4 Chiefs who have some serious explaining to do after brutal Seahawks loss

The Kansas City Chiefs' opponents leading up to their Week 7 matchup in Seattle against the defending champs were ... not above par, but that showed through in spades when the Seahawks obliterated the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. This was increasingly apparent in the first half, when the 2025 Super Bowl champions shut out Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the league's best rusher, Kenneth Walker III.

But not everybody deserves to have blame shoved on their shoulders. With that said, there are definitely more than a few players who need to step up within the next six days, or else they could be in jeopardy of losing their spot on the depth chart or even their spot on the team.

Steve Spagnuolo needs to pick his battles with L'Jarius Sneed...

This one is a twofer, but specifically targeted at L'Jarius Sneed (which is exactly what Sam Darnold and Seattle did for most of the game). Sneed's physicality at the line of scrimmage was the main reason that Kansas City brought him back after an abysmal stint with Tennessee, but that trait could not be seen at all against Jaxon Smith-Njigba (a.k.a. "JSN") and Cooper Kupp all night long.

Throughout the first half, the middle of the field was consistently open for JSN every time Sneed was put on him in a man-on-man situation. Even before halftime, Sneed had given up three catches on five targets for 53 yards, and it was obvious to every single viewer and their dog that Darnold was simply targeting No. 38 no matter who he was up against.

With that said, it is defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's job to see that mismatch on the field and fix it as soon as possible. Instead, he doubled down and continued to shove Sneed up against JSN and allowed multiple big plays to convert third downs into firsts and small gains into big plays.

Sneed's age showed through all across the field, whether in man or in zone, and maybe it's simply his age or his oft-injured body just finally coming out on the field ... but he needs to step up, get in the gym, stay late at practice, or simply admit that he can't be CB1 anymore. No matter how it ends up this season, even if the Chiefs go all the way and win their fourth Super Bowl in seven seasons, it would appear that Sneed is probably not going to be reliable going forward for this team.

And Spagnuolo, with all his Hall of Fame accolades under his belt, might need to start valuing youth and talent over experience and knowledge of the game a little more. Otherwise, the Chiefs will continue to give up major plays on third-and-long (a continuous issue over the past few years) and will continue to look OLD and SLOW instead of just out of position.

Chris Jones needs to get his head in the game (or else)

It's laughable that Chris Jones, or "Sack Nation" as he says in pregame introductions, is still worth his massive contract from just two years ago. Not only does he seem to not have the strength to get past even mediocre offensive linemen, but when he has opportunities at the quarterback, he slows down or jogs to the play instead of sprinting.

The first real sign that Jones may not be what he once was shone through against Jacksonville last season when Trevor Lawrence fell to the ground and Jones simply stopped attempting to rush, ultimately giving up the game-winning touchdown. Sadly, it's been consistent every week since then, but it really made a difference this past Sunday night when Darnold converted one of two third-and-longs with his legs, a rarity in his career.

Jones simply pulls up and stops running even though he is the only Chief with the chance to stop the play before it hits the line to gain. It was one of many instances where he runs out of gas—or perhaps effort—while the play is still behind the line or still open to be stopped.

Whether you believe in PFF grades or not, it's the easiest way to identify the massive decline in Jones ever since he sat in a suite during the Chiefs' Week 1 loss against Detroit three seasons ago. Since then, his average grade has dropped from 87.41 to 63.45. He went from 42 sacks over three seasons (2021–23) to just 15 sacks in three seasons since. He already has six missed tackles this season, matching his total from all of last year. It's one of the more outstanding declines of the last few years, and it's showing more and more every week when it matters most.

There are definitely a few Chiefs who should be worried about their jobs at the end of the season, but Jones might be at the top of that list. Especially considering how much he's being paid to do all that cardio every Sunday. In total, Jones' cap hit this season is $44,850,000, which is the largest on the team by over $10 million, and that cap hit only drops $6 million if he's on the team next season.

It could very well be time to look at "Sack Nation" and wonder whether or not he could yield someone better or a high pick in return, even if the Chiefs have to eat salary with the trade. Much like the Denver Broncos did with Von Miller, paying half his annual salary while he won a Super Bowl in Los Angeles, or Cleveland did with Amari Cooper just two seasons ago when they paid $18.79 million of his $20 million base while he was catching passes from Josh Allen in Buffalo. It would be some serious crow to eat, but Veach would be moving in the same direction as the Patriots did years ago when they cut bait with players a year early before they dragged the team down with them.

