Chiefs Kingdom Should Embrace Failure Until 2026

Is this the lowest point in the Patrick Mahomes era of Kansas City Chiefs football? It certainly feels like it. The Chiefs have been eliminated from playoff contention, and the most important player in franchise history just blew out his knee. Positivity suddenly feels like a precious commodity in Chiefs Kingdom, but I'll try to help us see the silver linings.

Nine Chiefs were already ruled out for today's game against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. All nine are real contributors that can use this week, and as many more as they want, to get themselves as healthy as possible for next season. Fans should feel the same way about anyone considered a healthy scratch between now and September. I hate that feeling of futility as much as the next Chiefs fan, but they have nothing to earn by winning until 2026.

One of those valuable Chiefs on the injury report is Trent McDuffie, who the Chiefs drafted 21st overall in 2022. That's the highest draft pick for the Chiefs since 2017, when they drafted a big-armed, reportedly unpolished quarterback from Texas Tech as the 10th overall pick. That means everybody the Chiefs drafted in the last ten seasons with a pick higher than 22nd is on pace to be a Hall of Famer. Another injection of talent like that could really stoke the flames in the furnace of this ongoing dynasty.

ESPN currently predicts the Chiefs' average draft position at 13.7. This gives KC the chance to draft someone who becomes a fundamental piece of the future. At the start of this month, PFF listed five different edge rushers in the top 17 of their projected draft. KC's defense struggled to pressure opposing QB's this year, while also allowing the fifth-highest conversion rate on third downs and giving up the seventh-most penalty yards to the opposition. I care way more about drafting the next great piece of the dynasty than I do about Gardner Minshew leading the Chiefs second-stringers to a win over the Titans. It feels weird to say that I hope KC loses, but I do, and I'm predicting a 20-13 defeat today.

KC Hosts Dominant Detroit Offense After Disappointing Defeat

Week 6 of the NFL season is underway, and the Kansas City Chiefs' true identity is still a mystery. Despite starting 2-3 with a quarterback that ranks 19th in Passer Rating, I still believe this is a Super Bowl-caliber team led by the greatest football player ever born. The Vegas odds-makers seem to echo my sentiment so far, because despite their losing record, KC still has the fourth-best odds to win it all this year. Today's opposition, the 4-1 Detroit Lions, are betting favorites to win the NFC.

The Detroit Lions' success stems from their offense averaging 2.2 more points per game than any other team in football this season. They've scored at least 34 in their last four games. Three of the defenses they battered - Chicago, Cincy and Baltimore - all rank in the bottom-six in yards and points allowed this season. They also put up 34 on a tough Browns defense during that stretch, which is impressive. KC ranks 13th in both points and yards allowed this season, so tonight will be the closest Detroit has come to facing an average NFL defense. If that translates into the Lions scoring their average amount of points tonight, the Chiefs can't win without Patrick Mahomes looking great.

To be honest, if Detroit scores more than their season average of 35, the Chiefs will lose tonight. KC hasn't scored 35 or more since September of 2023, typically because they don't need to score that much to win. KC looks completely different on offense when Xavier Worthy is healthy, but the Chiefs still cannot expect to win this game 41-38. They need Steve Spagnuolo's defense not to totally stuff Detroit's prolific offense, but to just slow it down a little. Basically, Spags will coach this game like he's coaching against prime Steph Curry in the playoffs - you don't have to limit him to 10 points, just don't let him go off for 50.

A team leading the league in points scored makes me picture a team that's throwing the ball all the time, but the Lions have the third-lowest passing play percentage in the NFL. Dan Campbell's style revolves around Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, who both carried the ball over 60 times for over 300 yards this season. Amon-Ra St. Brown still averages 8.2 targets per game this season, but the perpetually underrated Trent McDuffie should limit him like he limits every other #1 receiver in football. Today's game will come down to KC's ability to slow down that prolific Lions rushing offense and Mahomes' ability to exploit the weak points of Detroit's banged-up secondary. The Lions are down two defensive backs and a linebacker because of injuries, so they could struggle more than usual to stop Mahomes and KC's passing attack.

