What’s happened to Chiefs’ once-great Mahomes-led passing offense? Our KC report card
In the Super Bowl, the Chiefs overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles.
On Monday Night Football at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the Eagles returned the favor, rallying for a 21-17 victory after falling behind 17-7 at the break.
KC STAR OF THE GAME
Chiefs second-year cornerback Trent McDuffie continues to impress. He came up with a pair of sacks and a forced fumble.
Next: The Chiefs return to the AFC West and visit the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The game will kick off at 3:25 p.m. (Central), broadcast by CBS (Channel 5 in Kansas City). It will be the first of two meetings between the teams this season, with Vegas playing in Kansas City on Christmas Day.
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: F
What is happening? Bad decisions by Patrick Mahomes. Wide receivers drop the ball. There’s no separation by wide receivers, and little threat of a deep ball.
After watching the Chiefs blister teams with the passing game for years, everything seems out of sync. Mahomes tossed two short touchdown passes in the first half, but the Chiefs continued their troubling trend of scant offense in the second half.
They entered the game ranked last in second-half scoring and will keep that position after getting blanked Monday.
Did Mahomes not see Eagles safety Kevin Byard in the end zone? The pass to Justin Watson was underthrown and Byard made the interception.
Credit Marquez Valdes-Scantling for running a perfect rub route that freed Travis Kelce for his 4-yard touchdown reception to give the Chiefs at 14-7 lead.
Kelce gave it back, losing a fumble after a short gain in the red zone as the Chiefs sought to pad their lead.
And MVS? He had a chance to be a hero, racing free in the middle of the field. But he dropped a deep Mahomes pass that would have given the Chiefs a go-ahead touchdown.
Another low-passer-rating game for Mahomes, 71.6, after throwing for 177 yards.
Rushing offense: B
On this wet night, Isiah Pacheco’s hard-charging style and the offensive line were needed, and they mostly delivered. Pacheco got the Chiefs’ first touchdown drive started with a 24-yard run and he averaged 4.7 yards per attempt against the NFL’s top rushing defense.
One of the biggest cheers of the night came when the Chiefs converted a fourth-and-1, with Pacheco picking up 2 yards. But Kelce’s fumble happened on the next play. Pacheco finished with 89 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Passing defense: B
An excellent effort wasted. McDuffie came up with two sacks, a forced fumble and created havoc throughout the game. Chris Jones played his best series of the season, with two sacks on three snaps. George Karlaftis added a sack. L’Jarius Sneed came up with his second interception of the season.
But Mike Edwards was burned by DeVonta Smith on a 41-yard gain that set up the Eagles’ go-ahead touchdown.
Rushing defense: C
The Chiefs entered the game having surrendered the league’s fewest rushing touchdowns this season (three). The Eagles scored all three of their Monday night touchdowns on the ground, including one by Hurts on a Tush Push. The Eagles were a perfect three-for-3 on the short-yardage Brotherly Shove play.
Special teams: B
Mecole Hardman suffered a thumb injury after a first-quarter reception, and that meant Kadarius Toney returned punts for the Chiefs. The dynamic Toney delivered. He averaged 11.2 yards on five returns.
Toney’s 16-yarder late in the second quarter set up the Chiefs’ halftime walk-off score, a 43-yard field goal by Harrison Butker.
Along with his two extra points, Butker remained perfect on kicks this season. He’s made all 43 attempts, including 19 field goals.
This story was originally published November 20, 2023 at 10:25 PM.