The K.C. Chiefs defeated the Washington Football Team by a final score of 31-13 on Sunday, but the victory did not come easy. Kansas City trailed at halftime 13-10 after committing three turnovers. All three turnovers were in Washington territory, with two of them occurring in the red zone.
Coming out of the locker room for the second half, the Chiefs looked different. They played with more exuberance. Obviously, none of us know what was done or said at halftime, but whatever happened seemed to create a much-needed new mindset and attitude for the second half.
The Chiefs did not commit a single turnover in the second half and the Chiefs outscored Washington 21-0. That is not a coincidence.
The Kansas City Chiefs trailed in the first half after committing three turnovers, but dominated the second half after no giveaways.
Sunday’s win against Washington is the evidence you need as to what Kansas City must do to rebound and win the AFC West, being just one game out of first place behind the Los Angeles Chargers. If the Chiefs make undisciplined errors, they give the opposing team complete control. If the Chiefs take care of the football, they will be in control and could possibly dominate. That is exactly how Sunday’s game went in the first half and second half for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs entered Week 6 co-leading the league in giveaways with 11. After Sunday’s win, the Chiefs now sit alone in the NFL lead in giveaways with 14.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is tied second with Jaguars rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence for most interceptions thrown this season. Four of them have been tipped passes, three of them to wide receiver Tyreek Hill and the other to wide receiver Marcus Kemp on a no-look pass attempt. Mahomes and Hill are also guilty of a lost fumble, as is wide receiver Mecole Hardman while running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has two lost fumbles.
There are plenty of guilty members across the offense for the team’s excessive turnovers. The crazy part is, despite leading the league in turnovers with 14 and Mahomes being tied with the second most interceptions with eight, Mahomes leads the NFL in touchdown passes with 18. Imagine what Mahomes’ total would be if the Chiefs took better care of the football.
Head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy have a lot of work to do to eliminate turnovers. The good news is that they have the right players in place to improve on this and can use Sunday as a great example to show the offense what happens when the team takes care of the ball.
It is clear that solving the offensive turnover woes will go a long way. Sunday’s win is a reflection of that. If the Chiefs can consistently take better care of the football, not only do they have a chance to win a lot of games, but winning the AFC West becomes much more doable.