The Kansas City Chiefs look like one of the best teams in the NFL heading into the playoffs. Kansas City finished the regular season with a 15-2 record. This looks even better when you consider that the Chiefs rested most of their starters in Week 18’s loss against the Broncos. Now the Chiefs are resting at home, waiting to see who their first opponent will be in the Divisional round of the playoffs.
The 2024 season has not felt quite the same as the past few years for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs may have a dominant record during the regular season, but they are far from invincible. Kansas City crumbled in a 30-21 loss against the Bills in November, showing that they can still be beaten by an elite offense.
Kansas City also did not win convincingly very often. The Chiefs only had a point differential of 59 during the regular season, which ranks 11th in the NFL. You only need to do some quick math to realize that is equivalent to winning each game by roughly a field goal.
This isn’t to say that those wins don’t count, but it is important that the Chiefs seem to always play their opponents closely in 2024. By comparison, the Lions (222), Eagles (160), Bills and Ravens (157) have all been much more dominant in their victories.
If the Chiefs continue this trend into the playoffs, then they may find themselves in some danger. Especially when they run into teams like the Bills or Ravens that have elite offenses paired with solid defenses.
Will the Chiefs be able to overcome their biggest weakness in the playoffs? Or will they crumble late in the postseason?
Below, we will explore one Chiefs fatal flaw that will cost them during their question for a three-peat of Super Bowl victories.
The Chiefs’ mediocre offense will be their fatal flaw against elite AFC competition
It feels weird to write that the Chiefs have a mediocre offense, but it’s true.
The Kansas City offense, led by QB Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid, has done a decent job putting up points and yards this season. However, they are far from their dominant selves that Chiefs fans have become familiar with.
One reason for Kansas City’s offensive woes are injuries. The Chiefs have dealt with a ton of offensive injuries, especially at the skill positions. Kansas City lost both Rashee Rice and Skyy Moore to season-ending injuries in the first few months of the 2024 season.
The Chiefs also spent a good deal of time without other key players like newcomer Hollywood Brown and running back Isiah Pacheco. At one point, the situation looked so dire that the Chiefs went out and traded for WR DeAndre Hopkins to add one reliable receiver for Mahomes.
We should also mention tight end Travis Kelce. Age seems to finally be catching up with the 35-year-old tight end. Kelce had 97 receptions for 823 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season. Considering the lack of depth that Kansas City had at receiver, the table was set for Kelce to have a great statistical season. Instead, he put up the lowest yardage total of his career. His mindmeld with Mahomes still makes him a valuable part of this offense, but he is far from the dangerous weapon he was even two years ago.
The combination of all of this mediocrity has not yielded any great results. Kansas City has been productive enough to get the job done, but it is far from the Chiefs of yesteryear. Kansas City put up 5,570 yards during the regular season. This is the team’s lowest yardage total since the 2016 season.
The Chiefs don’t need to stay as productive as they have been in the past to win the Super Bowl. That said, if their offense regresses then they’ll need some heroic play from their defense to stay in games.
Let’s get down to brass tacks to finish up here. The Chiefs will most likely win their first playoff game in the Divisional round. However, fans will not want to play against the Ravens or Bills in the AFC Championship game. They should also be worried about the possiblity of playing against the Eagles or Lions in the Super Bowl.
