Chiefs Rewind: KC Overcharged By Bolts

In their first division game of the 2021 season, the Kansas City Chiefs were overpowered by the Los Angeles Chargers. The offense struggled to find consistency and turnovers were obviously costly. Meanwhile, the defense was much more physical up front. The secondary was lost in space, however.

Now, the Chiefs sit at 1-2. They are at the bottom of the AFC West. Kansas City has now lost consecutive games for the first time since October 2019. Furthermore, this is the first time that this team has been below .500 since 2015. That makes this a first for Patrick Mahomes as Chiefs quarterback.

While that is not a comfortable situation to be in, there were some improvements made in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. What were some of the top things we learned from the Chiefs performance? Plus, which players’ stocks are rising or falling entering Week Four? Let’s kick it off.

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Top Five Things We Learned

The Chiefs Beat Themselves

Most of the time in recent years, the Chiefs have beaten themselves rather than being totally dominated. Super Bowl LV was truly the only time where we have seen Kansas City get embarrassed since 2018. The same was true on Sunday. That is in no way to discredit the play of the Chargers.

Nonetheless, if the Chiefs do not turn the ball over four times they likely still score 30 points or even 40 points. Sometimes losses are simple to look back on. There were certainly some other leading factors to Kansas City’s loss. But, carelessness and poor ball security must be heavily improved on moving forward. You have to be almost perfect offensively every week if you have multiple giveaways.

Mahomes Looked Uncomfortable

It was not Mahomes’ worst start of his career. The second half was mostly strong, in terms of decision making and putting the ball in places where only his guys could catch it. The last interception was the first major mistake from Mahomes in the latter portion of the game.

Earlier on, he looked uncomfortable in the pocket. The mantra of stepping up in the pocket and hitting on quicker throws when available needs to be stressed from Andy Reid. Mahomes took too long on some drop backs. This resulted in throwaways, forced passes into coverage, or a sack or quarterback hit. When using improvisation, there is not much better at the position than Mahomes. Finding where and when it is best to use it is currently a work in progress for this present Chiefs offense.

The Front Seven Can Thrive With This Effort

After missing tackles, failing to fill gaps and reacting slowly the week before, the Chiefs front seven displayed a spirited effort on Sunday. Mike Danna got the only sack on Justin Herbert and three total quarterback hits. His effort and hustle was much needed without Frank Clark. Anthony Hitchens and Nick Bolton delivered some massive hits and better run fits at linebacker. Finally, Jarran Reed sparked some energy for the defensive interior.

When this group flies around, the Chiefs can usually remain in comfortable down and distances on defense. The tackling was aggressive and the Chargers respected that by not running meaningless rushes up the middle. Can the Kansas City front seven carry that over to next week?

The Wide Receiver Room Remained Stagnant

Despite Mahomes’ inefficiencies throughout periods of the game, the wide receiver room was highly unreliable. Byron Pringle failed to live up to increased opportunities. Demarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman failed to separate. Their roles have to grow in order for this Chiefs offense to expand.

The most concerning part of the wide receivers may be Tyreek Hill. It is not due to any performance concerns or lack of ability, obviously. The defenses are taking Hill away too easily right now. Maybe it was due to the early fumble, but number 10 for Kansas City felt handcuffed throughout much of the contest.

West Is Best?

With the Chiefs in last place, the AFC West is wide open. Kansas City has all the makings of being able to comeback and re-stake their claim in the division. On the other hand, the Broncos have not felt much pressure from any of their opponents. They are back to playing suffocating defense at all three levels, while also leaning on a dominant running game and offensive line. Las Vegas is seeing some of the best play we have ever seen from quarterback Derek Carr. The Raiders defense has surprised early as well. Lastly, the Chargers possibly have the best roster and best quarterback among the Chiefs challengers. The AFC West race will be highly entertaining and just as competitive down the stretch.

Report Cards

Winners

The Front Seven

We mentioned the refined tackling and more disciplined assignments earlier. The number one thing that stood out for the front seven was the run defense. Sure, Austin Ekeler still had some positive attempts on occasion. The Chiefs were better at corralling and pursuing the run, however. LA finished with just 3.5 yards per carry and the longest rush of the day was 11 yards.

Travis Kelce

Like normal, Travis Kelce was the reliable go to guy in crucial situations. He continued to shake off tight coverage for yards after the catch. Kelce finished the day with seven catches and 104 receiving yards (14.9 yards per reception). Just when you think the tight end needs a quick breather, he continues to roll at a high level without slowing down.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Yes, there was another fumble placed on the ground by Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He played his best game of the season despite that, though. The LSU product fought hard for extra yardage. He did a great job of using patience, reading blocks and continuing to move north up the field. Running with that confidence and control was encouraging to see. CEH finished right at 100 yards rushing for 5.9 yards per carry. Additionally, he executed a screen pass to perfection for a touchdown.

Deandre Baker

The majority of the Chiefs secondary struggled throughout the day against Herbert, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Quietly, Deandre Baker played a sound game. His press man coverage ability allowed for his defensive line teammates to chase after the quarterback after elongated drop backs. His coverage was tight and his reads were mostly correct. The late defensive pass interference call felt questionable at best. Honestly, Baker appeared to have used tremendous technique on the far side. He showed why he should not have been a healthy inactive, like he was for the first two games.

Losers

The Rest Of The Secondary

Other than Baker, it was a day to forget for the Chiefs defensive backs. Daniel Sorensen has not had a great start to the season. His toughness at the catch point from last year is seemingly gone right now. Moreover, Mike Hughes and L’Jarius Sneed panicked when the Chargers went right after them time and time again. Both struggled with sticking to the opponent’s hip in space. Sneed also took a brutal late penalty when the pass rush had actually hurried Herbert’s throw.

Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes was off on Sunday. It is as simple as that. His ball placement was all over the place throughout the entire game. Mahomes was late with his timing, whether it be on his movement within the pocket or on his throws over the middle. Also, the passer looked more pressed than anything when he attempted to improvise outside of the pocket. It was a well run game plan by the Chargers back seven, as it left Mahomes indecisive during vital moments of the game.

Byron Pringle And Marcus Kemp

After only receiving 11 snaps in the previous game, the opportunity grew for Pringle. His strong performance against the Ravens was a result of hard work after the catch and solid hands. The switch was flipped on Sunday against the Chargers. Pringle only caught two of his six targets. On the final drive, he dropped a perfect pass right in the deep middle part of the field. Perhaps a catch there gives the Chiefs a better shot at trying to win the game.

On the flip side, Marcus Kemp dropped a wide open pass. The throw was not necessarily perfect by Mahomes and it led to an interception. Yet, Kemp must be able to cash in on those opportunities, especially when he is primarily a special teams ace.

Red Zone Defense

Late in the game, the Chargers offense was forced to settle for a field goal. Los Angeles had no issues before that, though. Herbert made quick decisions and was nearly perfect with his accuracy. Throwing lanes were left open to both underneath routes and towards the outside of the field. To boot, the Chargers had some of their most significant offensive line push when running the ball inside the Chiefs’ own 20 yard line. Kansas City will eventually have to stop giving up this high amount of touchdowns to opponents once they enter the red zone.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.