The 0-2 Kansas City Chiefs are in staggering unchartered territory in Patrick Mahomes era – This is what a Super Bowl Hangover looks like. Missed opportunity. A costly turnover. A daring fourth-down gamble that backfired. Burned by a blitz in crunch time. A missed field goal.
New territory in the Patrick Mahomes Era.
No, the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t get blown out again in the Super Bowl 59 rematch on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. This time, it was a would’ve, could’ve, should’ve type of ending in falling 20-17 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
And suddenly the Chiefs are tied to a different kind of three-peat. For the first time since Mahomes began setting the NFL ablaze, the Chiefs have lost three consecutive games with the star quarterback, dating back to the Super Bowl loss.
Leave it to the tough Eagles (2-0) to reveal the holes. Take the renowned “Tush Push” short-yardage package. Philadelphia called on it seven times, including the situation when they got a penalty for a convert. The Chiefs stopped the Eagles twice, but in both cases they were unable to halt back-to-back “Tush Push” meetings, including the fourth-quarter scenario when Hurts barreled in for a one-yard touchdown.
Even worse than the pain of conversions by inches, though, was the 28-yard reception by DeVonta Smith on a third-and-10 in the fourth quarter that set up the Hurts TD that stretched the advantage to 20-10. It was Philadelphia’s longest play of the day and one of just two completions that went for more than 10 yards. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, as he did twice in the game, set up a “zero blitz” to pressure Hurts, but the Eagles quarterback held in to find Smith – who torched the Chiefs with a 46-yard TD reception in Super Bowl 59 – in single coverage against Trent McDuffie. And Smith adjusted to haul in the toss on a jump ball.
This, after Smith was shaken up early in the third quarter after landing hard on his back on a third-and-long incompletion that was influenced by another all-out blitz. “He came down on his back, he came up in the clutch,” Hurts waxed poetically of Smith. “What more can you ask for?”
One team had the knack for crucial plays on Sunday, while the other didn’t. Smith’s big play was set up by a massive error on Kansas City’s previous drive, when it looked the Chiefs were on the verge of grabbing the lead. But on a third-and-goal from the Eagles’ 6, Mahomes’ pass to his usually-reliable go-to target, Travis Kelce, bounced off the tight end’s hands and into the arms of rookie safety Andrew Mukuba at the goal line. Mukuba returned the interception 41 yards, the possible pick-six stopped by the effort of first-round tackle Josh Simmons, who chased down the play for a sideline tackle.
Mahomes, whose 187-yard passing day included a 49-yard TD toss to Tyquan Thornton late in the fourth quarter, faulted himself for the interception. That was arguable, given the tiny window to squeeze the pass inside.
“I think if I can put it more on his body and not so far in front of him, he can catch it, take the hit and get into the end zone,” Mahomes said.
The disconnect illustrated some of the issues for a Chiefs offense saddled by the loss of two deep-threat receivers – Rashee Rice is serving a six-game suspension, Xavier Worthy is nursing a dislocated shoulder suffered on the first drive of the season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers – and had such a spotty ground attack that Mahomes was the team’s leading rusher with 66 yards.
“It’s not like we’re missing by much,” said Mahomes, who also lamented missed chances for big plays early to tight end Noah Gray and late to Thornton. “I know it sucks to hear for the fans, but I think we’re close. All we can do is continue to work, continue to get after it.”
It’s too early to write the Chiefs off, as tempting as that is. But they resemble the disoriented fighter attempting to find a way after sustaining a few body blows. And this early-season faltering comes despite the trend of teams typically falling flat in the season following losing a Super Bowl. Yet it’s a long season. It’s not time to panic. Some of their difficulties can be remedied, others will improve with health and time. Conceivably. The 0-2 Kansas City Chiefs are in staggering unchartered territory in Patrick Mahomes era
Reid summed up his postgame locker room admonition as follows: “Keep playing hard. I’ll take this one. Stick together.” It’s common for Reid to accept the onus when adversity comes. In this situation, he took ownership of the interception, regretting the play-call.
Yet it was another choice by the senior coach that warrants far more examination. On the first drive of the second half, Reid went for it on a fourth-and-one from the Chiefs’ 36-yard line. The game was deadlocked, 10-10, with nearly an entire half to go.
On his own end of the field, he clearly played with fire. And Reid scarcely had a counter that was akin to Philadelphia’s “Tush Push” with a Jumbo formation and full-house backfield. Kareem Hunt was stuffed by Noah Smith for a one-yard loss.
But why? Reid is not Dan Campbell and normally doesn’t take such risks. NFL sends mixed message with moment of silence for Charlie Kirk | Opinion
“They were going to stay aggressive,” Reid explained, addressing the Eagles. “I thought it was important against that crew to just stay aggressive.”
Reid went for it on fourth-and-one later in the game, but the field position was entirely different from the Eagles 13. He elected not to try tying the game with a chip-shot field goal early in the fourth quarter. Hunt converted on a three-yard run. Then tragedy stuck with Mahomes’ interception. The 0-2 Kansas City Chiefs are in staggering unchartered territory in Patrick Mahomes era
On the fourth-and-one that didn’t work earlier, the Eagles converted the gift field position into a 51-yard Jake Elliott field goal, which turned out to be so significant in a three-point game. Mahomes, though, had no qualms with Reid’s gamble.
“I always want to go for it,” he said. “That’s who I am. I want to be aggressive. You always second-guess it when it doesn’t work. When it works, it’s a good thing. When it doesn’t, it’s a bad thing. I’d rather be on the aggressive side of history.” Which just might beat the history associated with a certain type of hangover. The 0-2 Kansas City Chiefs are in staggering unchartered territory in Patrick Mahomes era
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