Picking the most significant problems of the 2021 Chiefs

On the latest episode of the Arrowhead Pride Out of Structure podcast, we discussed the Kansas City Chiefs’ latest loss, a 38-20 embarrassment at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.

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The late game — combined with a weather delay — prevented Matt Stagner and me from getting questions from our listeners, but we imagined the question pool would be filled with negatives; it should have been, at least.

That’s why we decided to talk about what’s gone wrong with the Chiefs in 2021 by going head to head in a draft of sorts, selecting the worst parts about the team this season. We went seven rounds — there’s a lot to choose from at the moment — but we’ll share our top four selections here:

1. Patrick Mahomes turnovers (Matt)

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is typically the one factor in this team you can always count on. He’s usually the one that erases the negative plays made by the rest of the team. When it’s him actually making the mistakes and giving the ball away, it’s nearly impossible to overcome. It’s been a problem in each of their three losses and now are tied for the league lead in turnovers with 11. Mahomes already has as many interceptions — six — as he had all of 2020.

2. Pass rush (Ron)

The pass rush has been bad, and that is as close to inexcusable as possible based on the investment in the defensive line. Chris Jones didn’t play against the Bills, but this line was supposed to be a strong, deep unit. None of the other pieces are making an impact. Defensive tackle Jarran Reed hasn’t been the force that many thought he’d be this season. Frank Clark has been ineffective in his limited playing time, and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton — who impressed as a pass rusher last year — has not shown up much at all this season.

3. Dan Sorensen (Matt)

It is tough to have to call out one individual, but it has been pretty glaring on a weekly basis that either he’s not in the proper position, or he’s not playing up to his expectations. It was the most glaring against the Bills and arguably the worst individual performance of anyone for the game.

4. Ball security (Ron)

The team’s general ball security has been a huge problem this season. It should be easily correctable, but this team has proven over and over that they struggle to handle the ball. Kick returner Byron Pringle has fumbled in each of the last two games, Tyreek Hill has fumbled this year and struggled with drops against the Bills, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has fumbled twice. Unfortunately, this problem doesn’t appear to be improving.

Make sure you vote on which of our drafted teams is the best list of worst things about the Chiefs this year!

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