It’s not just me playing like dog s—. It’s not just us not being able to get the run game going. It’s not just us not being on the same page, passing-wise. Everybody’s in this f—ing thing together. Everybody at some point isn’t being accountable.”
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Before Wednesday’s practice, Reid emphasized that he had already addressed Kelce’s incident.
“We talked,” Reid said. “I talk to everybody. That’s between me and the players. Kelce and I have a great relationship. I think that’s important. These guys are emotional and they want to do well. That’s what you see. There’s a sense of frustration. That urgency is going to help us get better.
“The guys know me and how I present things. I talk to the team every day, so I get my points across.”
An issue against the Raiders that irritated Tice was how often the Chiefs’ skill-position players made pre-snap mistakes — whether with their initial alignment, when they were supposed to motion or shift the formation or when one of them needed Mahomes’ assistance on where to line up after receiving the play call.
“That’s my fault,” Reid said of such errors. “I have to make sure that’s right.”
Reid and Mahomes acknowledged that the Chiefs need to correct several areas of the offense, which will be difficult for them, coordinator Matt Nagy and everyone else in the unit, to accomplish on a short week before facing the Cincinnati Bengals.
Reid’s message to his players, including Mahomes, was uncomplicated and straightforward: keep working, stay positive and move forward.
“I know we’re not going to be the (No.) 1 seed, but we can still win the AFC West,” Mahomes said. “Once you get into the playoffs, it’s open for everybody to go out there and win it. That starts with (Wednesday’s) practice.”
Injury update: Running back Isiah Pacheco (concussion protocol), left tackle Donovan Smith (neck), receiver Kadarius Toney (strained hip) and cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed (strained calf) and Jaylen Watson (illness) didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice. Right guard Trey Smith (left ankle and knee) was limited while receiver Mecole Hardman (thumb) was a full participant.
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(Photo: Denny Medley / USA Today)
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Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
