Getty Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire
The Kansas City Chiefs are accustomed to winning when Patrick Mahomes is under center. That’s why the team’s current state of affairs has brought about a vibe in the locker room that running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire describes as “completely different”.
“We just lost. It is not going be upbeat or happy but understanding that, from an offensive standpoint, we can’t turn the ball over,” Edwards-Helaire explained of the mood in the Chiefs’ locker room after the 30-24 loss to the divisional rival Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3. “Four turnovers in a game is completely unreasonable for us. We completely understand that. It’s supposed to hurt because this is our profession, this is what we do. We want to come out and get a W. Ultimately, we will watch the film to see what can be corrected and right now we know it’s turnovers. We kind of beat ourselves, beat ourselves up. As far as everything I feel and everything I’ve seen, from an offensive standpoint, turnovers is what killed us.”
For the first time since 2015, Kansas City has started the regular season 1-2. That record also has them seated in last place in the AFC West. Yes, there are still 14 games remaining in the regular season. However, given how helpless the Chiefs have looked on defense, along with the mental lapses they’ve had on offense which has led to six turnovers in the first three games, there’s plenty of reasons to be worried about where the Chiefs might end up by the end of the season. At this rate, Kansas City won’t even come out as division winners, let alone Super Bowl contenders.
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Mahomes Expresses Similar Vibe
Edwards-Helaire wasn’t the only Chief that noted a different vibe in the locker room. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes also noted an unhappy vibe given that the outlook for Kansas City at this point is “dim”.
“Yeah obviously, everybody is, I’m not going to say down, but is not happy with how we played, he said. “When you take a loss to a division opponent at home, it’s not usually a good thing. We haven’t done a lot of that in my time here. So, it’s just how you respond. We have a long season ahead of us, it looks real dim right now, but if you can find a way to get better from this and find a way to win these games at the end of the games, we’ll be where we want to at the end of the season.”
Chiefs’ Mishaps vs. Chargers
The Week 3 matchup between Kansas City and Chargers started off horribly for the defending AFC champions. The Chiefs offense turned the ball over three times in the first three offensive drives via two fumbles and one interception. Down 14-3 at halftime, some adjustments were made which helped Kansas City dig out of a hole that they had made.
After scoring 14 unanswered points in the third quarter, Kansas City entered the fourth quarter with a 17-14 lead. Both teams exchanged blows to begin the fourth, with the Chargers and Chiefs scoring touchdowns on consecutive drives followed by a field goal by Los Angeles. But momentum shifted in the Chargers’ favor when Mahomes overthrew tight end Travis Kelce for an interception with just under two minutes left in the game. Los Angeles marched down the field on the ensuing drive, and although head coach Brandon Staley noted after the game that he just wanted the offense to put them in position to kick a field goal, Los Angeles’ offense took advantage of the matchups given to them which led to a touchdown with 32 seconds left in the game.
A Hail Mary attempt by Mahomes that fell incomplete was the final effort by Kansas City to avoid back-to-back losses.
The Chiefs need to make some major adjustments moving forward. Whether it be giving some of their depth pieces more playing time on defense, along with potentially adding some talent via free agency or a trade, they need to find a spark plug on that side of the football. As for the offense, the unit just needs to play more technically sound. The costly turnovers and game script have put them in tough situations as of late.