The Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first loss of the NFL’s 2023 season against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. The absence of Travis Kelce and Chris Jones played a part in the Chiefs’ defeat, to be sure, but victory was within their grasp late in the fourth quarter and slipped through Kansas City’s hands in brutal fashion.
While the team came up short against the Lions, the season is far from over. One loss hardly dooms the Chiefs to irrelevance in 2023, and even though the outcome of the game was disappointing, there remains plenty of time for Kansas City to get back on track to win its second-straight Super Bowl in February.
Buy Chiefs TicketsGood teams lose tough games, and with two of their best players out, the Chiefs were able to hang tough against the upstart Lions to lose by just one point at the end of the matchup.
Check out our top observations from the Week 1 loss:
Chiefs offense struggled without Travis Kelce
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense were able to move the ball during spurts of this game, but without Kelce on the field, the unit couldn’t seem to get in rhythm. Mahomes had to improvise on nearly every drive, and while this would usually play to his strengths in the passing game, he didn’t look quite as lethal without his top target.
Kansas City’s run game was nearly non-existent. Mahomes led the team in rushing with 45 yards, and Isiah Pacheco was only given eight carries which turned into 23 yards. Pacheco and the rest of the Chiefs’ running backs should see more action in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, especially if Kelce is still relegated to the sideline.
Kadarius Toney doomed Chiefs with costly drops in key situations
Toney’s performance on Thursday night was seriously concerning.
The 24-year-old wideout missed the entire preseason while recovering from a torn meniscus that he suffered early on in training camp. It showed against Detroit when he was seemingly unable to hold onto the ball throughout the game.
One of Toney’s miscues led to a pick-six by Detroit’s rookie safety Brian Branch, which cost Kansas City dearly given the one-point margin of loss.
Chiefs’ defense needs Chris Jones up front
Kansas City’s defense was surprisingly impressive without Jones on the field, but the 29-year-old defensive tackle’s absence was still noticeable.
The Chiefs gave up only allowed 14 points in the game. In a vacuum, that mark may be good enough to win games, but without its best player in the pass rush, the team couldn’t seem to keep Detroit’s offense honest.
Jared Goff saw sporadic pressure but was able to pick apart Kansas City’s secondary when Steve Spagnuolo didn’t have an effective scheme to stop him. With Jones in the starting lineup, opposing quarterbacks can’t afford to get comfortable in the pocket, but when the All-Pro lineman is on the sideline (or, in this case, in the stands), the Chiefs struggle to get consistent pressure with four-man rushes.
With no end to Jones’ holdout in sight, it will be interesting how this defense holds up in Week 2 and beyond.
