Chiefs offensive woes open Alex Smith-Patrick Mahomes debate

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Chiefs' offensive woes open Alex Smith-Patrick Mahomes debate Published: Nov 26, 2017 at 11:30 AM NFL.com Columnist KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- These were the images the provided in the wake of yet another devastating lo s in the middle of a season that started with such great promise: A couple players vanishing from the locker room without commenting on the defeat; a frustrated head coach standing at a pre s conference podium and trying to explain his team's continual demise; a quarterback who once inspired talk of an MVP with his head bowed, his shoulders slumping and his sullen eyes betraying any sort of determination he hoped to convey. The were once the rage of the NFL. On Sunday, they looked like a team that might never win again. No offense to the suddenly recharged but that was the lone takeaway from Kansas City's in Arrowhead Stadium. This contest was about two teams hoping to turn their fortunes around, with one actually finding a way to do just that. The , on the other hand, gave their critics one more reason to think their 5-0 start to the season was merely a well-executed combination of smoke and mirrors. The longer they keep playing, the worse their performances eventually become. It was hard to believe a week ago that a team atop its division could that had one win all season prior to that contest. The incredibly proved that there is a level below rock bottom just seven days after that humiliation, as their latest defeat means they now have dropped five of their last six games. "We have to somehow get one win," said inside linebacker . "It's hard. This game is always hard, especially when you Tomas Tatar Kids Jersey lose. But when you stack up a few lo ses in a row, it makes it that much harder." Give Johnson credit for agreeing to talk about this one, regardle s of the pain. This defeat was so crushing that both tight end and cornerback left the locker room before reporters ever arrived to ask questions after the game. Given that both players are reliably outspoken, particularly when frustrated, that probably was the best outcome for a team that is trying its best to stay the course. The last thing head coach Andy Reid wants to hear is a star player erupting at a time when his team's season is careening off the rails. The truth is that there really isn't much the can say at this juncture. The lo s to the was disturbing, but it could be explained away as an overconfident playoff contender taking a team going nowhere for granted. This latest defeat was something far more disturbing. The had everything they needed for a rebound effort -- a home game against a squad that had surrendered a combined 101 points in its previous two games (both lo ses) -- and still they produced a big, fat dud. For those who haven't been paying attention, the same Kansas City offense that averaged 32.8 points a game during that five-game winning streak has now scored 36 total points in three consecutive lo ses. The irony is that the ' major problem used to be its defense, which has ranked among the league's worst all season and just tried to improve its fortunes by . It seems laughable now to think Kansas City can turn things around with his arrival. The bigger question is whether this offense will ever look right again. After starting the year with 16 touchdown pa ses and no interceptions through his first eight games, quarterback now has three touchdown pa ses and four interceptions in Kansas City's last two defeats. His interception in the final minutes of this game -- a throw that cornerback snatched with 1:25 left -- sealed the ' lo s. Kansas City also struggled on third down all day (converting just two of 13 attempts), and their running game continues to be disastrous. The same who was ripping through the NFL in the first five weeks managed just 17 yards on 11 carries, marking the sixth straight game in which he's failed to reach 100 rushing yards. The tried to provide answers after the game, but one major point kept coming up: Everyone needs to step up. "Everybody has a piece on that," Reid said when asked about his offense's slump. " Alex would stand up here and tell you that. I can do a better job of putting him in better positions to make plays. The offensive line can block better ... So we've all got a little of this." "We all lean on each other," Smith said. "It's a team game, a unit, especially on offense where it takes all 11 guys doing it. We're certainly not getting it done. We didn't get it done today and that's frustrating. I think that confidence, and the momentum and rhythm, it's kind of the Gordie Howe Kids Jersey same thing I've been talking about the last two weeks. It can come and go and certainly it took us a long time today to get it going." The ' offensive problems also have opened the door to a debate that was coming as soon as Smith endured a stretch of futility like he's currently in: The inevitable discu sion about a move to backup . The traded up to use the 10th overall pick in this year's draft on the rookie quarterback, largely because Reid and former general manager John Dorsey thought they saw elements of Brett Favre in his game. Mahomes has a bigger arm than Smith and he's progre sed nicely as an understudy. However, Reid has been unwilling to even consider Mahomes as an option this season and he re-emphasized that point on Sunday by saying "That's not where I'm at." That answer speaks volumes to Reid's faith in Smith and his ability to weather a storm. The last time the looked this awful, they were off to a 1-5 start in 2015, a slump that was made all the worse by the lo s of their best player, running back , to a season-ending knee injury. Reid rallied that team to 11 straight wins after that point, with Smith playing a crucial role in that turnaround. The also won their first playoff game since 1994 in that year, which was a huge accomplishment at the time. Reid is hoping the veterans on this current team can remember what it took to orchestrate such a dramatic change in fortunes back then. As Johnson said, the coach's me sage to his team afterward was as straightforward as it gets. "He said we have to stick together," Johnson said. "We can't point fingers. Everybody needs to look in the mirror and he always calls out himself as well. He has to look in the mirror and be hard on himself and he asked us to be hard on ourselves as well." That really shouldn't be a difficult task. After all, this was supposed to be the easy part of the ' schedule, a time when they could shake of some difficult lo ses by feasting on an a sortment of teams going nowhere. Buffalo, at 6-5, is actually the only team on Kansas City's second-half schedule that currently has a winning record. What we now know is that it really doesn't matter who the play moving forward. The most important thing to remember here is ' playoff hopes rest entirely on their mindset in the coming weeks. They still have most of the same players that contributed to that fast start, and they're optimistic about what Revis Gustav Nyquist Kids Jersey might offer as well. The only question now is whether the still believe they can be the team they were back in September. Judging from what happened against Buffalo, that's going to be a much tougher task than anybody ever imagined. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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