This Chiefs update is SURPRISING but brings some hope… Josh Simmons speaks out and more news

This Chiefs update is SURPRISING but brings some hope… Josh Simmons speaks out and more news

So, there’s a surprising finding about the Chiefs struggles in these one-sore games that shed some light on a bigger issue that’s going on. However, it’s not all doom and gloom as the team knows what’s on the line this week and they might have a key player back on offense which will indeed help. Then, another weapon continues to struggle with injury, but honestly, there’s another waiting in line that might actually be more effective. So, I’ve got to talk about that. Josh Simmons speaking out for the first time since his return. Travis Kelce fired up and more. But first, how about those? All right, first up, the Chiefs are taking on the Indianapolis Colts this week. A very good football team that will present some problems for sure, especially considering all the offensive firepower they have with Jonathan Taylor. He’s on an MVP trajectory right now. They also have the rookie tight end Tyler Warren balling out, Josh DS, Alec Pierce, Michael Pitman Jr., and of course, Daniel Jones commanding that side of the ball. These guys are the number one scoring offense in the NFL for a reason, averaging 32 points per game. Meanwhile, the Chiefs defense has struggled, especially in key areas late in games, especially the one-sore games. And I will get into that a little bit later, trust me. But on the flip side, that’s why the Chiefs are going to need to start fast on offense because their success has really been found this season when they can go up by 10 or more and force opposing offenses to become more one-dimensional. Well, if the Colts are trailing, they will be forced to lean less on that very, very powerful run game, and it would go a long way for the Chiefs defense as a result. There’s a trend to this as well. In four of the five games that the Chiefs have lost, they’ve scored zero points on their opening drive both in the first and second half of these games. The lone exception was week one against the Chargers. They did score a touchdown to start the second half, but in those other four games, they have laid goose eggs. More on those losses later because there are a couple more trends worth noting as well. But Andy Reid told the media today that Kingsley Su Matia, who’s in concussion protocol, won’t practice, though he’s doing well. The other player that didn’t practice today was actually wide receiver Xavier Worthy with Andy saying he tweaked his ankle a little bit. I feel like he said that five weeks in a row now, but Worthy did the walkth through, just didn’t practice. This ankle issue has been a lingering problem for weeks. I think maybe since week five, week six. And while he is continuing to push through it and play through it, he does not look quite right nor as explosive out there on the football field as we expected him to. So, we’ll see how worthy trends this week. But, if he can’t go, maybe Taekquin Thornton sees more playing time. And honestly, that might not be such a bad idea given how much man coverage the Colts like to play. They should have their top two corners available. Sgardner, whom they recently traded for from the Jets, and the former Chief Charvarius Ward, who should be back from injured reserve after suffering two concussions earlier on in the season. Speaking of Taekquon Thornton in that deep ball though, Patrick Mahomes told the media today regarding the deep ball, quote, “I’m just not making the throws. Guys are getting open and I’ve got to give them a chance to make plays.” For example, the one he threw to Thornton downfield later on in the game, it wasn’t the greatest throw. That’s his words. But Thornton made the play and it ended up going for 61 yds. So, he needs to get it on them rather than overthrowing them and at least give them a chance. That was like the first two or three plays of the game. He overthrew Worthy and Thornton. Worthy would have been a walk-in touchdown. So, the media of course did ask him about it. And honestly, Patrick Mahomes isn’t the best deep ball thrower in the world. And he never really has been. Tyreek Hill was just a very special player that could hit a fifth gear at the end of his route to haul those passes in. And that’s why I really felt like earlier on, at least in the Mahomes era, the overthrows, quote unquote overthrows, happened way less. Now, I also don’t believe Mahomes has been a bad deep ball thrower through the years, but he has struggled with that, especially the last couple of seasons, this one as well. He’s actually 30th of 39 quarterbacks and adjusted completion percentage on 20 plus air yards. Mahomes himself has said he needs to be better and is striving to do just that because if you can hit the deep throws, that’s going to open up other things for this offense. Well, I think part of the problem with the deep ball this year is Mahomes is just targeting Xavier Worthy a lot down the field because he’s getting more playing time, but he’s playing through the ankle and the shoulder. He’s not quite right. But when he targets Taekquin Thornton, it is much more effective. 19 targets, seven catches for 286 yards and a touchdown. And that’s on passes over 20 yards compared to targeting Worthy 11 times. Only two catches, no touchdowns. And this is just an example to me of if Worthy is out, this might be addition by subtraction right now with him being injured. And Taekquin Thornton should get more looks down the field in general and just playing time in this offense. Mahomes was also asked about the run game and RPOS’s. Obviously, a more explosive, dynamic run game could open up things for the offense as well. and he doesn’t have a preference on how they get these wins, whether it’s from under center or playing out of the shotgun. He said, quote, “My preference is to win. So, whatever way that happens, I’m good with it.” Now, in regards to RPOS’s, there are times he should probably hand it off, but a lot of times when he throws on the RPOS’s, they are still successful and positive. However, the run would also be successful or have a chance of being successful and keep defenses a bit more honest. He’s always trying to balance that and a strive to do just that. at his entire NFL career. Well, yeah. My thoughts are more runs would definitely help this offense. Opposing defenses