KC Chiefs: Seven things we learned in Week 5 loss to Raiders

4. Niemann isn’t the answer

This is something most of us already knew, but Ben Niemann just isn’t the answer at linebacker. What’s more concerning is that if Niemann is still getting opportunities on the field, just how bad is Willie Gay? I know he’s a rookie, but it’s hard to imagine anyone playing as poorly as Niemann.

What helps Niemann is that he’s had a few big plays this year. Otherwise, he’d be on the sideline each week, which is honestly where he needs to be from now on. He’s not someone the Chiefs should continue to put onto the field, especially on important plays.

5. Offensive line woes

Part of why the Chiefs were able to turn things around last year was because their offensive line started to gel. While the o-line has had some good games, it’s been quite the rollercoaster for them as a whole and this was their worst game by far.

Mahomes was sacked three times, hit five times, and pressured constantly. They also didn’t do enough to help the run game get going and while some of that falls on the running back, the other part of it falls on the o-line.

This will be unpopular, but Mitchell Schwartz isn’t the same player this season and I seriously think there’s some sort of injury that we don’t know about. He had another rough game on Sunday and when he’s struggling to protect Mahomes, it’s not a good sign for the rest of the offensive line.