The former Super Bowl LIV Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, have started off with a disappointing year. Their stars are not showing up, and their defense is horrendous. 

With a 3-3 record, Chiefs fans have been shocked by the performance of their star players, specifically All-Pro Quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The team has always been able to count on Mahomes, though this year he has made numerous mistakes. So far, he has thrown eight interceptions, 1,887 yards, and 18 touchdowns in the first six weeks. This is a big setback since Mahomes only threw six interceptions throughout the 2020 season.

“It’s not something I’ve usually done in my career, but I have to re-evaluate where I’m at with the decisions I’m making,” Mahomes said.

Although Mahomes has not been playing at his best, the Kansas City defense hasn’t been able to pull it together either. With players on the defense like All-Pro defensive end Chris Jones, Frank Clark, and All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu, fans question why the defense is struggling so much. 

Statistically, the Chiefs defense has given up almost 800 rushing yards through the first six weeks of the season, which explains why they have the worst rushing defense in the NFL. 

However, the secondary has not been as bad as the front seven. They gave up 11 passing touchdowns and had four interceptions on the year. 

So how can Kansas City’s defense rebound? Head coach, Andy Reid, said they aren’t able to complete tackles. They also gave up the most quarterback rushing yards by a margin.  They allowed nearly 300 rushing yards to quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen. 

“We played the two best run teams in the league back-to-back,” Reid said after the Chiefs’ games against the Browns and the Ravens. “We need to do better to make sure that we tackle when given the opportunity and then get off blocks. Those are the two primary things.”

On Sunday Night Football in week five, Kansas City went into Buffalo to face the Bills. Coming in, the Chiefs had a slight advantage in the betting odds, yet the game did not live up to those expectations. Kansas City lost 38-20. It was another week where Mahomes did not look like himself, as he threw for only 272 y9ards and two touchdowns, with another two interceptions. 

“We know that we have what it takes to be great,” said Mahomes after the Buffalo game. “We’ve had spurts here and there offensively, defensively, special teams, stuff like that. But at the end of the day, it’s about coming together as a team, because in this league, it’s not about good players, it’s about good teams.”

On the contrary, recently in week six, the Chiefs played their best football this year against the Washington Football Team. The Chiefs went into Washington and embarrassed them, winning 31-13. Surprisingly, the rushing game went well without lead back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. And
Mahomes finally got it together, throwing for 390 yards, two interceptions, and three touchdowns.

If the Chiefs can stay consistent, they may be back on top soon.