The Kansas City Chiefs are in uncharted territory, at least in the Pat Mahomes era. On Sunday, the Chiefs lost their second straight game, falling to the Texans 31-24. Not only was it their second straight loss, but both losses have come at home. Even the return of Tyreek Hill to the Kansas City, offense wasn’t enough to lift the Chiefs to victory.
The funny thing about Kansas City’s back-to-back losses is that not much has changed since last season. A year ago, the Chiefs had the most unreliable of defenses, and despite significant changes made in both coaching and personnel during the off-season, that has continued into 2019. On Sunday, the Texans ran 83 plays, accounting for 39:48 of possession compared to the Chiefs, who ran just 47 plays and only had the ball for 20:12.
A year ago, Mahomes and the Kansas City offense were able to overcome the deficiencies of the defense with incredible regularity. But that hasn’t been the case this season. Mahomes managed just 41 passing yards in the second half against the Texans. That was one week after the Chiefs managed just 13 points in a 19-13 loss to the Colts. Mahomes is said to be battling a nagging injury, but the running game could be the biggest culprit in the Kansas City offense slumping. The Chiefs have just 89 total rushing yards in their two losses, as they’ve been unable to run the ball consistently and unwilling to commit to the running game to help support Mahomes.
Looking Ahead
The good news is that the back-to-back losses haven’t cost the Chiefs first place in the AFC West. However, they have a quick turnaround with a Thursday night road game against the Broncos this week. That will be followed by challenging home games against the Packers and Vikings. It’s not exactly a favorable schedule for a team that has lost two in a row and needs a little more from their defense to get back on track.
“We haven’t played a perfect game on defense,” Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark said after Sunday’s loss. “We’re not going to play a perfect game, but we need to play a bit better.”