Kansas City Chiefs grades: offensive disaster

Coaching: F

The offensive and defensive game plans were simply terrible. The Chiefs struggled to get pressure on Jameis WInston despite having Justin Houston and Dee Ford on the field at the same time. However, the way the pass defense played you’d think the Chiefs were blitzing 8 guys on every play. In truth the Chiefs don’t blitz often unless it is 3rd and long. So why was the secondary still getting absolutely torched?

It wasn’t deep downfield, it was screens and intermediate routes. Let that sink in. The Chiefs defense had a hard time stopping a team that they basically face every practice. That is how the Chiefs offense gets points. They get you with intermediate routes and screens until the red zone and field goal kick you to death. And the defense acted like this was the first time they had seen it.

Offensively the Chiefs seemed to think that only one team could have that philosophy in a single stadium so they refused play their game. Instead they ran the ball until they found short yardage situations.

Then they ran routes that took forever to develop so that Smith could panic and throw extremely off target. It got so bad that instead of trusting Smith to make a call near the goal line, Reid admitted that he called a play action fake with one read. The play relied on Bucs safety Chris Conte to fall for the fake run. The Chiefs had not run the ball with Ware near the goal line to that point. Instead he stayed back and nearly dropped the interception he was so surprised Smith actually threw it right to him.

Try to have a great Thanksgiving, Chiefs fans! Maybe this will be the turning point for a team that desperately needs one. This next game will be an excellent barometer for how the season will end for Kansas City.