Patrick Should Ease Panic in Chiefs Kingdom

Our Kansas City Chiefs found numerous creative ways to help themselves lose in Tennessee last week, which immediately added weight to this evening's meeting with the Chargers in Mexico. The reigning MVP returned to the field and racked up 446 passing yards and three touchdowns. Somehow, Kansas City then lost. This stunning defeat makes KC's chances at a first-round bye slim, to say the least. If our Chiefs cannot defeat the Chargers tonight, the lowly Oakland Raiders will momentarily claim first place in the division. Imagine explaining that to a member of Chiefs Kingdom when KC was 4-0 to start the season.

It took a lot of things going wrong for our Chiefs to stumble into a loss last week, and that's a very important thing to remember going forward. Up to four different members of the offensive line were missing at some point due to injury. Damien Williams coughed up the football, which the Titans scooped up for a defensive touchdown. The reliable Harrison Butker missed an extra point. Then came the ugly, painful ending, wherein the Chiefs seemed determined to beat the odds and give away a win by any gut-punchingly wacky means necessary.

The prolific combo of Mahomes and Reid got the ball back in Titans territory with less than two minutes left in the game and a five-point advantage. KC failed to moved the chains, leaving 1:27 on the clock as the Chiefs set up for a 47-yard field goal attempt. Then, that botched field goal/intentional grounding thing happened. This disaster left Ryan Tannehill's Titans with the ball on the Tennessee 39 with a minute and 21 seconds left to play. That led to the touchdown which gave the Titans the lead, but Mahomes still had a little time left for magic. Even after all these shenanigans and mistakes, Patrick Mahomes put KC in a position to tie with a long field goal....but you know what happened next.

I'm hearing a bunch of media personalities jumping off the bandwagon after this disappointment, but that seems illogical to me. All this stuff, this somewhat self-inflicted and silly stuff, was necessary to make the Chiefs to lose a game to an average NFL team. I didn't expect this team to have four losses at this point in the season either, but we have to look at the long list of reasons why those L's exist before we jump to any excessively harsh conclusions. Then, look at KC's remaining schedule, and remember the fact that KC plays four of its six remaining regular season games against teams with losing records.

With Mahomes healthy, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo at least showing us an openness to adaptation, this Chiefs team still has a good chance at finishing the regular season as a more cohesive, effective football team than what we saw last year. If you believe that, then you still believe they have Super Bowl aspirations. 

Now, if our Chiefs get stomped tonight by the 4-6 Chargers, we can all proceed to panic. I don't care about how surprising it is that the Chargers aren't better, and I don't care about their thus-far-underutilized talent. The Phightin' Philips simply aren't better than our Chiefs on paper or on the gridiron. Their yards-per-game average ranks in the middle of the pack, and their scoring ability is well below-average. But, while the Chargers offense looks unimpressive on paper, their defense looks elite. 

San Diego The Chargers rank fifth league-wide in yards allowed per game, and only five teams in the NFL hold teams to fewer points per game this season. This could dampen the moods of folks hoping for a high-scoring affair, but I still expect Andy and Patrick to hungrily regain respect in prime-time tonight. That doesn't mean it will be easy, and every time I come here to tell you the Chiefs are objectively better on paper than another team, that team then hurts my feelings by hurting the Chiefs. Tension will be high tonight in Mexico City, but KC has a little advantage and a lot to prove.

Doug LaCerte writes about the Chiefs and mostly ignores his Twitter and Facebook.

Mahomes' Return Should Make KC's Travel to Tennessee Successful

It looks like our Kansas City Chiefs found a legitimate backup quarterback when they called on recently un-retired Matt Moore to don the red and gold. Moore helped the Chiefs upset the Minnesota Vikings last week and quelled any fears Chiefs Kingdom may have had about their team's potency without its most important piece. After that performance, KC's running defense seems ready for action against another squad with a powerful rushing attack.

Recently, KC's defense finally looked legit when they needed to stop the run. Over the last three weeks, opposing teams averaged only 3.8 yards per rush. The Chiefs just upset the Vikings due in large part to limiting Dalvin Cook, who still has the league's most rushing yards after being limited to just 71 over 21 carries last week. Through my extensive research, I've gathered that Derrick Henry is what kids these days call a "thicc boi". He's in the top ten in rushing yards and attempts this season, and both of Tennessee's sub-par QB's have relied on him heavily. The 6'3, 238 lb. Alabama product figures heavily into Tennessee's offensive strategy partly because he's really good, but also because their passing attack decidedly is not.

Tennessee's 212.9 passing yards per game ranks 24th league-wide, and their 18.7 points per game ranks 26th. This inefficiency helped the Titans to a losing record and the #10 seed in the AFC playoff picture so far this season. They've been held to seven points or fewer in three of their nine games, and they've only scored more than 27 points once. Our Chiefs scored more than 27 in each of their first four games this season - that is, until Patrick Mahomes was first hurt in Week 5 against the Colts.

All these advantages make KC a six-point favorite on the road today, but how can the Titans pull off an upset? A Chiefs loss today would need to include a lopsided turnover ratio and consistent pressure aggressively applied to Mahomes, as well as a productive day from Derrick Henry. If KC's defense can stay hot against a stumbling Titans offense, the return of our man Mahomes will result in another satisfying victory.

Doug LaCerte has written about Chiefs football for eight years, and he's neglected his Twitter and Facebook that whole time.

Banged-Up Chiefs Face Major Mismatches from Minnesota

Our Kansas City Chiefs just gave Aaron Rodgers' Green Bay Packers a run for their money while the left side of the Chiefs' offensive line, their superstar QB and five key pieces on defense were parked on the sideline with injuries. Now, the reigning NFC Player of the Month, one of the five best running backs in the universe and a truly elite defense combine to bring another formidable foe to Arrowhead.

The 6-2 Minnesota Vikings look like a complete team that seems to have strengths wherever our Chiefs have weaknesses. Emerging star running back Dalvin Cook should rack up big numbers against a KC defense that struggles to stop runners with half that much talent. A blitz-happy Vikings defense should cause problems for a still-injured Chiefs offensive line. However, Minnesota's imperfections, combined with newly found strengths for KC, should keep this game competitive and fun-to-watch.

Although many facets of this Vikes team appear Super Bowl-worthy, Kirk Cousins could struggle and maybe throw a pick because of the fresh energy from Kansas City's pass-rushing core. The return of Chris Jones will undoubtedly help a squad that's already gelling and becoming more cohesive - so cohesive, in fact, that KC's blitzing game could finish the year as one of football's very best.

The Chiefs just doubled their team sack total over the last two weeks by sacking Denver's Joe Flacco nine times in Week 7 and bringing down Aaron Rodgers five times last week. This resurgence pushed KC into the top five of this year's team sack totals. The Vikings aren't far behind though, with 23 total sacks total this year. The absence of Chiefs offensive linemen Eric Fisher and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif may put Matt Moore in danger today.

This will be the second week in a row in which the Chiefs lose and Chiefs Kingdom is mostly okay about it. We won't sweat it too much because KC will lose a close an intriguing game in which the defense continues to show its growth. Say what you may about Kirk Cousins, but he's played like a top-tier QB over the last four weeks. Looking good in defeat to a capable, mismatch-filled Minnesota team will hurt KC's chances at a first-round bye in the playoffs, but it would still leave fans in Kansas City with high expectations for the very near future.

Doug LaCerte writes last-second articles about Kansas City sports while still neglecting his Facebook and Twitter accounts.