The inconsistent offense of the KC Chiefs could prevent a Super Bowl return

It’s been a weird year for the K.C. Chiefs offense. Despite having the dominant quarterback-tight end-wide receiver trio of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs’ offense has been inconsistent.

Through the first six games of the season, the Chiefs offense was scoring 30.8 points per game during a 3-3 start. In the last six games, the Chiefs have been more victorious, going 5-1, but are scoring 19.7 points per game.

Mahomes is in the top five in the NFL in completions, attempts, passing yards, touchdown passes, and first down completions. But Mahomes is also in the top five in the league in interceptions thrown.

Kansas City’s offense still has a lot of uncertainty heading into the final five games.

Mahomes currently has 12 interceptions. But not all of those interceptions are on him. Through the first 12 weeks of the NFL season, Hill and Kelce respectively lead the NFL in drops. Some of the passes that have hit their hands have turned into an interception.

Mahomes has thrown some bad passes this year. If you have followed the Chiefs closely this year, you know Mahomes has thrown a lot of uncatchable passes and has even missed some open pass-catchers. The Chiefs, who have become known for using their speedsters and scoring on big plays, have hardly had any big plays this year. Mahomes has thrown only five passes of 40 yards or more. Fifteen other quarterbacks have thrown six or more passes of 40+ yards.

On November 1 when the Chiefs played the Giants on Monday night, Hill caught 12 passes. Given his 12 receptions, you would think he’d have around 200 yards, but he finished with 94. Although Hill has been a liability at times with his drops, he’s still a big threat. He is in the top six right now in receptions, yards, and touchdown grabs.

Again, it’s been a weird year. It’s unexplainable how and why this offense is inconsistent considering it still has the same core trio and has dominated the past three years. There is even a fair case to say this is the best offensive line the Chiefs have had since Mahomes took the starting reigns under center. The Chiefs are in the top five in total offense and in passing with more first downs than any team in the league. However, their scoring has dropped to 13th in the NFL.

In addition to the offense’s 23 giveaways, which is the second-most behind the New York Jets’ 25, the Chiefs offense has not been the same offense we have seen the past three seasons. The drops have hurt and the offense, in general, is not organized nor are the players in sync.

There is more trust in the Chiefs’ defense than the offense at the moment. Seven weeks ago, this would have been an insane thing to say. During the first six games, Kansas City’s defense was allowing more than 30.8 points per game and has surrendered 13.8 points per game the last six games. While the defense is good, it does need help from the offense when it comes to the time of possession.

According to Team Rankings, the Chiefs are 14th in the league in time of possession and continue to fall in that category. If this continues, it will hurt the Chiefs’ defense at some point.

The Chiefs currently lead the AFC West and are projected to finish as division winners. Come playoff time, however, if the offense does not improve on its woes, it could be the main reason why the Chiefs don’t return to the Super Bowl for a third straight year. We all know what this offense is capable of. The question we have to ask ourselves each week is: which offense will show up on gameday?

It’s crazy to think we have to question the offense with the playoff race heating up, but that is the current state of the Chiefs. It’s up to head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bineniemy to find a solution before it’s too late.