Is this the cleanest game the Kansas City Chiefs have ever played? Nope.
Did they outplay their competition? maybe.
Should they have won more than they did? Maybe.
But at the end of the day, the Chiefs were 3-0 and coming off a double-digit road win, beating the Miami Dolphins 24-10. In the NFL, that’s nothing to scoff at, no matter who you’re playing. Because at the end of the day, the Dolphins roster is still full of guys who are good enough to be in the NFL.
Here are five things we learned from the Chiefs who remain undefeated.
1. The pass rush still seems to be an issue
This is a topic that I feel we have lost over the years. The Chiefs can’t get pressure without blitzing. Defensive end George Karlaftis is near the top of the league in pressures but struggles to get home. We need more from the young players we drafted. Defensive tackle Chris Jones looks like his best days are behind him. And when you add it all up, it makes for a defense that doesn’t rush the pass nearly as well as their investment in picks would suggest.
It’s the same argument we’ve had for years now.
And the fact that we still have this, and the Chiefs are struggling to get to the quarterback against a team that allowed nine sacks entering this game, speaks louder than anything I can say on this topic.
That said, there are ways to impact the passing game as a rusher besides sacks. For example, Jones threw a pass late in the fourth quarter and Karlaftis intercepted it. And while this play is truly amazing, they are still very few and far between.
2. Tackles play well…
Kahlil Benson and Jaylon Moore are doing a great job playing offensive tackle for this team. And that may be the problem. When your entire franchise is wrapped in a No. 15 jersey, you want better than a good game from them. Because it’s okay until it’s not. And fine enough 85% of the snaps, but the other 15% is Mahomes being pushed into the turf in the end zone, getting high and low, or getting helmet-to-helmet contact.
It’s okay, as long as you’re playing the Dolphins. But the fine becomes less it’s fine when you face Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.
It’s officially Raider week, and you know those dirty sons-of-a-will are gunning for Mahomes. This is the week we will see if our tackles are fine, or if they will be an issue going forward.
3. Is Harrison Butker losing focus?
This is the second week in a row that Harrison Butker has missed a field goal. We’ve also seen him struggle making PATs at times in the past. And it’s probably unfair to hold against him his 51-yard miss from last week, and this week’s miss from 50 yards, which wasn’t a chip shot by any means either.
Butker is, in my opinion, one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history. When the game is on the line and you need someone to drill a 56-yarder to win, I don’t think there’s anything better, but when you’re up two points on the road, I’m not sure I can say the same thing.
And Sunday’s miss doesn’t matter because there’s only a minute left on the clock, but you want your guys to take care of business when they’re up, just like they do when the game is on the line.
4. Mansoor Delane will have his rookie moments, but…
Dang, he’s just a good football player. I feel like it took Delane a few drives to really get his feet wet and get into a rhythm, but once he did, he was a difference maker on this defense. When you combine him and Nohl Williams on the outside, it will be difficult for opposing perimeter wide receivers to have much success against the Chiefs.
That said, the safeties on this roster left something to be desired in this game. They seemed a step late to the ball on many plays that could have been advantages if someone other than Malik Willis lofted the ball in the air. However, as my caveat at the top of this story stated, the defense and secondary held an NFL offense to 10 points on a day when the other team was trying to pull out all the stops to beat Kansas City.
As a wise friend of mine once said, “Do you know what they call a person who graduates from medical school with a C average?”
The Chiefs are 3-0 and heading into Raiders week, where they’ll be on the road against a nasty bunch of mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers to see who will sit alone atop the AFC West.
The Chiefs have to win this game to move on, to destroy the Raiders.