The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a big reality check in their first loss of the season. They couldn't hold their own against the defending Super Bowl champions, and Andy Reid has plenty of things to fix, especially on offense.
The Chiefs were outhustled, outworked, and ill-prepared for this one. Granted, it was also a must-win game for Mike Macdonald's team at home after consecutive losses and a disappointing start to the season. But the Chiefs had a chance, and they did not seize it.
However, as bad as the team looked in Week 7, there's always a silver lining. Mansoor Delane and Nohl Williams continue to ball out, and they're starting to look like the most promising cornerback tandem in pro football.
The Chiefs have found a star cornerback duo with Mansoor Delane and Nohl Williams
Delane was on the wrong end of a couple of Jaxon Smith-Njigba's great plays, but that's not much of a surprise. Sam Darnold placed the ball perfectly; no cornerback would've been able to do much in that situation, especially against the most dynamic pass catcher in the game.
Outside of that, he was borderline perfect in coverage. He gave up four catches on six targets for 90 yards, the bulk of that coming on the two JSN catches where Delane was all over him. The LSU rookie also had two big pass breakups.
As for Williams, he gave up two receptions on two targets, but those went for a grand total of 22 yards. He had a pass deflection, and he had the Chiefs' best play of the day by picking off Darnold in the end zone just before halftime.
The Chiefs' cornerback room has been one of the team's highest points. Kristian Fulton also stepped up big time when Delane was out with an injury, and while he would be an extremely valuable trade asset, the team could hold onto him solely as an emergency contributor.
That said, L'Jarius Sneed has officially become a liability, and unless the Chiefs want to give Chris Roland-Wallace or Jadon Canady the bulk of the work there, they may want to find someone else to handle nickelback duties for the remainder of the season. He can't hold his own in coverage anymore.
Whatever the case, the future seems bright for this unit. Losing a player of Trent McDuffie's caliber would've been a catastrophe for most organizations, but it looks like the Chiefs have already found their new stars at the position, and this is the worst they'll ever be.
Add us as a preferred source on Google