The Kansas City Chiefs‘ dynasty is showing cracks, and a Thanksgiving Day loss has turned quiet concerns into full-blown alarm bells. Despite star quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ four touchdowns in his home state, the Dallas Cowboys beat them in a 31-28 win. With the season tightening, former Chiefs QB Alex Smith has now raised his concerns about the fate of head coach Andy Reid’s team. 

“It’s major panic time,” the NFL on ESPN X page posted Smith’s take on Sunday. “And to me, the thing that sticks out is this defense.” 

Smith agrees that Mahomes can help his team take over any opponent; however, they could still lose to anyone at this point. This is one of the major reasons why he attributed this failure to the struggling defense. 

Andy Reid’s team will face the Houston Texans in Week 14, who have the best defense in the league. The Chiefs don’t have much room for errors. What worries Smith most is the sudden collapse of the Chiefs’ defense, especially on third downs. He highlighted that the once-elite defense is now ranked 28th in the NFL in third-down performance.

The Chiefs have been at the bottom of those third-down standings since Week 8, allowing offenses to convert at an alarming rate of 52%. In the Week 13 Cowboys game, the Chiefs’ defense repeatedly faltered against the Cowboys, allowing 457 yards. Quarterback Dak Prescott and his offense continued to dominate on third down.

For the Chiefs, the game turned for the worse when the Cowboys’ wide receiver CeeDee Lamb slipped past the Chiefs’ secondary for a 51-yard reception. It led to a scoring drive that widened his team’s lead. Fair to say, the pressure inside the Chiefs’ locker room has reached a breaking point. 

Mahomes calls for accountability as Andy Reid’s team struggles

Just a year ago, Andy Reid’s team was undefeated at 12-0 in one-score games. Now, with nearly the same roster, coaching staff, and system, their drop to a 1-6 record in such games has become a major concern. Besides the struggling defense, it’s the repeated penalties that prevent the team from picking up its rhythm. Even Patrick Mahomes isn’t very thrilled about it. 

In the Cowboys game, the officials penalized the men in red 10 times for 119 yards, with many flags coming at crucial moments. Two costly pass interference calls in the final minutes destroyed their chances of regaining the ball for a last drive. During the post-game conference, Mahomes openly pointed out the penalty issue and urged his teammates to take accountability. 

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“That’s the kind of stuff we’ve done all year long,” Mahomes said.  

The penalty woes have been haunting Andy Reid’s squad since their bye week. In fact, the Chiefs are currently 4th on the penalties drawn table with 110 penalties, behind the Patriots, Broncos, and 49ers, who are tied for first spot. 

The Chiefs now turn their focus to hosting the Texans, hoping their defense tightens up after a shaky finish against Dallas. With the Texans fielding one of the league’s most impressive defensive units this year, Kansas City faces a significant test on both sides of the ball.