Three things KC Chiefs must fix before the postseason

Play fast and loose

Think about the games in which the Chiefs have looked the best this season: at Arizona, at Tampa, at San Francisco, versus Jacksonville, and versus Seattle. What do all of those games have in common? Kansas City came out with an effective gameplan where they found soft spots in the defense early with the running game and short to intermediate passing game (Kelce and JuJu over the middle specifically) and then allowed their offense to evolve throughout the course of those contests as shots opened up down field. In those games, the Chiefs averaged 36 points per along with an average margin of victory of 15.6. Outside of Arizona, all of those teams are entering Week 18 either in the playoffs or right on the cusp of being in.

A big factor in this is the play-calling and overall scheme, sure. The opponents play a big factor here, too. But as we’ve seen time and time again, if Andy Reid is dialed in from a coaching perspective, Patrick Mahomes is in alpha mode, and Steve Spagnuolo has the defense dialed in with an aggressive gameplan the Chiefs are as hard to beat as anyone in the NFL. Sure, any team can reign victorious on any given Sunday, but in January at Arrowhead Stadium the Chiefs tend to have a leg up on their competition more than most.

There have been times in 2022 when the Chiefs have looked uncomfortably tight during certain games. Cincinnati and Buffalo come to mind, but you could say the same for the Colts game, both Broncos games, the first game at home against the Chargers, the Titans game on SNF. It’s happened numerous times this season. Whether it’s nerves, not wanting to show too much, or a combination of both, the Chiefs need to shake it off.

We all know what this team is capable of when they pin their ears back and go. The most important piece of the puzzle, and the piece that will ultimately dictate whether or not Kansas City finds itself in familiar territory playing for another Super Bowl championship, will be the Chiefs themselves remembering who they are.