As a relatively young Chiefs fan (still in my early twenties), my Chiefs fanhood was full of questions for the first 10 or so years—questions such as, “That’s our head coach?” or, “We signed Matt Cassel to a long-term deal?” However, since the start of the Andy Reid era in Kansas City, there have been fewer questions as the consistency of Reid calmed the seas in Chiefs Kingdom and the team made their way to a Super Bowl victory in 2019.
Unfortunately, this 2021 season has been full of questions once again, and they didn’t stop with their Week 8 game against the New York Giants. Entering the game with a 3-4 record and last place in the AFC West, this injured Giants team looked to be a good game for the Chiefs to turn things around and take advantage of a poor team on their way to a blowout.
That was not the case. The Chiefs shot themselves in the foot yet again and stumbled to an ugly 20-17 win. There seemed to be more questions after a win than there were after their 4 losses this year.
So what questions are still present after this less-than-ideal win against the Giants? Let’s take a look.
Will Frank Clark and Chris Jones produce in the second half?
Both Clark and Jones came through in the clutch for sacks on the Giants’ final drive to seal the game and secure the Chief’s win. However, they have both been largely insignificant through 7 games until Monday night. Both Jones and Clark looked to be healthy after nursing injuries throughout much of this early season. With Jones playing with torn wrist ligaments, and Clark missing weeks 1, 3, and 4 with hamstring and off-the-field issues.
With Jones showing up when it mattered most down the stretch, it bodes well moving forward that this defensive line can manufacture a pass rush and pull this unit out from the bottom of the league’s defensive rankings.
Is Mahomes hamstrung by the play-calling?
Through eight weeks, Patrick Mahomes is third in passing yards but leads the league in interceptions. He has been called to do a lot in this Chiefs’ offense and that means constantly looking for the big play to keep the team in the game.
Too often, a turnover, whether a fumble or interception, puts the Chiefs in a position where points are necessary and they rely on Mahomes to single-handedly deliver them. Now, that wouldn’t be so bad if Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce weren’t getting double-teamed, resulting in dump-off passes that rely on making someone miss. And that doesn’t even address the team moving to the run game either too late or at inopportune times, resulting in lost mojo for the passing game.
Mahomes isn’t “broken”, but in eight weeks of football, he has looked average compared to his usual Herculean self. While mistakes happen, the play-calling looks like it’s holding this offense back as well.