KC Chiefs vs. Bengals recap: Key storylines from Week 17

Stop beating themselves

During the first seven weeks of the season, the discussion around the Kansas City Chiefs was all about their self-inflicted mistakes. The Chiefs turned the ball over multiple times most games. They committed numerous penalties. The opportunities were missed.

While the Chiefs certainly were subject to horrible officiating on Sunday afternoon, it’s also true that they hurt their own cause with several silly penalties that either stalled their own drives or extended them for Cincinnati. Even worse was the penalty that nullified an exceptional touchdown return by Byron Pringle to end the first half that would have put the Chiefs up by 18—and would have likely put away the Bengals in the process.

Beyond the penalties, there was the odd defensive coaching call that had the Chiefs allowing Ja’Marr Chase (see earlier) to roam free in one-on-one coverage for four quarters. When a player is absolutely overwhelming the defender, then that defender needs help. Yet time and again, the Chiefs refused to provide additional safety help which allowed Chase to put up insane numbers.

From there, Mahomes suffered from numerous drops by Tyreek Hill and others and even Mahomes had a couple sure interceptions dropped. There were several ways in which the Chiefs beat themselves on Sunday and they’ve gotta clean that up going forward.