KC Chiefs have long road ahead after Week 8 victory

The Kansas City Chiefs came away with a win against the New York Giants. But they can’t afford to play the same way in their other games this month.

The Kansas City Chiefs survived on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants by a final score of 20-17 to improve to 4-4 on the season, sitting just two games behind the AFC-leading Tennessee Titans and are a game-and-a-half behind the Las Vegas Raiders, who lead the AFC West.

Yes, a win is a win. Given the off-the-field chatter involving the Chiefs recently, the team needed a victory. However, the Chiefs have a tough three-game stretch coming up where they play host to the Green Bay Packers, visit the Raiders on Sunday Night Football and then play the Dallas Cowboys at home.

During the win against the Giants, the Chiefs committed 12 penalties and coughed up a pair of turnovers. You guessed it. The Chiefs continue to add to their season totals of struggles.

The Chiefs have a -11 turnover ratio, tying the Jacksonville Jaguars for the worst. The Chiefs have given away the football 19 times, the most in the NFL and four more than the New York Jets, who are second in this category.

Patrick Mahomes is third in passing yards and fourth in touchdown passes thrown. But the negatives currently outweigh the positives. Mahomes threw his 10th interception on Monday night, which is more than any quarterback in the league.

As mentioned earlier, the Chiefs play the Packers and Cowboys this month. Both teams have 14 giveaways each, tying for third best in the NFL. That certainly does not bode well for the Chiefs.

Alongside the turnover woes, the Chiefs are fifth in the NFL in penalties counted against them with 56. The Chiefs hit their season high last week with nine before Monday night.

In addition to the turnovers and penalties, Mahomes’ decision making has been very questionable. When Mahomes threw an interception (off Jerick McKinnon’s helmet) in the end zone on the first drive of the game, he had Josh Gordon wide open. On the final drive of the game, Mahomes had Travis Kelce wide open running across on the two-yard line. On the replay, Mahomes appears to be looking right at his direction, but never fired a pass.

A win is a win. Last night’s win was ugly, but a win, nonetheless. However, how the Chiefs played against the two-win Giants is not something they can afford to do against the Packers, Raiders and Cowboys this month, all teams vying for a No. 1 seed.

As all of us have said all year long, it is surprising and confusing at the same time seeing the Chiefs offense play like they have. The Chiefs have five days to prepare for the Packers, and they have a lot to figure out if they want to pull off the upset.