Pass rush, turnovers, coverage... How worried are we? Let's grade some Chiefs flaws
Looking at every real (and potential) concern that has Chiefs' fans worried about the now seven-time-straight AFC West division champs.
Remember last week, when I said that we talk about fun things after a win? Because, you know, that’s the rule?
Well, forget all that for the moment.
The Chiefs managed to leave Texas with a win over the worst team in the league in the Texans, who were also missing some of their best players. However, it took overtime and several heart-stopping moments, despite the fact that the Chiefs were wildly successful on offense compared to the Texans.
It was, frankly, a weird game (stunning, no?). Despite the fact that Mahomes was largely magnificent throughout the day, Kansas City didn’t put up a ton of points (needing overtime to reach 30). There were some… questionable calls by Carl Cheffers and his crew, who have, um, a bit of history with Chiefs fans. But at the end of the day, the Chiefs pulled it out and clinched the AFC West for the SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON, a remarkable feat that has only been accomplished a few other times in league history.
It feels like a time to celebrate, but the nature of the win over a low-quality opponent, along with some of the reasons it was as close as it was, have lead to a lot of very concerned Chiefs fans. And frankly, some (many?) of those concerns are entirely justified. When the goal is the Super Bowl, every flaw is magnified, and over the last 3 weeks (a frustrating loss to the Bengals and a pair of narrow victories over bad teams) the Chiefs have demonstrated a fair number of flaws.
And so, let’s talk about those flaws, grading each one on a scale of 1 (not a real issue at all) to 10 (may very well get them bounced out of the playoffs early).
And so yes, let’s celebrate 7 straight seasons atop the AFC West…
… but also roll right into some of the very real flaws that keep showing up for Andy Reid’s crew (and yes, this may have something to do with my vacation ending and me being back in -3 degree weather).