The Kansas City Chiefs continue to show their ability to win tight games.
In their most recent matchup, the Chiefs narrowly defeated the Atlanta Falcons 22-17 on Sunday night, improving to a 3-0 record for the season. However, the win highlighted the team’s ongoing offensive challenges.
The offense faltered on a crucial drive late in the fourth quarter, putting the defense in the position to once again save the game as the Falcons made their way down the field.
Head coach Andy Reid expressed the need for improvement on the offensive side, stating, “We need to do a better job offensively on that last drive and not put the defense in that position. But we stepped up on the defensive side and did a nice job of holding them out of there.”
Despite their undefeated record, the Chiefs have been winning with a sense of unease as their offense, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has yet to hit its peak performance. Mahomes himself acknowledged his subpar performance, taking responsibility for the team’s offensive struggles.
“We haven’t played well, in really, all three games,” Mahomes admitted postgame. “We’ve been able to win, and that speaks to the character of the team, the grit, and how we’ve been in these situations before. But I’ll speak especially offensively for me, I feel like I haven’t played very well. That’s not a stats thing. I just feel like I’m missing opportunities whenever they’re out there and not throwing the ball in the exact spot I want it to be at. So, that’s about me getting back to my fundamentals, putting our guys in the right position, and then we got to execute at a higher level offensively. If teams are going to make us drive the field we have to prove that we’re able to do that.”
Mahomes’ performance for the night reflected his ongoing struggles, with issues in decision-making and accuracy. He attributed these struggles to poor fundamentals, particularly his footwork.
“I got to get my base right,” Mahomes said, when asked about his struggles on offense. “I think I’m trusting my arm too much on some of those throws. Even the first throw of the game, I just kind of flicked it off balance and didn’t hit Rashee [Rice] going down the seam there. I got to get back to my fundamentals. That’s just stuff that I go through sometimes. Not usually early in the season like this, but luckily for me, I’m not playing my best football and we’re still getting wins. So, I got to get better to make the offense better.”
Despite the challenges, wide receiver Rashee Rice emerged as a bright spot in the offense, showcasing his abilities with a standout performance.
“He’s a guy who’s going to make plays happen,” Mahomes said of Rice. “He’s done a great job of when they’re putting all that attention on Travis (Kelce), he’s making stuff happen underneath. I’m sure defenses are going to start adjusting to try to put more coverage toward him. That’s when Travis will make plays, that’s when (Xavier) Worthy will make plays, or Juju (Smith-Schuster) or whoever. He’s a legit, number one receiver. You see that every single week, he’s making more and more plays. I’m just super proud of what he’s done already, but I think he has another level he can even unlock.”
While Rice’s performance was impressive, he remains focused on improvement, aligning with Mahomes’ dedication to enhancing the team’s offensive capabilities.
“I love that just because he’s the greatest quarterback I’ve ever played with, so whenever he feels like he hasn’t had a great game, I feel the same way,” Rice said. “So, we just got to get back to practice so we can do better together.”