Kansas City Chiefs: 10 Likes and 10 Dislikes from Week 6 vs Houston
By Cullen Jekel
6. Penalties Galore
Last week, the Chiefs had 11 penalties.
This week, the Chiefs had 11 penalties.
While it’s not to the point of calling the Chiefs their own worst enemy (credit the Colts and Texans for beating the Chiefs), Kansas City has consistently hampered their own efforts in the past couple of weeks. There are a multitude of problems surrounding this team, but this one–the penalties–seems like the easiest to clean up.
7. Zero Pass Rush
Frank Clark has ghosted the Kansas City Chiefs.
Absolutely no pressure against Deshaun Watson all game. When your team’s secondary is as weak as the Chiefs is, a pass rush is, you know, sort of necessary.
No pass rush + inferior cornerbacks = trouble.
8. A Philosophical Question Regarding Returning Kickoffs in the Age of Receiving the Ball at the 25 Upon a Touchback
Why?
Just…why?
Who is calling for the returner, whether it’s Mecole Hardman or De’Anthony Thomas, to return these kickoffs? Is it at the returner’s discretion? Is it Reid? Or special teams coordinator Dave Toub?
Whoever it is needs to re-evaluate things. The team rarely, if ever, gets to the 25 upon the return, and more often than not gets flagged and pushed back deep into their own territory.
This is one of the more nonsensical things the Chiefs have done this season. Looking forward to it stopping.
9. The Ones Right to You are the Hardest to Catch, Evidently
Looking at you, Jordan Lucas. Lucas dropped a pass that was thrown right to him that would have been an interception with the Chiefs up 10-0. Instead, it bounces off his face, the Texans retain possession, and kick a field goal, cutting Kansas City’s lead to seven points.
10. A Costly Lost Fumble
Right after Thornhill’s nice interception, Mahomes got hammered by Charles Omenihu, a fifth-round pick out of Texas. Mahomes fumbled, and it looked like Martinas Rankin, the Chiefs current starting left guard, had recovered the fumble.
But Benardrick McKinney, Houston’s mean, ferocious middle linebacker, came out of the scrum with the pigskin at Kansas City’s 3. One play later: touchdown Houston, and a 23-17 lead going into halftime.
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Final Note
The Chiefs are 4-2 and are facing serious questions regarding the run game, the offensive line, the quarterback’s health, the secondary, and the lack of pass rush. Plus the team takes way too many penalties.
But it’s only been six weeks. It’s only the second week of October. Things may look dire, sure, but there’s still plenty of season left to play, and therefore plenty of time left to improve.
A short week awaits the Chiefs. A primetime match-up against the hated Broncos awaits the Chiefs on Thursday night.
A win in Denver would be very rehabilitating.
A defeat would not be the end of the season.