This Chiefs Stat From Opposing Defenses is Concerning

The Kansas City Chiefs have been one of the more shocking disappointments so far this season. KC has gone from Super Bowl contender to a team that has a legit chance at missing the playoffs in just seven games. Now, with a 3-4 record and 3rd place spot in the AFC West, it's time to explore just what the heck is going on in KC. 

A lot of the blame has fallen on the shoulders of Patrick Mahomes who is having the worst stretch of his career by far. While Mahomes usually leads the league in touchdown passes, this year has been a bit different. Mahomes is third with 18 touchdown passes, but ranks first in the NFL with nine interceptions. That is three more than he had in all of 2020 and four more than 2019. 

This bets the question. What is going on with this guy? How does a player go from the best in the world to a guy who can’t even get his team into the playoffs? 

One rather telling statistic that has been under discussion lately is the way defenses are lining up against Mahomes. Is it possible that teams have somehow figured him out? 

According to Next Gen Stats, no quarterback in the league has faced more two-high safety defenses than Mahomes has this season. It is clear that the league made it a priority to figure out how to slow down the Chiefs’ offense. What else is clear is the league has so far done an amazing job at defending Mahomes. 

Mahomes currently ranks 13th in the NFL with 7.6 yards per completion, 13th in completion percentage at 67.5, and 15th in QBR at 97.9. The increased attention paid to the Chiefs passing attack has caused Mahomes to force passes into tighter coverage, miss receivers, and generally make poor decisions with the ball. 

And, the results speak for themselves. Andy Reid’s previously unstoppable offense looks average and his star quarterback looks much more human than before. I realize that the Chiefs are still scoring at a high rate and Mahomes has over 2,000 yards already this season. But, I think this can be attributed to the Chiefs playing from behind more often than they are used to. This is forcing Mahomes to air it out more than is accustomed to. 

I won’t put all the blame for them losing on Mahomes, as the defense has been horrendous. But, Mahomes needs to do something quick to adjust his game now that defenses have adjusted to him.