I believe the Chiefs will win today, but I admit that my reasoning in this particular instance is based more on history than on current events. I know these Chiefs are currently a losing team with some unanswered questions. I won't be shocked or incredibly disheartened if this strong Lions team beats KC tonight. I also know that Mahomes losing a game after a disappointing defeat happens very rarely. In the seven prior seasons of Mahomes as full-time starter, the Chiefs have lost consecutive regular season games four times. I'm predicting a 30-27 victory for the Chiefs.

Chiefs Face Unpredictable Falcons After Running Back Roster Shake-Up

The Kansas City Chiefs found a hidden gem in the seventh round of the 2022 draft when they picked running back Isiah Pacheco out of Rutgers. KC planned to have Pacheco as their #1 back and Clyde Edwards-Helaire as their #2 this season. Neither will be active for Sunday Night Football with the Atlanta Falcons tonight. Carson Steele somehow represents the most tenured active Chiefs running back, unless we're counting the returning Kareem Hunt, who was just added to the Chiefs practice squad. While KC searches for its new identity at running back, KC's defense will face off with perhaps the best running back in football.

Atlanta's Bijan Robinson represents the crown jewel of a Falcons offense stacked with young talent. From 2021-2024, The Falcons used first round draft picks on a tight end (Kyle Pitts), a receiver (Drake London), a running back (Bijan) and, oddly, a quarterback (Michael Penix Jr.). It's still too early in the season to know if the Falcons can succeed with this core of skill players plus Kirk Cousins at QB. Cousins posted a 59 Passer Rating with 155 yards, one touchdown pass and two picks in his first game as a Falcon, when T.J Watt and the Steelers seemed to disrupt Atlanta's offense with ease. That same offense looked far more frightening when Cousins posted a 117.2 Rating in a Week 2 win over the Eagles that was ultimately decided by a 4th-quarter two-minute drive for a TD.

The Falcons offense we saw in their win last week could cause problems for a Chiefs defense that's allowing the league's 4th-most yards per game this season. However, I wouldn't bet against KC's star of the secondary Trent McDuffie today - or ever. Through his 100 coverage snaps of the current season, KC's All-Pro CB has allowed just 3 catches for 26 yards. Watching Pittsburgh's T.J Watt cause chaos when he faced the Falcons leads me to believe that Chris Jones and George Karlaftis can help KC accomplish something similar. KC may not hold Kirk and the Falcons to just 10 points like Watt did, but they shouldn't need to.

Whether or not KC finds success running the ball on the Falcons, I expect the Patrick Mahomes Chiefs to score more than the Justin Fields Steelers. I genuinely believe the Chiefs could use a running back roster spot on a french poodle today and still field a better offense than Pittsburgh. Seriously, if I had to choose between my team having Justin Fields and every skill player on the Steelers roster or Patrick Mahomes and a poodle, I'm choosing the poodle package every time. The Falcons defense also experienced an overhaul and infusion of young talent this offseason, and Mahomes' passing attack will find their flaws tonight. I'm predicting a 24-17 win for the Chiefs.

KC Can Bounce Back By Attacking Raiders' Unproven QB

Chiefs Kingdom is fully aware that the Kansas City Chiefs are the better team on paper for today's game, but how will the Chiefs bounce back from last week's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles? Yes, the Chiefs lost to the Eagles last week, and that still stings, but we have to remember all the things that went wrong in order for KC to lose that game. Travis Kelce fumbled the ball in the red zone. Patrick Mahomes threw a pick in the dang end zone. Justin Watson, Marquez Valdez-Scantling and even Kelce dropped game-altering, catchable balls. After all that, the Chiefs lost to the defending NFC champs by four.

Despite also coming off a loss, the Raiders will be pumped up for this game. The dismissal of former head coach Josh McDaniels seems to have lifted a dark cloud from over the franchise. A win over KC would be monumental for the Raiders and their interim head coach Antonio Pierce. The old saying would propose that Vegas has everything to win while KC has everything to lose. Luckily for Chiefs fans, predicting a victory for Vegas (the football team) against any opponent that isn't a tomato can is something that Vegas (the oddsmakers) would never do.

The theme for the Las Vegas Raiders this season has been simple, if not intriguing: they lost to every team they played that doesn't stink. These Raiders, who are surprisingly still in the playoff hunt past the half-way point of this season, collected W's when facing the Broncos, Packers, Pats, Giants and Jets. None of those teams have winning records. Even the Raiders' weapons that may frighten most other teams in the league will match up poorly against the Chiefs.

