How did this happen? Looking at the issues that doomed the Chiefs offense

There are a lot of problems with Patrick Mahomes and company. Let's look at how we got here.

Well… at least it was Christmas!

I hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday weekend, full of faith, family, friendship, and fun. I hope that the meals were terrific. I hope the time spent with loved ones was unforgettable. I hope that you got a chance to read Luke Chapter 2 and think about the deeper things in life. I hope all of it was just absolutely fantastic.

Because holy cow, that Chiefs game was putrid.

Normally, this is where I would insert a game or film clip. But honestly, do you REALLY want to re-live any of the worst 5-10 moments of that game? Do you need to see an ill-advised trick play going wrong after the Chiefs finally got momentum? Do you want to re-watch Mahomes throw an absolutely terrible pass (both the decision and the throw itself) that gets pick-sixed? Do I really need to show you a clip of the offensive line getting dominated?

Because I sure don’t want to watch it again. I mean, I will, once the film comes out. But literally only because I have to for work. That’s the only reason. If I were you, I’d never watch it again (I mean, still read about it because, you know, my job and stuff). It’s right there with Super Bowl LV and the 2021 Titans fiasco. Burn it from your memory other than to maybe say “hey, the defense is still awesome.” And even the defense being incredible comes with frustration, because they earned a win Monday.

It’s just ugly, all the way around, in a way that reflects on the entire organization (my friend Kurtis Seaboldt did a good job summing up the frustrations and concerns from that aspect). And yes, this is more than just a knee-jerk reaction to a single game.

After all, no matter how horrific, one game is just that; One game. The Niners just got beat down by the Ravens. The Eagles got worked over several games in a row this year. Even the Mahomes-era Chiefs have gone through dry spells on offense before (remember in 2021 when the offense was “figured out?”). No, one game is not enough of a reason to panic.

Of course, we all know it hasn’t been just one game.

The offense has taken a massive step back this season, even if by certain measurements (like EPA per play, DVOA, success rate, and yards per play) they’re still a good offense. The struggles are obvious for anyone to see, and even on days they move the ball well it looks like WORK every single time. On other days, they shoot themselves in the foot so often and so brutally that they make life impossible for themselves.

And Monday, against the Raiders, everything came to a head. Every snap looked like hard work. Every yard gained felt like it took all they had. And, of course, there were the catastrophic mistakes. Drops, fumbles, a pick-six, missed blocks, disorganization getting to the line and lined up… you name it, the Chiefs did it.

I’d like to look at the things that have gone wrong this year that have disabled what was once the most dangerous offense in the NFL, despite (on the surface) the personnel not being THAT different from last season. Because the reality is things ARE different. Very different.

Let’s talk about how almost everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong. Because it goes deeper than just the WR room (though that’s where we’ll start). There are problems across the board.