The Kansas City Chiefs are no longer undefeated, but that's not even the biggest issue after Week 7. For the first time in the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes era, the Chiefs didn't run a single play in the opposition's red zone.
While not having two starting tackles and two wide receivers didn't help the offense, the issues went well beyond that. It was a testament to how things can look for this team if something happens to Kenneth Walker III or if he has a bad game.
The Seattle Seahawks' defense focused its entire game plan on making sure their former star didn't beat them, and it worked like a charm. More than that, it exposed just how precarious Kansas City's offense can be.
The Chiefs can't depend only on Kenneth Walker III
Walker carried the ball 14 times on Sunday night, amassing just 36 rushing yards, a putrid average of 2.6 yards per carry. He wasn't much of a factor in the passing game either, logging four catches on five targets for 21 yards.
This isn't a knock on him or a statement that he's not a superstar. Even the best players in the world have rough games at times, and the Seahawks deserve all the credit in the world for how they managed to contain him.
But what happens when the running game can't get going and there aren't any explosive plays? Patrick Mahomes can't throw the ball to himself, and no one else in the passing game stepped up in Rashee Rice's absence.
Mahomes finished the game with 19 completions on 33 attempts for 165 yards, one interception, and one sack. He may have only been sacked once, but he was running for his life on every dropback, and that type of suffocating pressure led to his head-scratching turnover.
Travis Kelce and Noah Gray tied for the team lead with 44 receiving yards. Xavier Worthy was second with three receptions, but he totaled 11 receiving yards. That won't get the job done against a bad team, let alone the reigning Super Bowl champions.
There's nothing wrong with depending on one player, but the Chiefs can't be this one-dimensional. Mahomes had already put the offense on notice that it needed to be better at the little things and at getting easy completions.
Hopefully, this loss will only be a blessing in disguise and a much-needed wake-up call for this team. The front office must make some moves and give Mahomes more weapons, or this will only be an omen of how this team's season might end.
Add us as a preferred source on Google