Get Healthy
The Chiefs’ two best pass-rushers, Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, are banged up. Houston has missed four straight games with a hyperextended knee and Hali broke his thumb in the previous game against the Baltimore Ravens. It’s obvious to say that if these guys aren’t right in the postseason the magical ride could end quickly.
Special teams have taken a hit since De’Anthony Thomas sustained a concussion and has missed five straight games. However, this last game he missed wasn’t due to injury but a personal matter he was dealing with. Needless to say, the sooner he gets back the better as field position has been pretty shaky since his departure.
Improve offense
Kansas City has been playing inferior opponents these past three weeks and have struggled to move the ball consistently on offense. This right now is what separates the Chiefs from a team like the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona is good on both sides of the ball where Kansas City is good on defense and just average on offense.
So far that recipe has been good enough to put away nine straight opponents with a combined record of 53-68 but what will happen when the Chiefs start playing good teams again?
Tom Jackson, an analyst on ESPN’s NFL Countdown said “It is a small margin of error when you’re talking about the Kansas City Chiefs,” referring to the team’s lack of firepower on offense.
It is tough to disagree with Jackson. The offense has been streaky and inconsistent. Despite the criticism, Alex Smith has improved and played good enough to help Kansas City maintain an incredible run into the playoffs. Still, there has to be even more improvement to get to a level like the Cardinals, perhaps the best team in the league right now.
The Chiefs don’t have to average 28 points per game or anything like that, but they do have to move the ball more consistently for four quarters.
In this last game against Cleveland, the Chiefs didn’t manage to score a point in the second half. The Browns are the 26th-ranked defense in the league, we can all agree this can’t continue.
The previous game before that they played the Ravens and only scored three points in the second half. Prior to the Ravens, Kansas City played the San Diego Chargers and didn’t score a point again in the second half.
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