Kansas City Chiefs: Still Plenty of Time to Right the Ship

The Kansas City Chiefs still control their own destiny. They are still atop the AFC West & if the right changes are made, the playoffs are right around the corner.

Even with the Chiefs on a four game losing streak, the time to turn things around is now. Currently in a three-way tie for first place in the division, the Kansas City Chiefs will host both of their conference rivals at home in the next two weeks. While both the Chargers and Raiders are 2-2 in the division, the Chiefs are 2-1, which gives them the advantage.

First up is the Raiders, who are an average offensive team at best. The Raiders are ranked 25th in the NFL in rushing, averaging just 93 yards rushing per game. That bodes well for the Chiefs, who have struggled against the run. However their strength on defense is also stopping the run, which means Alex Smith will have to be effective throwing the ball.

The Chiefs defense has been struggling mightily, and with Marcus Peters serving a one game suspension issued by the team, there will be tons of question marks when the starting 11 on defense take the field. Normally when two .500 teams collide this late in the season there is little on the line. This game will have severe repercussions for the loser.

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I expect the Chargers to take care of business on Sunday when they host the Redskins, which means there will most likely be a two-way tie at the top of the division once all the dust settles on Sunday. All things being equal on Sunday, there are really two elements that separate winning from losing.

The first is home field advantage. The second, more important factor is desire. I have seen a great deal of passion and desire to win exhibited by players like Alex Smith, Travis Kelce & Tyreek Hill of late. I have not seen much of that out of the defense however.

If the Chiefs come out with the passion and desire to win they displayed in their first five games, then I expect that desire to see them through. If all things go according to plan, the Chiefs will then play host to the Chargers on a Saturday night. The AFC West division title will hang in the balance.

Five things the Chiefs must do to turn their season around: