Somebody asked me the other day if the Kansas City Chiefs‘ dynasty is over.
Yeah, right.
The 0-2 start is cause for concern, but the Chiefs will find their way out of the hole. It’s not like they didn’t just go toe-to-toe with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, a game they might have won if Travis Kelce actually caught the football for what should have been a touchdown and a 17-13 lead in the fourth quarter.
As it turned out, the Eagles intercepted the Kelce drop and turned it into a touchdown that led to a 20-17 victory that has the Chiefs 0-2 for the first time since 2014. It’s also the first time Patrick Mahomes has lost three straight games since his college days at Texas Tech.
So, the cause for concern is understandable. But let’s look at it deeper. The Chiefs lost a close one to the Chargers in Brazil and then did little on offense against the Eagles and still were in it in the fourth quarter.
0-2 isn’t as bad as it looks.
What is bad is the lack of playmakers they have on the offense for Mahomes. They don’t scare anybody.
But there might be good news this week. Speedy receiver Xavier Worthy could be back against the New York Giants, and Rashee Rice will be back in four weeks.
The Chiefs have to hold on until then. That will put more pressure on the defense to play like it did Sunday and for Mahomes and Kelce and whoever else is on the field to do enough to score more points.
Kansas City started at No. 4 in my Power Rankings this season, but now has fallen out of the top 10. The Eagles remain in the top spot.
I think the Chiefs will find a way to turn it around. With Andy Reid as head coach and Mahomes at quarterback, doesn’t it seem like they always do?
The dynasty isn’t dead. It’s just in the ER for a bit, but my opinion is that they will be back to health in a big way come mid-October.
Biggest Movers
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
|
They haven’t looked as crisp on offense the first two weeks as they did last season, but it will come. They are too talented on that side of the ball. | — | 2-0-0 |
2 |
|
They dominated the Jets and clearly have staked a claim as one of the best teams after two weeks. The defense impressed in beating New York. | — | 2-0-0 |
3 |
|
That defense is special. I loved this team to get to the Super Bowl before Micah Parsons got there, and now I love that pick even more. | — | 2-0-0 |
4 |
|
That was a big-time game-winning drive for Baker Mayfield with two backups on the offensive line. Two road victories to open the season has this team off to a great start. | — | 2-0-0 |
5 |
|
After their tough loss to the Bills, they responded in a big way against the Browns. That’s the Ravens team we expect to see. | — | 1-1-0 |
6 |
|
The offense looked disjointed in the loss to the Packers, and now Jayden Daniels has a knee injury. That’s bad for this group as they’ve had a glut of injuries. | — | 1-1-0 |
7 |
|
It’s time to start talking about their defense. Coordinator Jesse Minter has them playing great football. | — | 2-0-0 |
8 |
|
They are 2-0 with two road victories, one with a backup quarterback. That’s a nice way to start a season. Mac Jones played well against the Saints. | 1 | 2-0-0 |
9 |
|
They got the offense rolling against the Titans on the road after a slow start in the opener. They travel to the Eagles this week in a rematch of their playoff loss. | 4 | 2-0-0 |
10 |
|
They are off to a good start with Daniel Jones playing well at quarterback. How good? They haven’t punted yet and became the first team in league history to score on its first 10 drives to open a season. | 8 | 2-0-0 |
11 |
|
This team is 0-2 for the first time since 2014, and it doesn’t have the look of a club that can climb out of it right now. It’s going to take a lot from Patrick Mahomes to turn this around. | 3 | 0-2-0 |
12 |
|
The Lions offense we saw against the Bears is the one we saw last year. Jared Goff was outstanding. Ben who? | 1 | 1-1-0 |
13 |
|
What happened to that defense against the Colts? That has to be a little bit of a red flag since many thought it was one of the best in the league two weeks ago. | 3 | 1-1-0 |
14 |
|
They are 2-0, but they made it interesting in the end against the Panthers. They have to learn how to close out games with both victories coming down to the end when they dominated for most of the game. | 6 | 2-0-0 |
15 |
|
With Joe Burrow down for at least three months, it’s Jake Browning time. He’s played well at times and beat the Jaguars on Sunday, but he isn’t close to being Burrow. | 3 | 2-0-0 |
16 |
|
That was an impressive defensive showing against the Vikings on Sunday night. With young players all over the defense, that’s a good sign. | 6 | 1-1-0 |
17 |
|
J.J. McCarthy struggled in the loss to the Falcons, and now he is out for a bit with a high ankle sprain. It’s Carson Wentz time for probably a few weeks. | 3 | 1-1-0 |
18 |
|
Going on the road and winning at Pittsburgh is a good look for this team. The defense is going to be a problem for opposing offenses. | 6 | 1-1-0 |
19 |
|
Losing to the Bengals the way they did will sting for a while. They had no business losing that game against a backup quarterback. They have to get Brian Thomas Jr. out of his funk. | 4 | 1-1-0 |
20 |
|
They fought off an 0-2 start to beat the Giants in overtime, but there are a lot of problems. The secondary is a mess. | 4 | 1-1-0 |
21 |
|
Forget all the talk about Aaron Rodgers. The defense isn’t good right now. It has to tighten up on that side of the ball. | 4 | 1-1-0 |
22 |
|
It wasn’t pretty at Miami, but they found a way to beat the Dolphins. Drake Maye was better than he was in the opener, which is a good thing in the new offense. | 4 | 1-1-0 |
23 |
|
Where is the offense? They don’t score enough, which is a major concern after two games. The offensive line is still a problem. | 4 | 0-2-0 |
24 |
|
So much for the idea that Ben Johnson would turn things around right away. Then again, it’s way too early to panic or judge. | 3 | 0-2-0 |
25 |
|
The enthusiasm from winning on the road in Week 1 vanished with the bad showing against the Chargers on Monday night. Geno Smith didn’t do enough. | 2 | 1-1-0 |
26 |
|
Russell Wilson did some good things in the loss to the Cowboys, which should quiet the Jaxson Dart talk for a while. But they are still 0-2. | 3 | 0-2-0 |
27 |
|
At 0-2, they head to Buffalo to play the Bills on Thursday night. If that gets ugly, the calls for Mike McDaniel’s job will get more pronounced. | 1 | 0-2-0 |
28 |
|
At 0-2, coming off a bad game for Joe Flacco, you can bet the calls to play Dillon Gabriel will start to get louder. The time to play him is coming — maybe soon. | 1 | 0-2-0 |
29 |
|
At 0-2, they are in a big hole to start the season. The defense has been a major disappointment so far. | 4 | 0-2-0 |
30 |
|
The defense that played solidly in Week 1 fell apart against the Rams. The face the undefeated Colts for a chance to turn it around this week. | — | 0-2-0 |
31 |
|
They are 0-2, but at least they showed some fight rallying late against the Cardinals. Bryce Young threw it 55 times, which is way too much. | — | 0-2-0 |
32 |
|
It’s all about the draft for this team, but it is playing hard. That’s a good sign for Kellen Moore. They just lack talent. | — | 0-2-0 |
