An ugly win counts all the same.
You’ll probably be hearing that a lot about the Kansas City Chiefs this week, but when it comes to keeping pace in the AFC conference it’s the truth. The Chiefs need to keep winning, whether it’s a blowout or a one-point margin.
It’s frustrating for fans to see the game start out the way it did against the Denver Broncos and to squander an opportunity to bury their opponent. It’s especially frustrating when the same mistakes that have cost them games against better teams continue to pop up.
So what exactly did we learn about the Chiefs in their Week 14 win? Here are four of our biggest takeaways after the game:
Patrick Mahomes is superhuman and human all at once
There is no denying that Mahomes had an off-game, but he’s going to come out on the other side of it alright. Mahomes even admitted that he wasn’t at his best afterward and pointed to specific decisions he made with the football that he’d do differently if given the chance. It’s important to remember the context of the performance, though.
While Mahomes nearly handed the game to the Broncos on a silver platter with his turnovers, he also completed over 67% percent of his passes for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. I know style points don’t count for anything, but two of those touchdowns were some of the most iconic plays of the season. Even in what we might consider a game that was less-than-perfect, Mahomes was still superb and helped will this team to victory.
Isiah Pacheco & Jerick McKinnon have become a dynamic 1-2 punch
Early on this season, the running back situation was dreadful for Kansas City. In recent weeks they’ve really seemed to find their stride with the duo of Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon. This game was the perfect example of what that duo can accomplish when they both perform their best too.
Pacheco rushed for 70 yards on 13 attempts, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He also managed three receptions on three targets for 23 yards. McKinnon had just six carries for 22 yards, but he was deadly in the passing game. He averaged 16 yards per reception with seven catches on nine targets for 113 yards and two touchdowns. The two players combined 206 yards of total offense, which was nearly half of the team’s total yardage (431) on Sunday.
The defense has some work to do
The defense didn’t have their best performance in Week 14. It’s a bit surprising because if I told you the defense had six sacks, seven tackles for loss, seven passes defended and two interceptions including a pick-six, you’d probably think otherwise. This was really about a few moments of some bad situational football and allowing a season-high of 28 points to the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL.
Yes, they were put in some bad situations with Patrick Mahomes turning over the football. They also squandered some really nice opportunities on third down and distance-to-gain situations. The leaders of the team were happy with the end results (win), but they were hardly happy with the performance.
Terrible freaking game! We will get better As a collective! With Late games In the season it’s imperative that we operate on the same page, as ONE.
-Love— Frank Clark (@TheRealFrankC_) December 12, 2022
Accountability is a good thing to see from this team given their Super Bowl aspirations.
The fullback trap is no longer an effective short-yardage play
I’ve been a big proponent of the Chiefs running the ball more often on short down-and-distance scenarios, but there is a specific play that the team just needs to trash. In the fourth quarter on a third-and-1 situation, Andy Reid called a fullback trap to Michael Burton. Everyone knew exactly what was coming from the formation — fans, media, and the Broncos’ defense.
Now, I spoke to Burton this offseason and he’s very big on justifying his roster spot via his performance. He doesn’t get many opportunities and needs to make the most of them when he gets them. This was simply a no-win situation for him. You’re not catching anyone off guard with that play call. If you call that play, you’re basically saying that you believe your guys can win even if the defense knows what’s coming. Now, if you’re using it to get it on film and set up some look or play off of it in the future, that’s a different story. If you’re not doing that, it’s time to scrap the play and find a better short-yardage run play. Perhaps an I-Formation look with Pacheco running behind Burton?
