Here is what national media is saying about the Chiefs in wake of loss to Titans
The Chiefs’ 35-32 defeat to the Titans in Tennessee on Sunday generated a lot of talk about the NFL.
While no one was ready to say the Chiefs’ season is on the brink, red flags were raised by many national NFL writers and broadcasters.
Here is a sample of what was being said coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the defense and the Chiefs’ future (click each link if you want to read more from that writer):
In his weekly “Football Morning In America” column for NBC Sports, Peter King wrote the Chiefs could be in trouble. This is an excerpt: “Kansas City got gashed on the ground again, giving up 8.7 yards per carry to Derrick Henry and the Titans. If that doesn’t get better, and if the special teams don’t get fixed, I doubt the Chiefs will win the division, even with a healthy Mahomes, who was terrific on a 446-yard performance in Nashville. He deserved a better fate. The Chiefs, today, are the fourth seed in the AFC. Deservedly.”
Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post recapped the weekend’s games and noted the AFC West race. This is a portion of his story: “The Chiefs dropped to 6-4, oddly having lost Mahomes’s past three full games. The Raiders, at 5-4, are only a half-game out of first place. The Raiders get the Bengals and Jets in the next two weeks, followed by a showdown at Arrowhead Stadium.”
Riley McAtee of The Ringer wrote a story with the headline, “Patrick Mahomes looks ready to conquer worlds again, but the Chiefs D doesn’t.” This is a snippet: “Let’s not overreact: The pieces of an elite team are still here. If the Chiefs can get their defense back to fringe top-10 status and Mahomes can continue playing like an MVP, Kansas City will be as dangerous as any team. But those elements have yet to come together at the same time for the Chiefs this season. This team won’t be truly elite until they do.”
ESPN’s Colin Cowherd said having a superstar quarterback can’t be a team’s only identity:
Deion Sanders was asked on the NFL Network if the Chiefs defense will cost them a chance at a Super Bowl run. Sanders’ response: “Oh, yeah, definitely. The defense is horrible. I believe they’re 31st versus the run, which means every team can run on you at will.“
Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports wrote a story with the headline, “Chiefs got vintage Patrick Mahomes but they left the door open for Raiders in the AFC West.” Here is part of what he wrote: “(B)laming this on bad luck is a cop-out. The Chiefs dominated the contest in multiple ways, but they lost because they couldn’t stop the run — stop me if you heard that before — their special teams imploded and their ball security (one fumble lost led to a Titans touchdown) was subpar.
“The Chiefs, who are tied for the second-most lost fumbles in football with nine, haven’t been sterling in any of those areas this season. So if this ends up being The Annual November Loss That Portends Playoff Doom — Andy Reid has one of those every year since he got to Kansas City — I guaran-damn-tee you those three problem areas will be at the forefront of whatever bad juju comes in January (provided it does, of course).”
Matt Verderame of Fansided wrote about Chiefs coach Andy Reid. This is an excerpt: “For Reid, anything short of the Super Bowl this year is an unqualified failure. He has the reigning MVP in the 24-year-old Mahomes, who despite missing two games (and most of a third) is having another spectacular year. The defense isn’t good but it’s vastly improved from a year ago. The weapons are even better after adding rookie Mecole Hardman on the outside.
“Still, the Chiefs appear no closer to the Super Bowl they would have reached a year ago if not for a mindless penalty.
“And perhaps that’s the place to leave off. Kansas City is undoubtedly as talented as any team in football — especially if you (weigh) the quarterback position heavier than most. Yet it consistently makes legions of avoidable errors. The kind of errors which should largely be eliminated by this juncture of the campaign.”
NFL.com recapped the weekend’s games and Grant Gordon wrote of the Chiefs: “(Mahomes) finished off his first drive back with a shovel pass to Travis Kelce for six and finished the game with a usually spectacular Mahomes line of 446 yards, three touchdowns and a 119.2 rating. Walking away from Sunday, the Chiefs have lost two of three and four of six. That’s a problem. The health and play of Mahomes is not, however.”
Peter Botte of the New York Post wrote a story with the headline, “The Chiefs look vulnerable even if Patrick Mahomes does not.” This is an excerpt: “The Chiefs opened the season 4-0, but they suddenly are looking vulnerable in the AFC West at 6-4, a half-game ahead of the Raiders, who have won two in a row ahead of games the next two weeks against winless Cincinnati and the Jets before visiting Kansas City on Dec. 1.”
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer looked back on the weekend games. Here is part of what he wrote about the Chiefs: “Patrick Mahomes threw for 446 yards and three touchdowns, didn’t turn the ball over, posted a 119.2 passer rating, impossibly put his team back in position to tie the game with a field goal at the buzzer, and the Chiefs somehow still lost to the Titans. A beat-up offensive line’s issues certainly contributed to a wobbly running game, and the defense regressed after a strong outing last weekend, which is why Kansas City was left to ask its returning MVP to carry the team again. And that did lead to some fun, high-wire moments. But it also showed that the Chiefs will have to be better than this around Mahomes come January.”
