KC Chiefs: What Went Wrong in First Half of Season
By Joel Wagler
The KC Chiefs have suffered through a disappointing 3-5 season thus far. Just where exactly did things go wrong?
The Kansas City Chiefs had such high hopes for this season. A five-game losing streak has dented the expectations for the team going forward.
The two-game winning streak heading into the bye week has reawakened those original hopes. With five games still on the horizon with AFC West teams, the Chiefs may still be able to claw their way back into contention.
How did the KC Chiefs dig themselves into a hole from which they need to extract themselves? Where did things go wrong?
It’s quite simple. Two big losses in the once unassailable Arrowhead Stadium have put the Chiefs in an unenviable situation.
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After winning the season opener on the road at Houston, the Chiefs returned home to face the Denver Broncos on a Thursday night. Kansas City blew a late fourth quarter touchdown lead to suffering a defeat.
Turnovers were the big story here, as the Chiefs turned it over once in their red zone and twice in the Broncos’ end of the field, including Jamaal Charles fumbling on the Denver 21-yard line.
That turnover was scooped up and taken in for a touchdown with less than half a minute to go in the game.
This was a crushing defeat, and the Chiefs were still hung over when they faced the Packers and Bengals on the road the following two weeks.
After those two losses, the Chiefs returned to Arrowhead to play a beat-up, very beatable Chicago Bears squad. Kansas City led 17-3 at the half but were outscored 15-0 after the intermission.
Add in the discouraging fact Jamaal Charles suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the Chiefs were on the ropes.
They had not yet figured out how they were going to effectively replace Charles when they took to the road. They took another loss to a mediocre team at Minnesota before righting the ship against the Steelers and Lions going into the break.
The two losses at home against the Broncos and the Bears were both bad losses. The KC Chiefs were in the driver’s seat in both games, and they lost both late.
While they played even worse than expected against the Packers and Bengals, they were probably going to lose those games anyway. The season boils down to those blown games at home.
Even if with the loss against the Vikings, the Chiefs would still be in good shape if they could have put away Denver and Chicago in Arrowhead, as they should have.
If the Kansas City Chiefs were 5-3 right now, instead of 3-5, how much better would everyone feel? How much more secure would fans feel about their chances to make the playoffs?
They seem to have been able to overcome the loss of Charles, at least to aa certain extent, with Charcandrick West. While he might not be as talented as the injured star, the team looks more comfortable now with him handling the ground attack going forward.
The Chiefs need to stay hot over the upcoming weeks if they want to revive those hopes of post season play.
There is little doubt those two losses at home are the reasons the KC Chiefs’ season hasn’t gone the way anyone expected. Losing late in Arrowhead isn’t something anyone wants to become accustomed.