3 Chiefs on Thin Ice Despite Convincing Win vs. Broncos in Week 6

Not everyone on the Chiefs played well in Thursday Night's 19-8 win against the Broncos, as the offense looked sloppy and Denver had a chance to tie the game late.

Some players shined, especially defensively, but others struggled against a terrible opponent. The receivers outside of Rashee Rice combined for just 31 yards on five catches, for example, while short-yardage situations continued to haunt the offense.

With 10 days of rest before a Week 7 matchup hosting the Chargers, here are three players on thin ice despite the convincing win:

3 Chiefs on Thin Ice After Week 6

1. Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Two straight weeks at the top of this list doesn't bode well for Valdes-Scantling, who is suffering through a career-worst season despite handily leading Chiefs receivers in routes.

MVS was a ghost once again, failing to corral his only target on a busted play in the red zone. He now has a whopping three catches in his last four games despite a clean price tag of $11 million this year. No player on the roster has been more disappointing through five weeks and it's obvious to anyone watching that the vertical threat is playing himself off the roster.

That's impossibly bad. Justin Watson has been the more dependable deep threat though suffered an injury that'll keep him out multiple weeks, so Valdes-Scantling has an opportunity to show he still belongs on the field.

His magnificent game in the AFC Championship aside, MVS is running out of evidence to show he deserves to be both the highest-paid and most-played receiver.

Brett Veach has tough decisions to make this offseason with contract extensions due for several critical players. Unless Valdes-Scantling turns things around in a hurry, moving on will be one of the easiest decisions Veach makes.

He's not the only player trying to earn his spot in 2024, though the next Chief has a better case than MVS does.

2. Willie Gay Jr.

Let me be clear: this is NOT a criticism of Gay's performance. He's been good this year and is a key contributor to one of the best linebacking groups in the league.

Instead, Gay's inclusion here is more about how good the rest of the defense has been and the difficult decisions Brett Veach has to make to keep the Chiefs under the salary cap. Gay made major impacts against the Broncos, namely recovering a fumble, but his competition had big nights too.

Nick Bolton jumps off the screen every time he plays and even intercepted a pass last night, while Drue Tranquill is a perfect fit for Steve Spagnuolo's defense.

Kansas City can't keep everyone and Bolton, Tranquill, Trent McDuffie, Chris Jones, L'Jarius Sneed, Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey, among others, have all been excellent this season. If Gay can't outshine those players, he might be on the outside looking in next year.

It's worth noting that Gay played 69% of defensive snaps last night compared to only 37% for Tranquill, but the latter was dealing with an injury and contributes on special teams as well.

Gay is a quality player, though he'll need to raise his game the rest of the season if he wants to remain a Chief.

Last but not least, a familiar Achilles' Heel keeps hampering Kansas City's offense.

3. Matt Nagy

I truthfully have no idea how much blame to attribute to Nagy vs. Andy Reid for the Chiefs' continued short-yardage woes. They've been an issue for years, so it seems likely Reid deserves more ire than Nagy.

That being said, Reid is a made man with this organization and Nagy is receiving a chunk of blame from the fan base regardless. A casual search of "Matt Nagy" on the platform formerly known as Twitter will show you what I mean.

Between the frequent, failed trick plays with Kadarius Toney or the creative yet unsuccessful fake field goal attempt, fans are upset with the offense. Patrick Mahomes hasn't looked comfortable all season and some wonder if the Chiefs miss Eric Bienemy's presence.

It's too early in my opinion to call for Nagy's job or anything like that. Kansas City still ranks in the top 10 in points per game, for crying out loud. However, it's obvious the offense isn't as explosive as previous year and the repeated mistakes deserve criticism.

How many times do we have to try a trick play when we need two yards instead of just running with Isiah Pacheco or letting Mahomes work his magic? Can we treat Kadarius Toney like a normal receiver instead of insisting every target comes with some sort of funky gadget thrown in?

You don't always have to reinvent the wheel. When you have better players, sometimes you just need to run around the wheel faster than everyone else.

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