On Friday night, the Kansas City Chiefs fell 27-21 to division rival Los Angeles Chargers in their season opener. The good news: 17 weeks remain in the regular season. The bad news: the Chiefs have a very real talent problem. That truth was evident on both sides of the ball.
Kansas City spent most of the night without its top two receivers. Rashee Rice is serving a six-game suspension, and Xavier Worthy left the game with a shoulder injury after a collision with Travis Kelce. That explains away a significant chunk of the Chiefs’ offensive struggles in the first half. Reinforcements will arrive in Week 7 with Rice’s return, but the jury is still out on Worthy’s timeline.
Without a free-agent signing, no major additions are coming to save this defense. One can only hope they can clean up their execution.
The Chiefs roster has looked concerning even before Week 1 exposed the issue at a greater level.
With the release of defensive tackle Mike Pennel, doubts about the defensive line interior were amplified, and Friday night’s performance deepened them. Kansas City struggled to generate pressure with four, and it just serves as a reminder that the team’s edge players remain uninspiring. Mike Danna and Charles Omenihu don’t appear to have the juice they once had. If Kansas City’s lucky, rookies Omarr Norman-Lott and Ashton Gillotte’s maturation processes will be swift.
The secondary was a cocktail of catastrophe and miscommunication on Friday. Jaylen Watson still doesn’t look the same to me post-injury. Safety Bryan Cook was out of position multiple times, while Chamarri Conner played 64 underwhelming snaps. Conner is being forced into a role he isn’t suited for. His lack of athleticism, combined with other blown assignments, left massive gaps in coverage. Jaden Hicks needs more time to develop, and Nohl Williams has work to do to earn his spot on the field.
Drue Tranquill was the best linebacker on the field for Kansas City on Friday, but the group overall just isn’t very dynamic. Justin Herbert took full advantage of the middle of Kansas City’s defense. Rookie Jeffrey Bassa had preseason flashes, but I don’t see a path to the field for him in the immediate future. Leo Chenal is certainly athletic, but he has some coverage weaknesses that limit his snaps. He had just a 35% snap share in the game.
How many high-end defensive starters does Kansas City really have left? Beyond Trent McDuffie and Chris Jones, how many can they count on week in and week out? George Karlaftis is a fine player who has delivered in big moments, and the Chiefs are hoping he takes the next step toward the consistent, down-to-down impact expected from an $88 million talent. Perhaps no player is more polarizing than Nick Bolton, who also received a generous extension this offseason. The pickings get pretty slim behind that trio.
The way forward for this football team has to be player development. With no real infusion of talent coming until March, the coaching staff must unlock more from the young players already on the roster. That also means putting them in roles that maximize their strengths.
As mentioned earlier, the role Chamarri Conner has been asked to play isn’t ideal for him. Trust is always a key factor in earning snaps, but stabilizing this defense may require heavier reps for younger players with more upside. It’s not time to panic, but it’s absolutely an opportunity for this coaching staff and front office to take notice.
