Where are the real Kansas City Chiefs, and what did whoever took them do with the real clutch version of quarterback Patrick Mahomes?
That’s the question being asked by Chiefs fans as their heroes stumble through one close game after another, constantly finding ways to lose games they used to win with an ongoing series of last-second Mahomes heroics.
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We all thought these kinds of losses were an anomaly, but now we’re starting to wake up to the fact that this could simply be who the Chiefs are this year. Jesse Newell of The Athletic covered this issue recently, calling them “unclutch” in a piece that would have been considered an outrageous hot take just a few short weeks ago.
Now it’s not. As insane as the allegation sounds, Newell made a credible case that this year’s Kansas City club qualifies as one of the most unclutch teams of all time. The Chiefs’ 0-5 record in close games is close to common knowledge among NFL fans t this point, but some of the stats Newell cited aren’t.
They’re a bit of a statistical stretch, but start with the fact that on “close and late” snaps as defined by True Media, Mahomes is 2-for-10 for just 29 yards while also taking a sack. Mahomes gets a bit of a mulligan because the Chiefs were behind and up against the clock in a couple of their close losses, but their record among teams with at least ten snaps is among the worst mark of any team in a decade, according to Newell.
The defense hasn’t held up its end, either. According to the stats, they’ve faced seven third- and fourth-down snaps that fit the criteria used to evaluate the offense, and they’ve give up six opponent first downs on seven snaps, not to mention 4-for-for for 69 yards.
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These also weren’t short conversions. One was a third-and-15, another came on third-and-fourteen, and two others were third-and-7’s. That success rate, too, is among the worst ever recorded in the 26 seasons since TruMedia began tracking this stat. Last year the Chiefs had the best defensive record in these situations, so none of it makes much sense.
One thing is quite straightforward, however: If the Chiefs play a close game against the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday and they lose again, they’ll drop below .500 and be one step closer to dropping out of the playoff picture altogether.