are daring them to run. Do not care if they even try to run because when they do, which is rare, they don’t break off for explosive runs. On top of that, with Pacheco away right now, they just don’t seem to trust Bashard Smith to run between the tackles yet, nor Elijah Mitchell, who played a few snaps last week, but yeah, that was not great. And so hopefully we see a bit more upon the return of Isaiah Pacheco. Some good news regarding Pop is he was back and working out there at practice as a full participant today. That’s definitely a positive sign. I will say to nobody’s surprise though, he was out there at practice working with a heavy brace on his right leg. I’m not sure if he will play this week or not, but they will need as much juice from that room as they can get. And if Pacheco is healthy enough to go, he probably should. I don’t want him to risk reagravating that knee or anything like that, but you need all the help you can get in this game because if you don’t win it, you are in trouble. Before I get into any of that, there is another player I’m hoping can play this week as well, and I’ll dive into who that is. Josh Simmons spoke to the media for the first time since his absence as well. So, I’ll talk about that. I also found a pretty big surprise as to why the team is struggling in these close one-score games. I’ll talk about all that coming up next. But first, if you are like me and have been looking for deodorant that truly lasts with no need for a midday reapplication or anything like that, then the sponsor of today’s video, Mando, is perfect for you. Mando is a deodorant brand built for regular guys who want something that just works. Well, Mando’s been clutch for me personally because I do get sweaty when recording under these bright lights, but not really so much with the pits anymore. And they still smell good, too. I mean, seriously, this smells good. Mando was made to last through the day and I promise you it truly does. 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He’s in concussion protocol, but Big Red said he is doing well, so that’s a good sign at least. If he can’t go though, it’s Mike Caliendo up again this week at left guard. He will definitely be the weak link along the line. Even last week against Denver, Caliendo was the lowest graded lineman in pass blocking, but that’s why he’s a backup for one. And then I still feel like the O line held their own against the number one Dline in all of football. When I look at the reasons why that game was lost in Denver, I feel like the O line would be a bit lower on the list compared to some others. though that line was flagged four times from what I recall. Simmons was hit with a false start and a hold. Then Jawan Taylor was flagged for a hold as well as an illegal formation penalty in the red zone. That penalty negated a 15yd catch by Kareem Hunt that brought him up to the 2-yd line. And a few plays later, Mahomes wound up throwing that very tough interception, a 10-point swing in a very crucial moment in the game. Travis Kelce today in his podcast was basically pissed about the procedural penalties. He said they are a killer and very frustrating as were the holds. You can’t have these types of penalties. Penalties were a big deal for them in this one and then of course settling for field goals rather than getting touchdowns in the red zone. Quote, “We’re going to have to put up points to help out the defense and they weren’t able to do that enough last week.” The answer in his eyes are all on film. It’s a little bit of everything in key moments. It’s not an effort thing. You can turn the film on and see the effort from all the guys. It’s getting the little details right and the pass catchers need to move with a purpose, especially when they know Pat’s under duress on these scramble drills. Andy Reid continued with the media today during his presser on the train of thought regarding penalties. He basically said that’s the main reason why they fell short in these key situations. Penalties are tough and make things harder to overcome. Quote, “In this league, they get you even though you might be able to overcome it. You’ve utilized plays to do so. Plays are valuable when you go through a game.” So I took that as Andy saying the less plays you need to run especially in crucial situations like the red zone the better. So they have to take care of that part first and foremost eliminate the turnovers and then he put aspects of the offense on himself in regards to the play calling. Quote could do better way better at giving guys stuff to work with. And yeah it is tough to overcome key mistakes on third down near the goal line due to penalties etc. Especially when you play against good teams. And that part is true. Of the Chiefs five losses this season, they’ve all been by one score against teams that are currently in the playoff picture. The lone NFC team are the Eagles. But the real kicker is the four others are against the Broncos, Bills, Chargers, and Jags. Every single one of these teams are higher in the current AFC seating and have tiebreers over the Chiefs. That’s why the Broncos game was critical. But now that the AFC West is 90% theirs and unachievable for the Chiefs this season, every game from here on out is very critical, mission critical. I’ll tell you this much. Here’s how critical the Colts game is. The Chiefs currently have a 46% probability to make the playoffs. If they beat the Colts on Sunday, thankfully that goes up to 57%. Not great, but trending in the right direction. However, if they lose, their probability falls to 29% and they essentially have to win out and hope teams above them lose a game or two that they probably shouldn’t. That’s not even to mention the Ravens who are on a four-game win streak and are fighting for the division right now with the Steelers. So, either of those teams could be in the wild card hunt as well. The Bills probably aren’t winning their division at this rate, but I’d put a lot of money on them making the playoffs via one of those wild card spots. They’re currently at 7 and three. So that leaves the Chargers and Jags currently at least needing to start losing more of these games. And the Texans are right there above the Chiefs on the bubble as well. Thankfully, the Chiefs do play the Texans here soon, as well as the Broncos and Chargers again. So, their destiny is still somewhat in their hands, but