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Kansas City Chiefs win but keep losing (the football)

By Russell S. Baxter

LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 17: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs with the ball against Khaleke Hudson #47 of the Washington Football Team during the first half at FedExField on October 17, 2021 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 17: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs with the ball against Khaleke Hudson #47 of the Washington Football Team during the first half at FedExField on October 17, 2021 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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The Kansas City Chiefs got back to the .500 mark with a win at Washington. But is all right with Andy Reid’s usually-efficient offense?

There are many reasons that the Kansas City Chiefs have not had a losing season under head coach Andy Reid. One of those is offensive efficiency and taking care of the football. Another is solid quarterback play – first by Alex Smith and currently by Patrick Mahomes.

And when it comes to winning a Super Bowl championship it was the emergence of a defense that started slow in 2019 and eventually caught on to Steve Spagnuolo’s schemes

These days, that unit has been taking a licking and was barely ticking entering Sunday’s clash with Washington. In their first five games this season, Kansas City allowed a whopping 163 points and surrendered 19 offensive touchdowns.

But could the team’s 31-13 victory on Sunday be a springboard? The Chiefs allowed only 276 total yards and one offensive TD in the 18-point win.

Kansas City Chiefs win but keep losing (the football)

But it was still a bit of a sloppy effort by the club. Kansas City turned over the ball three more times, including a pair of interceptions by Mahomes. A year ago, he threw 38 touchdown passes, was picked off only six times, and committed a total of eight turnovers (two lost fumbles) in 15 regular-season outings.

In the team’s 3-3 start this year, the strong-armed signal-caller has served up 18 TD passes but has already thrown eight interceptions, to go along with a lost fumble.

In Reid’s first eight seasons with the club, there was never an instance in which the Chiefs turned over the football at least 20 times. But could that streak of sorts change this year? Kansas City has already given up the pigskin 14 times in six outings. A season ago, there were just 16 turnovers by the Chiefs in as many regular-season contests.

Keep in mind that this is a franchise that has been to the playoffs seven of the previous eight years under their current sideline later and has represented the AFC in the Super Bowl the past two seasons. And while there’s a lot of football still to be played, the team has to do a better job of holding onto the ball if the club is to bounce back from a mediocre start.

Perhaps it’s a matter of trying to do too much due by Mahomes and company due to the inefficiencies of the Kansas City defense this season to date. So can Reid’s team right what’s been wrong on both sides of scrimmage – which includes being much smarter with the football?

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