Davante Adams still looks like an elite receiver, but the Chiefs excel in handling elite receivers now. The L'Jarius Sneed/Trent McDuffie tandem helped limit A.J. Brown to a single catch for eight yards last week, and I've extensively covered them shutting down other great wide-outs this year. The Raiders' ability to keep their QB upright will be tested by the Chiefs' elite pass-rush today, as well. Vegas' 2.5 sacks allowed per game is almost exactly the league average - they're tied for 17th in that category - and the Chiefs 3.6 sacks per game is the NFL's second-highest.

Another key matchup to watch for will be Isiah Pacheco facing off against the Raiders run defense. Although Vegas held the Dolphins Raheem Mostert mostly in-check last week, they've been one of the league's worst over the course of the regular season. Pacheco ran the ball 19 times for 89 yards against Philly's elite run defense last week. He's only 27 carries and 116 rushing yards away from his total production last season. Another solid performance from Pacheco today could ensure that he surpasses last season's production well before Christmas this year.

Pacheco and KC's defense should be enough to avoid some Cinderella nonsense today. The Raiders starting quarterback and 135th draft pick in the latest draft, Aidan O'Connell, hasn't done enough to instill nearly that much faith in Vegas. I know the Chiefs have had their struggles lately, but we cannot abandon all logic and presume KC would lose a game like this. The Chiefs offense isn't going to fix itself overnight, though. I'm predicting an ugly 24-16 victory for Kansas City.

Potential MVPs Meet Overseas as KC, Miami Face Off in Frankfurt

8:30 AM Central Time feels way too damn early for meaningful NFL football. Can't we just make the Europeans go to their stadium when it's proper football-time here in the country that we all know matters the most? The 6-2 Kansas City Chiefs face the 6-2 Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany at what seems like the crack of dawn. The Dolphins headed across the Pacific with well-earned confidence after beating three of their last four opponents by at least two touchdowns. The vibes for the Chiefs right now feel way, way different.

Kansas City just lost an ugly game to the Denver Broncos, thanks in large part to turning over the ball five times and finishing the game with a -4 turnover differential. Throughout the history of the NFL, teams win 2.6% of games when losing the turnover battle by four or more. Patrick Mahomes finished a game without a touchdown pass for the first time since 2021. The Chiefs haven't turned the ball over more than three times since October of '21. They haven't turned the ball over five times since that infamous 54-51 loss to the L.A Rams on November 19th, 2018.

I trust KC to at least limit the problems that plagued them last week when they face off with Miami today. The Chiefs haven't lost consecutive games since the second and third week of the '21 season. It's highly unlikely that we see Mahomes post another QBR anywhere close to his 42.5 from last week's stinker at Mile-High. Despite my very reasonable expectations of a cleaner game from the Chiefs, it's important to recognize that the Dolphins are a vastly more dangerous team than the Broncos. KC had reason to fear the Dolphins before losing Nick Bolton and finishing practice for the week without knowing Willie Gay's status for the game. Weaknesses based on those health issues, as well as the return of elite Miami cornerback Jalen Ramsey, amplified Chiefs Kingdom's sense of concern surrounding this game.

As fans, we already have the aforementioned reasons to worry, and I haven't even talked about the two potential league MVP's on the Dolphins roster yet. Tyreek Hill is on pace for one of the greatest seasons ever for a wide receiver. His resume for the NFL's Most Valuable Player award has become more and more of a talking point for fans worldwide as he gets deeper into the regular season with outstanding performances nearly every week. The guy passing to him also deserves credit for proving, at least to this point, that he is also worthy of being called elite. Tua Tagovailoa is among the three likeliest players to win MVP this year according to all seven sports-books measured by VegasInsider.com's recent report. Just like with the MVP betting odds, Mahomes and Tua both rank between first and third league-wide in passing yards, touchdown passes and total QBR this season. 

