NFL Week 15: Fatal flaw of each current playoff team

Kansas City Chiefs: Alex Smith’s ultra-conservative play

There’s no secret at all what the Kansas City Chiefs feel holds them back. Each season they find themselves alive in the playoffs, only to have an early exit. They have a strong defense and have featured a solid running game — not to mention one of the most explosive special teams units in the entire NFL. What they don’t have, is a quarterback under center that they truly believe in.

Kansas City head coach Andy Reid can say whatever he wants to try and make us all believe he thinks Alex Smith can win it all, but it’s a lie. The Chiefs showed their hand when they gave up a sizable package to move from the No. 27 pick to No. 10 in the 2017 NFL Draft for Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

It’s also no secret why they felt it was necessary. Smith has spent his entire career playing the role of the ultimate game manager. It’s hard to knock him for it because it’s worked well enough to get him this far. He’s also guilty of very few mistakes, but he just doesn’t challenge defenses enough.

This season he looked as though the move for Mahomes may have ignited something, as he did come out firing. Unfortunately, Smith has seemed to revert to his ultra-conservative ways in recent weeks, and the Chiefs are 2-6 since starting out 5-0.