On Sunday Night Football last week, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the New York Jets 23-20 to come out on top. Yes, with less than two minutes left in the game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes made the proper decision by sliding to the ground instead of walking into the end zone and extending the lead.
Fewer turnovers
It seems like the Chiefs are only losing games when they struggle with turnovers. The majority of the time, Kansas City will win the game if they don’t turn the ball over and give their opponent more chances. It may sound like a simple fix, but as the season progresses and the team faces more difficult opponents, Mahomes will need to make better decisions with the ball.
Get Isiah Pacheco involved in the game
We watched the Chiefs feed Isiah Pacheco the ball for the first time this season, and good things transpired. The passing game will become more accessible if they can get Pacheco going early in the game.
The Chiefs have a tendency to get out of their running starts in games. They opened the game with Clyde Edwards-Helaire in Week 1 because Pacheco was recovering from an injury and possibly on a snap limit.
Moving forward, Pacheco needs to be the leader. Really, Jerick McKinnon hasn’t been used to the fullest extent yet either. When necessary, he may provide as a safety valve for Mahomes in the passing game.
Someone other than Travis Kelce needs to take the lead
Close end Mahomes will always have Travis Kelce to make plays for him. He has often demonstrated this. Someone in the Chiefs’ receiving room needs to take the initiative and develop into a reliable playmaker.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is not a No. 1 wide receiver or even a No. 2 wide receiver; he is what he is. Although Justin Watson and Patrick Mahomes get along well, he is hardly a top receiver. Kadarius Toney has the talent to be a great receiver, but he must maintain good health to avoid playing only seldom.
Reduce penalties on the offensive line
I won’t be too harsh on the officials because they might have been targeting right tackle Jawaan Taylor of the Chiefs. He needs to quit putting the club in second- or third-and-long situations each game, though, by continuing the infractions he has been committing throughout the first quarter of the season.
The offense as a whole needs to straighten things out, but penalties can seriously slow down a drive. Fortunately for the Chiefs, Mahomes can occasionally cover up the errors and some of these problems. Although it would be ideal to not add to Mahomes’s workload, this has been a reoccurring issue from the beginning of the season. Things will move forward lot more easily the rest of the way if you have it cleaned up.
The Chiefs are on track to finish the season 13-4 after the first quarter. The defense has given its counterpart time to navigate a challenging period, giving the offense plenty of room to get going.