The Kansas City Chiefs have dropped six games this season, all by one possession. They used to thrive in one-score games and even went undefeated in that situation last year, yet they just can't seem to close out games anymore, which could end up costing them down the stretch. Thursday's loss to the Dallas Cowboys certainly didn't help.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been as good as ever, so it's safe to say that the offense isn't to blame for Kansas City's woes. This time, most of the fault falls on defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and his unit. The lack of pass rush has been an issue, and the secondary has given up way too many plays already. Even so, Spagnuolo continues to refuse to give rookie cornerback Nohl Williams a longer leash.
The secondary's flaws were particularly evident in the Thanksgiving Day loss against the Cowboys. Wideouts CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens combined for 200 yards and one touchdown on 13 catches, as Dallas's pass-catching unit ended up with 320 yards and two TDs on 27 catches. And that's without counting all the pass interference calls on the Chiefs' defensive backs — most of which were quite questionable, but still.
Unless Spagnuolo & Co. are happy with the bleeding continuing, there's no excuse to keep ignoring the secondary solution that's staring them right in their faces.
Chiefs Can't Ignore Nohl Williams Again After Thanksgiving Defeat
DB Trent McDuffie may have had his worst game as a pro against the Cowboys. He just couldn't keep up with Lamb and was on the wrong end of an acrobatic touchdown grab he will want to delete from his memory. He has failed to prove that he can hold his own in man coverage against the best wideouts in the game, and if he wants to get paid like a star, he has to shut down stars.
Chamarri Conner was another massive liability in coverage. While he's pretty solid as a safety, especially against the run, he was absolutely dreadful in man coverage in the slot, yet Spagnuolo kept putting him in a tough spot instead of just rolling with Nohl Williams.
With CB Chris Roland-Wallace out with an injury, it looked like the table was set for Williams to be given some more playing time, finally. Instead, he was there for seven snaps, all while McDuffie and Jaylen Watson were out there for every single snap on defense.
Williams has posted a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 76.8, and he's just given up eight receptions on 15 targets for 61 yards and two pass break-ups. Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 63.5 when they target him, which is fairly impressive given his limited playing time.
The Chiefs have no margin for error anymore. They need to win out and hope for the best if they want to make the playoffs. What they're doing right now clearly isn't working, and sticking to that would be the definition of insanity. That's why they should give a chance to the versatile Williams, who's played snaps on the outside, as well as in the slot and box, in both his NFL and collegiate careers.
The Chiefs have a promising rookie third-round pick who has made the most of his limited opportunities, but now it's time to break the chains off Williams. Kansas City likely won't bench McDuffie, though, so it should at least consider giving Williams some of Conner's snaps instead of playing the latter out of position and asking him to do something he's clearly not suited to do.
Needless to say, the ball is in Spagnuolo's court.