Halloween is coming up this weekend, and the 2026 Chiefs celebrated a week early by dressing up as the 2012 Chiefs. All snark aside, the Chiefs fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in emphatic fashion on Sunday night by means of an embarrassing 20-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Chiefs losing this game isn't the end of the world. They are 5-1 and currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and this was a road, non-conference matchup against the defending Super Bowl champions, who were desperate for a win. Additionally, they were without key starters Rashee Rice and Jaylon Moore, which forced backup-caliber players into action.
However, this loss did expose some concerns on multiple fronts. For starters, it raised the question of whether Kansas City can hold up against legitimate contenders. Four of the team's five wins this year have come against the Colts, Dolphins, Raiders, and Chargers. The Colts are having a fire sale and have seemingly punted on the season, the Dolphins have arguably the least talented roster in the league, the Raiders have come crashing back to reality with four consecutive losses, and the Chargers are the only winless team remaining. The Chiefs' only win over a playoff-caliber team was against the Broncos in Week 1, whom they will see again in three days out in Mile High. While this was a convincing victory, Week 1 results are rarely indicative of the rest of the season, and the Broncos are a juggernaut at home, as they are a robust 17-3 at Empower Field since 2024.
While the Chiefs' performance against a contending team was concerning, they will have plenty more chances to prove they can beat top competition in road environments, starting on Sunday. Later in the season, they will face the Bills, Rams, Bengals, Patriots, and 49ers in five consecutive weeks, with the first three of those contests being away from Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs are also getting healthier, as Andy Reid stated in his Wednesday press conference that every active player practiced, meaning Rice and Moore are likely to be on the field in Denver this week.
The most troubling aspect of the performance last Sunday night was the personnel usage by the Chiefs' offensive coaching staff, particularly Reid. If this was a one-off occurrence, it would be fair to write this off as a poor offensive game plan and move on to the next week. Unfortunately, questionable personnel decisions, mainly at the wide receiver position, have been an area where Andy Reid has fallen short in recent years.
Andy Reid's receiver decisions are becoming a familiar problem
Last season, the Chiefs had too many issues to keep track of. One of those issues was Reid consistently keeping more talented receivers on the sidelines while giving the majority of the snaps to older but inferior players due to their experience within the Chiefs' offensive system. The most glaring example was JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was on his last legs a year ago, getting starting snaps over Tyquan Thornton. In the absence of Rice due to suspension and Xavier Worthy due to injury, Thornton was forced into action early in the season, during which he developed an immediate rapport with Mahomes. When Rice and Worthy returned to the lineup, Thornton was inexplicably sent to the bench and played more than 50% of the offensive snaps just once after Week 3.
On Sunday night, the same scenario played out when Reid elected to start Jalen Royals and Andrew Armstrong over rookie fifth-round pick Cyrus Allen. Royals and Armstrong played 36 and 31 snaps, respectively, while Allen played just 16 of 53 possible snaps. Despite this, the rookie wideout led all receivers in yardage on Sunday night, catching one pass for 18 yards. Royals and Armstrong combined to accumulate a pristine stat line of one catch for three yards. After consecutive encouraging performances against the Raiders and Chargers, Worthy also struggled in Seattle, recording just three receptions for 11 yards while dropping a crucial pass in the fourth quarter. While the 2024 first-rounder has been inconsistent throughout his career, he should not lose snaps to a rookie like Allen. However, playing the likes of Royals and Armstrong over him is coaching malpractice on Reid's part.
Cyrus Allen deserves a bigger opportunity in the Chiefs offense
When you rewind to this summer, Allen was the talk of the town for his performance in training camp and the chemistry he was developing with Mahomes. The Cincinnati product's lack of playing time in the early stages of the season was understandable, as Rice, Worthy, and Thornton were all available. Then the trip to Vegas happened, where Rice suffered a hamstring injury that caused him to miss two games, and Thornton sustained a potentially season-ending ankle injury. One would think that the logical choice to fill the gaps left by Rice and Thornton would be to insert the promising rookie receiver into the lineup. Instead, the Chiefs opted to play two receivers who had combined for eight career receptions going into Sunday night's game, and the results were predictable.
In the situation last season with Smith-Schuster and Thornton, you could at least understand the thought process of Reid and the Chiefs' offensive staff. Smith-Schuster had been a productive player for them in the past and was their top wide receiver on their 2022 Super Bowl-winning team. While this doesn't necessarily justify the decision, one could at least squint and see Reid's logic in this scenario.
In the case of Royals and Armstrong, there is no track record of past performance to fall back on when determining who leads the receiver rotation. In his rookie campaign last season, Royals caught just two passes for four yards, both of which came in potentially the worst NFL game ever played, that being the Chiefs' 13-12 loss to the Raiders in Week 18. In fact, Royals was a healthy inactive for each of the Chiefs' first seven games and didn't see the field until they were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. As for Armstrong, the 25-year-old wideout is a UDFA from Arkansas who spent last season on the practice squads in Miami and Detroit. While Armstrong making the active roster is commendable, there is no discernible reason he should be playing over Allen.
The Chiefs need to trust their rookie receiver against Denver
With Rice likely back in the fold this Sunday, there will be less need for backup receivers to be on the field. That said, it would be in the Chiefs' best interest to use Allen as the third receiver behind Rice and Worthy. It is unknown what Allen's ceiling is, but he should be given the opportunity to add to Kansas City's offense over the likes of Royals, Armstrong, and Justin Watson.
The hope is that the offensive output against an elite defense last Sunday would force the Chiefs' staff to revisit the receiver rotation. This week, the Chiefs will be challenged again by facing another top-tier defense in a hostile environment. A win would put them in an excellent position to take control of the AFC West, as it would give them a season sweep over the Broncos. A good way to achieve a win would be to put the most talented players on the field, regardless of age or experience. It's time for Andy Reid to give the rookie a shot on Sunday.
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