Chiefs 2015: Arrowhead must address the elephant in the room
The first quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs’ regular season concluded over the weekend with yet another drubbing. The Cincinnati Bengals handed Kansas City its third-straight loss of 2015 before a crowd of 57,000 in Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday. The Chiefs are now in the cellar of the AFC West and appear to be anything but a contender in the conference. The pride of One Arrowhead Drive has been exposed by the NFL’s best teams. It’s clear now that this team is not who we once believed them to be.
Everyone expected the third year of this regime to be Kansas City’s coming out party as one of the AFC’s most viable teams. Instead, we’ve seen an undisciplined, gutless bunch playing well below their collective capabilities. Thus far, the two explanatory theories with the most traction in the Chiefs blogosphere are Alex Smith and a woeful offensive line group. I’m here to be the bearer of bad news and reveal a few additional warts. It’s time for some brutal honesty about your 2015 Kansas City Chiefs.
If all hearts and minds are clear, let’s get into it.
1. Andy Reid is beginning to look more and more like a dead end.
Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
For all of the praise heaped upon the hiring of Reid, it’s apparent that the honeymoon is over in Kansas City. The telegrammed tales of caution from Eagles fans weren’t just jabs from a jaded fan base. Those tales now read like grisly tarot cards foretelling a grim future for the organization. Much of what we were warned about has come to pass. Kansas City’s offense has had issues with clock management, a lack of commitment to the run game, and questionable situational play calling.
Reid’s kung fu grip on play-calling duties is currently one of the Chiefs’ biggest problems. He obviously has offensive weapons, but despite three-to-four dynamic playmakers and 461 yards of total offense on Sunday, Reid and company were unable to find the end zone. Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy deposed himself of play-calling responsibilities after the team lost the NFC Championship Game in January. Mind you, the Packers had the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL in 2014. McCarthy still realized he should defer the job to his offensive coordinator Tom Clements. Reid would be wise to do the same, but there’s been no indication that he’ll hold himself accountable for the team’s lack of offensive productivity.
Seven field goals, on the road, against an undefeated conference team is utterly unacceptable. Reid’s offensive imagination has been stunted, and he’s failed to make the most of impressive, individual performances over the last three weeks. After the first four games, Jeremy Maclin is averaging nearly 100 receiving yards per game. Throw in another 75-yard per game average for both Travis Kelce (through the air) and Jamaal Charles (on the ground) and it’s tough to understand why the Chiefs have only nine touchdowns all year (all of which came in the first three games).
Next: The truth about #11