they can’t lose, but maybe one more game, possibly two, if they want a pretty high chance of making the playoffs. Mahomes certainly seems confident, saying they have the guys to do it. They’re prepping harder at practice, in the film room, staying extra hours, and proving they can do it as a team. After all, it is one thing to say it, but actions speak louder than everything else. It probably doesn’t help this week specifically that the defensive coordinator for the Colts is Lou Anarumo, formerly the DC of the Bengals that has had great success against the Chiefs and Mahomes in particular in years past. Mahomes said that Lou will continue to throw different things at you to make sure you’re never settled with what’s going on and what play calls you’re able to run. So, that’s something he’s going to have to be great with during the entire football game. Next up, Josh Simmons spoke to the media today for the first time since his absence away from the team. Before I get to what he said, Andy Reid shared that since Simmons returned, his effort and everything has been great. He took care of business while away for personal reasons and came back looking good. Sure, there were a couple of penalties. he’s got to clean up. But overall, he played a great game, especially considering who they went up against. Then Josh Simmons took to the podium and said he was nothing but grateful to the team and the city for having his back while he was away. He felt all the love and can’t wait to give it back. And when asked if he wanted to speak at all on why he was away or give any kind of a statement about that, Simmons said he wants to keep his reasons for being away in house with all due respect. Quote, I know everybody wants to know, but it’s something I want to keep, you know, private. So yeah, we may never actually know what went on, why he was away or any of those details, but I respect it and I’m glad things seemed to be better with his family or the situation involving his family, at least in some capacity, or he probably wouldn’t be back. Simmons was actually asked if he planned on playing out the rest of the year with the team. And he immediately replied, “Absolutely. I will be here for the rest of the season with the Kansas City Chiefs.” So that’s definitely some good news there. Upon his return to play, Josh felt a little rust, sure, while out there against the Broncos. And going up against somebody as elite as Nick Bonito was quite the welcome back challenge. He was working out during his time away. And physically speaking, he was ready to play as soon as he came back. He was also in the playbook, studying, watched the games, knew what opponents they were playing next, all of it. Football wasn’t a distraction. He knew he was going to come back and wanted to be ready. The last thing he shared was that communication with the team was very transparent, especially at the end. So, that’s good. He’s back now. I’m just glad. And now he’s looking ahead to the Colts who have some playmakers of their own on that defense. More on the Colts defense in my preview video on Friday. But let’s shift gears to spags in the Chiefs defense because there are all kinds of reasons as to why the Chiefs are sitting at 5 and five right now. But among them, the defense does stand out to me, especially late in these games compared to last year in 2024. The Chiefs didn’t allow a single conversion on any third and 10 or longer when it was a one-sore game in the fourth quarter. Four of those being allowed this season through 10 games is more than they allowed in 2024. In 2023 combined, zero of those in 2024, only two of those in 2023 already double 2023 this year through 10 weeks. Absolutely crazy. This has been part of the problem. It gets worse late in the fourth quarter, too. was Jesse Newell of the Athletic shared today that the Chiefs are one of seven on stopping opponents on third and fourth downs on drives that start in the final 5 minutes of regulation while in a one-sore game. Their only stop in that situation was when the Bills were milking the clock and opted to run with James Cook on a third and seven. That’s a 14% defensive success rate in those scenarios, which is tied for the worst of any team in at least the last 26 seasons. That’s how long this data has been tracked. So why the heck is that? Well, a big part of that is because they’re not getting pressure with their defensive line. We know that. We’ve been clamoring, pounding the table for pass rush help or interior defensive line help. But to add to that, Spags is blitzing like he does in crucial situations, but it’s been way less effective this year. Last season, they were ninth in pressure rate when sending extra rushers, but this year they are dead last, getting pressure on blitzes only 32.4% 4% of the time. Kansas City was also 10th in opposing QBR when they blitzed in 2024, but this year 23rd. On top of that, in the last seven years with Spags, the Chiefs have never allowed above a 60% completion rate on third downs. Well, this season, they’re allowing over 70% of passes on third downs to get completed. That’s 32nd in the league. So yeah, we can blame Mahomes on missing some throws, not being clutch enough, the offense refusing to run the ball at times, blame the offensive coaching staff in general. And while all of those things are true in some capacity and do play a role, the defense is absolutely part of the problem as well and to me is a big reason why they aren’t coming away with W’s in these one-score games. It’s such a weird position that the Chiefs find themselves in. In most metrics, they are a great team, yet they are 500 on the year. Look at this chart for example. This ranks teams in their defensive EPA per play and their offensive EPA per play. And the teams that the Chiefs are around are the Colts, Packers, and Bills. Well, those teams have records of 8-2, 6 and three, and 7-3. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are 5 and five. It’s honestly a pretty crazy world the Chiefs are living in right now. But hey, make sure to let me know your thoughts on these one-sore games in the comments down below. And what do you think the biggest issue is? Is it the penalties, the offense, the defense? What gives? Let me know either way in the comments down below. And until next time, let’s go. Let’s freaking go. How about those

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