KC's secondary should give them the advantage as two of the best QB's in football face off in Frankfurt today. The Chiefs secondary continues to prove itself as one of the NFL's best, and I believe (and hope) that they'll be the difference-makers. L'Jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie and Justin Reid in particular are among the league's most efficient at stopping opposing wide receivers. The aforementioned Dolphins corner Jalen Ramsey is still capable of being the league's absolute best at his position, but Miami's secondary as a whole has been unimpressive. KC's secondary holds their opponents to only 176.1 passing yards per game this season - the second-lowest average in football. The Dolphins' average of 221.5 passing yards allowed per game ranks 16th in that category.

I expect the Chiefs to limit their mistakes this week and play more like the prolific passing team we know they can be. Just remember that if the Chiefs can limit themselves to one Mahomes interception, one Chiefs receiver fumble after completing a catch and one Mecole Hardman muffed punt, they would still only suffer 60% of the self-inflicted damage they burdened themselves with last week. That game was clearly an improbably disaster that should not decide how the Chiefs are perceived moving forward. If this dynasty of a team can't earn a fan's trust, no team can.

While the Chiefs have earned the trust of the Kingdom, 'phins fans still cannot be so sure. Miami has played two teams that currently have winning records and been comfortably handled by both of them. Their wins all came against teams who have losing records at this point of the season and look destined for a top-five pick in next year's draft. Tyreek may scare the hell out of his former fans in KC today, but I'm predicting a thrilling 28-27 victory for the Chiefs.

After Moment of Mediocrity, Mahomes Meets Motivated Minnesota Vikings

    After two weeks of facing off with subpar opponents, the Kansas City Chiefs now head north to meet the dangerous, desperate Minnesota Vikings. KC and even Patrick Mahomes made ugly mistakes that helped keep last week's game close until the very end. How will the Chiefs respond to the eyebrow-raising mediocrity exhibited in their last performance? Improving their red zone efficiency would be a huge step in the right direction.

    KC ranked second in the NFL last season in red zone efficiency with 71%. This year, their 56% ranks 17th league-wide. That could explain the drop from first in the league in scoring last season to 9th in the league right now. Despite never yet playing up to their potential this year, the numbers indicate that even a stale Chiefs offense is top-ten. They rank in the top ten for scoring, passing yards, rushing yards and total yards. Mahomes is still top-ten in passing yards and touchdown passes, and he currently ranks fourth in QBR.

    The Vikings' offense enters this contest with the NFL's third-highest passing yards per game average and perhaps the NFL's best wide receiver. Justin Jefferson currently has the most receiving yards in the league with 543 in four games. His success isn't translating into success for Minnesota, though. The Vikings lost close games to the Bucs, Eagles and Chargers, and they just beat the Panthers 21-13 last week.The 3-1 Detroit Lions now lead the NFC North, so Minnesota needs to make up some ground soon or lose all hope of winning their division.

    It's fair for Chiefs Kingdom to be a bit scared of this Minnesota offense when KC just made Zach Wilson look legit for nearly an entire football game. Nick Bolton will be a game-time decision, but the other major pieces of the Chiefs defense are healthy. Trent McDuffie will have a long, difficult day at work, but help from Justin Reid and other pieces of KC's strong secondary should be enough to limit what the Vikings do best.

    Minnesota's defense ranks 20th in total yards allowed and 19th in points allowed, so KC's offense can probably score enough to win this game without performing at the very peak of their capabilities. Don't be too upset if the 1-3 Vikings keep this game close; they're desperate and talented, more-so than the Jets. I think we'll see a solid bounce-back performance from KC and a hard-earned 31-24 victory.

Taylor Swift Appears Live as Chiefs Face Jets, Starring Taylor Swift, with Guest Appearance from Taylor Swift

    It's a beautiful autumn day in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and the 2-1 Kansas City Chiefs are ready to maintain their new-gained momentum. After handling the Chicago Bears with no stress last week, KC faces another dysfunctional franchise with bummed out fans tonight when they square up with the 1-2 New York Jets. Zach Wilson's struggles and Patrick Mahomes' success are well-documented topics at this point, but the continued legitimacy of KC's defense is a whole new story.

