KC Chiefs have lots of blame to assign for frustrating loss to Bengals

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CINCINNATI, OHIO – JANUARY 02: Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals is pressured by Tyrann Mathieu #32 of the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter of the game at Paul Brown Stadium on January 02, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Bad Tackling

While I did have major issues with what Steve Spagnuolo called up for the defense in this game, I have some issues with the execution of the defensive players on the field as well. Primarily, the tackling reverted back to the terrible level of early in the season. There was missed and sloppy tackling all over the field all game long.

There were quarterback sacks that turned into 5-10 yard scrambles. There were short passes that turned into first downs. There were big plays that turned into even bigger plays all because of bad tackling. I don’t know if it’s just me, but that is one of my biggest pet peeves for a defense. That’s your primary job as an NFL defender. It doesn’t get more fundamental than that. Tackle the guy with the football!

Some of it was bad angles. Some of it was bad effort. Some of it was just sloppy form and not wrapping up. All of it is unacceptable. I’m not sure what else to say about this. I know a few plays were because the Bengals just made a great play, but a lot of it could have been contained with better tackling. It had been much better since the beginning of the season so I sure hope this was just a bad game and not a sign that we’re reverting to early season form.

While I definitely take more issue with the defensive performance (and the officiating) in this game than with the offense, I’m not letting the offense completely off the hook.

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