The Kansas City Chiefs are still reeling from Monday night’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and some of the biggest letdowns occurred on special teams. Kicker Harrison Butker’s kickoff out of bounds late in the game has taken the most heat, but several penalties and breakdowns on kick returns also played a major role in sending the Chiefs back under .500.
The aftermath of these shortcomings has seen special teams coordinator Dave Toub come under fire. Things aren’t going to get easier in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions — a top unit in the NFL. Another poor effort would be disastrous, so Toubs’s special teams need to get things together quickly before it winds up forcing the Chiefs to make a difficult decision.
Dave Toub’s Unit Under Fire as Chiefs’ Special Teams Struggles Mount
Toub has been a mainstay in Kansas City since Andy Reid took the head coaching job in 2013. He also had a previous stint with Reid from 2001-03, when he was head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, and has long been his right-hand man for special teams.
For most of Toub’s tenure, special teams have been a strength for the Chiefs. Kansas City has finished in the top five of Pro Football Focus’s special teams grade in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024 and is still ranked fifth with an 89.0 grade even after Monday night’s disaster.
But the Chiefs unit showed plenty of cracks against the Jaguars. Butker’s kick was one thing that went wrong on Monday night, but so were a pair of penalties against Jack Cochrane. One holding penalty wiped out a 63-yard kickoff return by Brashard Smith, while another on the final drive of the game pushed Kansas City back to the 14-yard line, essentially putting them in a Hail Mary situation instead of driving for a game-tying field goal.
Jacksonville also had a successful night in the return game with LeQuint Allen Jr. racking up 117 kickoff return yards. Aside from the gaudy number, several of those returns made an impact, including a 38-yard return early in the fourth quarter that set up a 52-yard field goal by Cam Little that gave the Jaguars a 24-21 lead.
These downfalls will need to be shored up before Sunday’s game with the Lions. Detroit ranks 10th in PFF’s special teams grades (80.3) entering Week 6 and also ranks in the top 10 in yards per kickoff return (26.0). While their 10.4 yards per punt return ranks 16th, it still has big play ability with Kalif Raymond housing a 65-yard return for a touchdown during a Week 4 game against the Cleveland Browns.
With the Chiefs matching their loss total from last season (including the Super Bowl), the pressure is mounting on Kansas City to figure things out. While it’s not the most of their problems, special teams need to be shored up. Otherwise, the Chiefs may have to change personnel or perhaps their coordinator if the struggles continue.