    This season's Chiefs defense is the best Mahomes has ever been paired with, and so far, it's not even close. Only the Browns, Bills and Cowboys have allowed fewer points per game than KC's average of 13.3. Pro Football Focus just proclaimed that Trent McDuffie is the most effective cornerback in the league right now. Chris Jones looks like he should skip training camp every season. Missing Nick Bolton, who's emerging as a truly elite linebacker, would typically be a big deal, but not this week. Nobody in Chiefs Kingdom fears that Zach Wilson will carve KC up by exploiting this weakness. There are probably more people wondering if he'll benched.

    Bears QB Justin Fields now has the league's worst QBR after the Chiefs defense held him to under 100 passing yards and a 50% completion percentage last week. Zach Wilson is the owner of the second-worst QBR among all qualified quarterbacks. While the Chiefs now rank fifth league-wide in total yards and points per game, their opponent tonight ranks dead-last in both of those categories. Jets fans looking to spin this into something positive could argue that their team has only faced great defenses, those being the Bills, Cowboys and Patriots. Unfortunately for Jets fans, that trend continues tonight at MetLife Stadium.

    So, what could possibly make this game close? I often find myself talking about penalties and turnovers when the Chiefs face a struggling opponent because they should be the only things that could threatens KC's chances at success against subpar competition. The Chiefs drew three penalties for 25 yards last week, which was much cleaner than Week 2's 12 penalties for 94 yards in Jacksonville. While only four teams in football have turned the ball over more times than KC's six total giveaways, it's worth noting that two of those turnovers came from Blaine Gabbert garbage-time interceptions. KC and New York both have four takeaways total this year, and New York's overall differential is one better than KC's -2. Avoiding numerous costly mistakes and sticking to the same offensive game-plan that's been dominating for half a decade now should be enough to ensure success for the Chiefs tonight. 

    The Jets defense should be motivated though, and KC could have understandable psychological struggles with treating this game with the same importance as the Super Bowl. That could be enough to make this game closer and uglier than fans in Chiefs Kingdom would like. I'm predicting a 27-13 victory and a whole lot more Taylor Swift coverage whenever the broadcast crew gets bored. There, I said Taylor Swift. Does this please you, Search Engine Optimization robots? Taylor Swift? Taylor Swift.

San Fran's Elite D Could Concern KC

Our Kansas City Chiefs lost a bummer of a home game last Sunday to a tough playoff contender with a great defense. This week, they're heading west to face a tough playoff contender with a great defense. The biggest difference between the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers should be the difference between defeat for KC last week and victory today.

Last Sunday's 24-20 Bills win featured the two best quarterbacks in football. This week's game will feature one of those two and also Jimmy Garoppolo. That Niners defense is Super Bowl-worthy, but that offense has been outscored by Chicago, Denver and Atlanta. Christian McCaffrey could greatly improve things in time, but a guy who joined the team this Thursday can only be expected to do so much. Unfortunately for Chiefs Kingdom, San Fran's elite defense gives them a chance to win despite limited success from the offense.

This Niners defense allows the NFL's second-fewest points and fewest yards per game. Only the Dallas Cowboys sack the opposing QB at a higher rate. San Francisco also allows the ninth-lowest 3rd down conversion rate in the NFL. The one thing Buffalo does way better than San Fran on defense, however, is forcing turnovers; the Bills are second league-wide in total takeaways while only 10 teams have fewer takeaways than San Francisco.

I don't expect the Chiefs defense to look elite yet, but they held the second-highest scoring team in football (KC is still first) to 24 last week, which is 5.3 points lower than Buffalo's season average. The Chiefs accomplished this without Trent McDuffie or Willie Gay, and Gay returns to action this afternoon. Allen's 117.6 Passer Rating against KC last week is concerning, but practically nobody thinks Jimmy G is on Allen's level. Garoppolo's completion percentage ranks 17th among QBs with at least three starts this season. His Passer Rating is a respectable 8th-best, but his QBR is the league's 10th-worst.

San Fran leans heavily on their successful, multi-faceted rushing attack - only seven teams in the NFL have a lower passing percentage - but Chiefs Kingdom knows better than any fanbase just how valuable an elite QB can be when the game is on the line. Let's call last week the exception to the rule. Patrick threw some picks, and I wrote an article about how the Chiefs were about to score a bunch against the Bills - we all had a bad week. Now is the time for KC to get back on track and get a tough win over tough competition. I'll predict a gritty 27-17 victory for Kansas City.