Long-term lessons learned from KC Chiefs tough win over Titans
By Matt Conner
Rested & Rusty?
As it turns out, it was a very good thing in some ways that the Chiefs were coming out of their bye week when they faced the Titans on Sunday. Who would have known that the team would need the stamina to not only go into overtime against a very physical team like Tennessee, but they would also run 91 plays over 41-plus minutes in Week 9? Mahomes set record highs for both passing attempts and completions with 43 and 68, respectively.
By the time the Titans got into the last quarter and certainly in overtime, the defense was gassed despite putting up such a strong effort and it allowed K.C. to gain whatever momentum was left to seal a 20-17 win. We will never know how things might have turned out if the Chiefs were coming off of another game, but it’s hard not to notice the stamina issue in a game like that.
On the flip side, it should also be noted that the rest might have led to a bit of rust on the part of some Chiefs players. The rhythms of playing each week and the development of chemistry are intangibles impossible to quantify. However, consider the following stat from Ed Werder:
The #Chiefs have 6 dropped passes today, tied for the most by any team in a game this season and their most since 2009 (6 vs. Cleveland).
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) November 7, 2022
It wasn’t only the dropped passes. Several penalties felt silly and could have seriously cost the Chiefs. An extra point and an easy field goal were missed. Red zone opportunities were squandered. Even Mahomes looked unwilling or unable to settle into the pocket at times when he didn’t have to roll out. In the end, they got the victory and it doesn’t matter how, but it seems like the time away had both good and bad consequences for Kansas City.