The Kansas City Chiefs' postseason aspirations were dealt a deadly blow on Thanksgiving. Losing to the Dallas Cowboys dropped the Chiefs back to the .500 mark, and while they can still make a late run, they won't have a margin for error — especially after waking up on Friday as the No. 9 seed in the AFC playoff race.
Some changes are needed to make the playoffs, and the Chiefs need to make them immediately. With that in mind, there's just no way to justify keeping cornerback Jaylen Watson on the field as often as he is. He was a massive liability in the 31-28 loss, and even with some questionable calls by the officials, the Chiefs could've pulled it off if it wasn't for Watson's blunders.
Chiefs Needs to Reconsider Jaylen Watson's Role After Cowboys Loss
Watson has been a concern for the past month, but watching him struggle against CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. He posted a season-worst 37.1 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus after giving up seven completions for 104 yards on eight targets.
He actually looked pretty solid earlier in the season, giving up just 15 receptions on 26 targets for 172 yards with one interception and one pass break-up in his first eight games. Fast forward to the end of November, when he's up to 14 receptions allowed on 21 targets for 205 yards with one pick and one pass break-up in his last four.
Watson is going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Given the way he's performed, the Chiefs should consider benching him and then cutting ties with him as opposed to re-signing him or giving him a contract extension. He's often exceeded expectations as a former seventh-round pick, but the effort to hammer out a new deal might not be worth it if he continues disappearing when Kansas City needs him the most.
Even though he also had an interception for 14 yards in the loss to the Cowboys, he's simply not making enough winning plays or generating enough turnovers to be worth the trouble. This was just his second interception of the season.
Granted, some may take a look at 73.9 overall PFF prior to Week 13, which ranks 15th among 110 eligible cornerbacks, and argue that he's been pretty good for this team. That might be fair to a degree, but he's not always paired against the opposition's top threat, and, like we've mentioned, he's gotten progressively worse as the season has gone by.
It has become painfully evident that the Chiefs need to revamp the roster and shake the defense up. From defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's commitment to the blitz to the cornerbacks not being able to hold their ground against true WR1s, general manager Brett Veach will have to shake up the personnel.
The Chiefs will always have Super Bowl aspirations, meaning they can't afford to have any weak links, especially in the biggest games of the season. And with rookie Nohl Williams looking solid when given a chance, there's no need to keep throwing Watson into a role he can't handle consistently in the short or long term.