The Kansas City Chiefs are the two-time defending Super Bowl champions and one of only two 5-0 teams to start the season. Needless to say, things are going pretty well in Chiefs Kingdom these days. However, despite K.C.'s undefeated start to the season, there are some players that the Chiefs need to step things up after the bye week if they are going to continue to chase an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl win.
Before I get to the list, let me start by saying that several of these players didn't have bad starts to the season, but they play positions where the Chiefs simply need more productivity. Some of these players need to step up from mediocre or struggling to just a solid reliable starter and some of them are already solid starters that KC needs to take another step forward or contribute even more.
1. George Karlaftis, defensive end
George Karlaftis is already the Chiefs' best defensive end by a sizable margin. So this isn't a situation where Karlaftis needs to prove he should keep his job, but the Chiefs simply aren't getting enough outside pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Chiefs are tied for the fifth-fewest sacks in the NFL with just 9 sacks in five games. Only 2.5 of those nine have come from their defensive ends (if you only count Chris Jones as an interior defensive lineman). That isn't enough sack production off the edge.
Pro Football Focus has credited Karlaftis with 1 sack, 7 hits, and 11 hurries on 168 pass-rushing snaps through five games. That gives him a pressure rate of about 11.3%. Of KC's regular front four defensive players that ranks second on the team to Chris Jones who has a 16% pressure rate, but primarily on the inside. That's a fantastic rate for an interior defender, but the best edge rushers in the league are significantly higher than Karlaftis. Aidan Hutchinson has a ridiculous 23% pressure rate so far this season.
Karlaftis doesn't need to be a 15-sack-per-season rusher for the Chiefs' defense to work, but he does need to be a more reliable second option to Chris Jones. Karlaftis is currently on pace for 3.5 sacks this season. Given the amount of snaps he gets, that simply isn't good enough and he needs to get to the quarterback more often after the bye week.
2. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, defensive end
So just insert everything I just said about the Chiefs not getting enough pressure off the edge through the first five games and repeat it here again for Felix Anudike-Uzomah. While Mike Danna may technically be the starting defensive end across from Karlaftis, he's a guy that stops the run on early downs and if he's on the field at all on passing downs he typically kicks inside to rush the passer. That leaves FAU as KC's only other real option as an outside pass rusher.
Through five games FAU has 1 sack, 3 quarterback hits, and one hurry on 47 pass rush snaps. None of those numbers (including the number of pass rush snaps) is good enough for a former first-round pick. Anudike-Uzomah has had a couple of nice plays, but overall he's been a non-factor for the Chiefs through the first quarter of his second NFL season. If KC is going to have any chance of improving their outside pass rush after their bye week (at least until Charles Omenihu gets healthy), they need their Felix Anudike-Uzomah to be more of a contributor.
3. Jawaan Taylor, right tackle
Jawaan Taylor has had a rough go of it since he arrived in Kansas City. One game into his Chiefs tenure the league decided to start a crusade against some of the things Taylor had done for years. The biggest one was how he timed the snap to get a good jump against opposing pass rushers. The end result has been that Taylor has become the most penalized player in the NFL. Initially, it was reasonable to excuse some of the flags because it was a new thing the league was doing, but at this point, Taylor is out of excuses and his penalties are driving all of Chiefs Kingdom crazy.
While the penalties are certainly Taylor's biggest issue, his play has also fallen short of the big contract that KC gave him. Pro Football Focus has credited Taylor with 1 sack, 2 hits, and 9 total pressures on 199 pass-blocking snaps and has him with a 67.3 pass-blocking grade. That's not terrible, but it's not worthy of a 4 year/$80 million dollar deal. Andrew Wylie, the tackle K.C. was trying to upgrade from when they signed Taylor has given up 0 sacks, 0 hits, and allowed 7 total pressures on 184 pass blocking snaps. His PFF pass-blocking grade is 68.9.
So Taylor's pass pro (his strength) has been just below Wylie's, who was signed by Washington to a 3 year/$24 million dollar deal. So Washington is getting three years of Wylie for the same amount as KC is paying Taylor this season. Then when you add in the penalty issue, Taylor needs to step things up after the bye week to come anywhere close to earning the big payday that KC gave him.
4. Wanya Morris / Kingsley Suamataia, left tackle
While Taylor has been the bigger disappointment in terms of not getting what they paid for, the play of KC's left tackles has been the biggest issue on the offensive line through five games. I'm putting Wanya Morris and Kingsley Suamataia combined as the fourth player that needs to step up because KC needs one of them to step up and solidify the left tackle position after the bye. KC doesn't need them to be elite, just a little more reliable than what they've collectively done through five games.
While Morris has been better overall, the two of them have combined to allow 3 sacks, 5 quarterback hits, and 14 total pressures on 199 combined pass-blocking snaps. For comparison, Orlando Brown Jr. has allowed 1 sack, 1 hit, and 6 total pressures on 206 pass-blocking snaps for Baltimore this season. Now, Brown is making about $14 million more than Morris and Suamataia combined this season, but part of the reason KC didn't want to pay to keep Brown is that they wanted to upgrade the pass protection on that side and that hasn't happened yet.
Now to be fair, Patrick Mahomes is a lot harder to pass block for than Joe Burrow. Burrow gets the ball out quickly from the pocket and Mahomes drops back farther and scrambles around more. Still, the Chiefs left tackles are on pace to allow 10 sacks and 48 pressures this season. If Patrick Mahomes is going to be comfortable enough in the pocket to attack opposing defenses down the field he is going to need more reliable protection on his blind side after the bye.
5. Xavier Worthy, wide receiver
Xavier Worthy is the player on this list who I have been the most pleased with through the first five weeks. For a rookie in an Andy Reid offense, having 18 touches for 221 yards and 4 touchdowns in his first five games is great. The problem is that the Chiefs are going to be without Rashee Rice and Marquise "Hollywood" Brown for at least the remainder of the regular season, so they are going to need Worthy to increase his production if the Chiefs want to stay dangerous in the passing game.
JuJu Smith-Schuster was fantastic in KC's first game after the Rice injury, but relying on a player his age (and with his injury history) to replicate that for another 12 games and the playoffs probably isn't a safe bet. The Chiefs would probably be wise to look into some of the more realistic wide receiver trade options, but until they make a move they are going to have to lean a little more heavily on Worthy to help keep the big play element in their passing offense.
The good news is that the bye week is a perfect time to increase the routes and responsibilities of a rookie who has stepped up and produced when called on thus far in his brief NFL career. If the Chiefs were able to make a trade for a starting receiver and Worthy steps his game up after the bye, the Chiefs could make life difficult on opposing defenses.
So there you have it Chiefs fans, my five players that need to step up for KC after the bye week. Do you disagree with any of these guys being on the list? Is there anyone else that you think should be on it? Travis Kelce was headed towards making this list, but he already started stepping things up the past two games before the bye. I also considered putting Patrick Mahomes on this list since he's not having his typical season, but at the end of the day, I think he's too proven of a star to put on a "needs to step up" piece. Would you have included him on this list? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments below.