Former Chiefs player offers sobering analysis of the team after loss to Raiders
The Chiefs lost more than a game Monday.
With a 20-14 loss to the Raiders on Christmas Day, the Chiefs also lost a chance to clinch the AFC West title and be the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
The Chiefs’ record dropped to 9-6 and they can win the division with a win in either of their two final games (vs. Bengals on Sunday; at Chargers in Week 18). But they likely won’t be a top-two seed in the AFC postseason for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes Era.
Mahomes’ former teammate Mitchell Schwartz offered a sobering analysis of the Chiefs following Monday’s game.
“This is the most surprising Chiefs game I’ve seen since I came here,” Schwartz wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Not a good team right now (imagine if we had this effort against an actually good team) and getting worse. Still have hope but at this point it’s irrational hope. This is who we are.”
Mahomes believes the Chiefs have it in them to turn things around.
“I think if we clean it up, we can beat anyone,” Mahomes told reporters after Monday’s game. “I truly believe that, but we have to prove that we can do that.”
A fan pointed out that the Chiefs have lost some head-scratchers over the past few seasons and still had playoff success ... in the past. Schwartz said Monday’s game was worrisome given all that was at stake.
“My point is we’ve already had those bad games,” Schwartz wrote. “And I disregarded those as the occasional stinker. Losing a prime time game at home against your rival when you can clinch the division? That’s the thoroughly shocking part to me.”
Chiefs fans were discouraged by what they saw Monday. Here is a bit of what they were sharing on X and Reddit.
“The offense is so bad they produce points for the other team,” a fan wrote on Reddit.
Another channeled Jim Mora: “Playoffs?! Don’t talk about—playoffs?! You kidding me? Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game! Another game!”
“This was a Marty Schottenheimer / Steve DeBerg offense today,” a fan wrote on Reddit.
Another shared this: “This was the worst game I’ve watched the chiefs play in the mahomes era.”
“Welp. What more can be said except what’s been said for weeks. This team ain’t it. Here’s to hoping we have a stellar offseason,” a fan wrote on Reddit.
Another shared this: “(GM Brett) Veach put too much on Mahomes this year. Losing your left tackle, right tackle, best WR and offensive coordinator without any true upgrades is too much to ask.”
This story was originally published December 26, 2023 at 9:02 AM.
