When the smoke cleared at Lumen Field on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs dropped their first game of the season in a lopsided affair against the Seattle Seahawks. Fortunately for them, they remain in control of their destiny in the AFC. A loss to an NFC opponent doesn’t define the Chiefs, but this organization does have to be honest about how they lost this football game. All of their weaknesses were exposed on Sunday Night Football, and they’re the kind of weaknesses that ultimately sink a team in January.
As presently constructed, the Chiefs have four major issues to contend with. Kansas City does not have a reliable kicker, a consistent pass rush, effective offensive tackles, or dependable wide receivers.
Certainly, the team has the ability to improve before the trade deadline, but if they’re lucky, they improve one of those problem areas. You don’t fix this many holes in-season, and if we’re honest, we knew it would take more than one offseason to fix so many personnel issues.
Despite some grim realities, it's still premature to kick dirt on this football team in Week 7. There’s room for internal growth, and the Chiefs can benefit from a few injured players returning to action. Their offensive tackle situation is concerning, but they'll have an opportunity to find a more serviceable configuration with in-house options.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach will likely work the phones in the coming weeks to identify a feasible wide receiver trade. The biggest liability is along the defensive line. Right now, the Chiefs don't have the horses to generate pressure at a competitive NFL level.
Sunday's game didn't introduce new problems for the Chiefs so much as it exposed the ones we've been tracking all season. There's a short list of teams that have the personnel to do what the Seattle defense did to Kansas City. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, many of them will eventually qualify for the NFL postseason. The road isn't getting easier as we inch closer to November football. It's time for real answers to their problems.
Chiefs face an immediate test of their championship credentials
The Chiefs will get another big test next Sunday in a road matchup with the Denver Broncos. They'll have a chance to retain control of the division with a win. If the Chiefs fall to the Broncos, they'll be in a divisional dogfight for the rest of the regular season.
I'm intrigued to see how this football team responds to being embarrassed before a national television audience. If Rashee Rice and Jaylon Moore return to the lineup, the offense should be much more functional against their division rivals. A win over the Broncos, and they'll be a prohibitive favorite to win the AFC West with three winnable games following in Weeks 9 to 11.
If there's a silver lining after the Chiefs' 20-3 loss on Sunday night, it's in this being the kind of loss that you can't gloss over. When teams drop close games, they can be disingenuous about what's ailing them. That won't happen after this game. This will be a wake-up call at One Arrowhead Drive.
The jury's still out on whether they can overcome their personnel limitations, but Week 7 will be an inflection point as this team moves forward. It was the first bit of adversity in the 2026 campaign that can't be rationalized. If the team is lucky, it'll be the kind of call to action that will strengthen this team as the more competitive months of the NFL schedule arrive.
If Kansas City's luck doesn't meaningfully change, we might be looking back at this game in January as proof the Chiefs' championship aspirations were ill-conceived.
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