You could argue that in 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs have struggled to maintain their own high standards in all three phases of the game. But the crime has come to light. Although it was expected to be more explosive this season, it has sometimes struggled to score – especially when playing from the back against good teams.
Kansas City is now 0-5 in one-score games – and these offensive problems have contributed to most of them. This was especially true in the 28-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 9 and Sunday’s 22-19 loss to the Denver Broncos.
What causes the inability to commit a crime when the chips are down?
“I think for us, No. 1, it’s the mentality,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy told the media Thursday. “You have to be able to finish – and that’s what we talked about at the beginning of the week when we went back and reviewed the tape.”
The offensive staff also did some self-evaluation during the bye week.
“There are some things internally that we have systematically reported as crimes,” Nagy said. “What do we want to do? It’s creating ownership on the coach’s part, ‘Okay, what plays are we running? What are we running?’
“And then when the play is called, there’s a lot that happens in that moment – making sure we’re taking it in the right direction or (we’re) running the right route… There’s a lot of things involved, and I think in that moment when you know you’ve got to end the game in four minutes – whether it’s a tie or whether you’re winning – it’s our job to finish with the ball in our hands, no matter how you do it.
“We didn’t do it — plain and simple — and that’s been our focus. OK, how do we get into that position again and win games? Stating the obvious: With the 0-5 numbers this year, it hasn’t been done a lot. So we take it seriously. We understand that, and we all want to make sure we’re focused on our jobs.”
One mistake that hurt the Chiefs’ offense early in the game was that quarterback Patrick Mahomes missed a few deep shots on the first drive, leading to two wide receivers being overthrew on a play that should have been a big gain for Kansas City.
“We’ve got to hit them when we throw them,” Nagy declared. “We have to connect them.
“I know we’ve talked about giving a guy a chance. Sometimes, we’ll use the phrase, ‘If he’s covered, he’s exposed.’ So sometimes, (it’s about) being able to give the receiver a chance to catch the ball.
“That’s what Pat was upset with himself about: He made sure he gave that guy a chance. On those two – overthrows – you don’t have a chance.
“[I]like the mentality of what he did. You know, there’s two other throws in that game where we went downtown, and we had a 47-yard defensive pass interference and a 41-yarder. That’s hidden yardage you’ve got to continue to get — but especially early in the game, you’ve got to connect on those.”
Still, making a good throw and giving your partner a shot at the ball doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. In fact, Nagy says he tells Mahomes he doesn’t need to be perfect.
“He’s one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the history of the game,” Nagy said. “He’s super accurate. He can make throws that (other) guys can’t. When you’re throwing ‘post alerts’ over the top — which were basically both — sometimes (you) just put it in the vicinity and let your guy make the play. And trust me: Right after that series — when we went four-and-out and punted the ball — no one was more angry with himself on that sideline than Pat.”
But what’s even worse than Mahomes missing some deep balls is the offense. Over the past two weeks, Kansas City’s offensive line has struggled to stop opposing pass rushers and blitzers – especially in key situations. One of them was on third-and-10 late in the fourth quarter Sunday. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph orchestrated a blitz that Mahomes never saw coming – and it resulted in a sack that ended the Chiefs’ final possession.
“He did a good job under the pressure he was under,” admitted Nagy. “That was good. They got us into that, and credit to them.”
Knowing your problems is one thing. Knowing the solution is another thing. Implementing those solutions – especially in the final weeks of the season, with everything at stake – is the hardest thing.
We’re about what this team is made of.
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