The other option is to wait until the end of the season and let the 33-year-old find new threads in free agency, causing a $19.5 million dead cap hit for Kansas City, which will already be nearly $14 million over the cap to start next season. Either way, Jones is seemingly playing himself out of Kansas City, and there are not many ways for him to salvage the situation other than showing up and showing out every week.

Brett Veach needs to learn how to evaluate talent all around

I'm not usually one to crush Kansas City's famed general manager, but Sunday night's loss is particularly centered on Veach's lack of talent that he's brought in to help Mahomes. Sure, Walker III was a great addition and has shown that he can bring in some serious skill on offense, but outside of the run game with Walker and Emmett Johnson, there is nothing to write home about.

His lack of vigor to add reliable, non-problematic, sure-handed receivers this offseason is now on display as Mahomes can only seem to throw to 37-year-old Travis Kelce and on-again, off-again Xavier Worthy, who can't seem to stay consistent even when targeted more often.

Veach's decision to pay Jones was largely in part due to the lack of pass rush against Detroit in one game, but now that Jones can't help the pass rush with money in his pocket, he is stuck with $52,252,000 going to two players (Jones and George Karlaftis) for just this season alone. Other than that, Kansas City is relying on and praying that rookies R. Mason Thomas and Peter Woods can pick up the slack that Jones and unproven players like Felix Anudike-Uzomah have cost the Chiefs.

Not only that, Veach's huge swing and apparent miss on Josh Simmons has put a microscope on all of Kansas City's draft picks since the Chiefs' last Super Bowl victory. Granted, picking at 31 or 32 every season comes with its own problems, but a grand total of three or four good players (Jaden Hicks, Nohl Williams, Emmett Johnson, Mansoor Delane) out of 21 picks is not a good track record.

Even then, the elevation of Delane, Hicks, Williams, and the consistency of the secondary are largely due to DB coach Dave Merritt being the best of the best at his job. Veach's huge swings and contracts, as well as the lack of urgency when it comes to skill players, are making Mahomes look pedestrian behind an offensive line that continues to get him knocked to the ground.

Veach has to step up in free agency before the trade deadline in two weeks. If not, there is an angry mob of Chiefs fans that will likely picket around Arrowhead until he proves he can continue to provide Mahomes and Reid with Super Bowl-caliber teams. And this year, he has to go big, especially at receiver, instead of little Band-Aids for the offense like he's done in the past with aging DeAndre Hopkins or bringing back rejected players like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman.

Harrison Butker needs to have a fire lit under his rear end (or else)

Once again, the Chiefs put their faith in Harrison Butker at the end of stalled drives Sunday night, only for him to miss not one but two field goals, costing Kansas City six points as well as momentum and field position.

A 58-yard field goal to end the first half was quite short, causing SNF broadcaster Mike Tirico to remind viewers that Butker couldn't even hit from that distance in pregame practice. That in itself is already a bad sign, but Butker has been reliable in playoff games, so one long missed kick shouldn't move the needle that badly ... right?

Wrong. He would then miss another field goal when the Chiefs really needed points halfway through the final quarter, down by 10. This time, it was a 45-yard field goal wide right after he appeared rushed by the left side of the line collapsing under the Seahawks' special teams rush.

No excuses. That should be the mindset of Butker, special teams coordinator Dave Toub, Reid, and the rest of the team, especially after the amount of headaches that Butker has brought on the team with his off-the-field vocalizations over the years.

Butker, who was the highest-paid kicker until earlier this year, has now missed 15 kicks (10 field goals, five PATs) since the start of last season. That is the most in the NFL by a wide margin, five more than Chad Ryland of Arizona and three more than Eddy Piñeiro in San Francisco.

However you cut the cake, it's become a liability to put Butker on the field instead of keeping Mahomes and an anemic offense on 4th-and-shorts since the beginning of this season. If Kansas City's front office were aggressive and wanted to hold Butker accountable, they would bring in at least one kicker to compete with him before the end of the week. Force the issue, force Butker to look in the mirror.

Honorable mentions:

Josh Simmons, for obvious reasons.

Cyrus Allen & Jalen Royals, for seemingly not lining up in the right place or not knowing the playbook when the team is relying on them without Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow