Some feel that defense no longer wins championships in today’s NFL. Tell that to the Kansas City Chiefs, who couldn’t stop the Patriots on Sunday.
It’s not like this hasn’t been a topic of discussion. The Kansas City Chiefs finished the regular-season with 565 points — the third-highest total for one season in NFL history. Second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw 50 touchdown passes — tied for the second-most in one season in league annals.
But those numbers don’t usually translate into success when it comes to a Super Bowl title.
Of course, neither does giving up 421 points in a season. That’s 26.3 points per contest. It would have been the most ever by a Super Bowl champion. But once again, the Chiefs have the “would have been.”
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For the second time this year, Andy Reid’s team scored 31 second-half points against the New England Patriots. Once again, Kansas City came up short on the scoreboard. A 37-31 overtime loss at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Championship Game means no Super Bowl for this team once again.
Yes, the final score and a frantic fourth quarter made for an entertaining affair. But defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s unit simply could not get off the field often enough to win. When it was all said and done, the Patriots ran 94 offensive plays, good for 524 total yards.
A pass rush that produced 52 sacks during the regular season failed to sack Tom Brady on Sunday. And even though the Chiefs managed to pick off the prolific passer twice in the contest, it seemed inevitable that once New England got the ball in overtime, Reid’s team was in big trouble.
It’s hard to allow the second-most total yards and second-most passing yards in the NFL, along with ranking 27th in rushing defense, and still come away with an NFL championship. All those Mahomes’ yards and touchdown passes are spectacular but proved to be necessary. All told, the Chiefs lost five games this season and rolled up an incredible 181 points in those setbacks.
The bottom line for the Kansas City Chiefs is that their defensive unit remains the team’s biggest albatross. This unit played better at times in 2018 but the 31-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts one week earlier was more a result of keep Frank Reich’s offense off the field. The organization must take a hard look at a group that just hasn’t complimented the other side of the football for Reid’s team.