Micah Parsons watched the Kansas City Chiefs 20-3 loss in Seattle and felt no fear. This was in no way the team that had been unbeaten up until the Seahawks clash, which exposed some very glaring flaws. Parsons pointed to a receiver room that cannot stretch the field.
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“They need someone to be able to take the top off… We have to stop this madness. Just cuz you buy Tyreek Hill speed don’t mean you buying Tyreek,” Parsons said on The Edge with Micah Parsons. “Your speed could be efficient, but people forget Tyreek’s strong. And it’s not even just his speed. Reek was stopping on the dime.”
The Chiefs’ offense has seemed powerful so far in the season, but that was only until the Seahawks game. With Kenneth Walker III limited to an abysmal 36 rushing yards, Kansas City was forced to operate on one dimension, and it exposed their weak spot: apart from Travis Kelce, no other pass-catcher has really done much to impress.
When Tyreek Hill used to play, it used to be him and Kelce making an impact. Now, it is just the veteran tight end, which shows that the Chiefs WR room still needs a star.
Rashee Rice was expected to be WR1, but he has been targeted only 16 times compared to Kelce’s 36. Tyquan Thornton, who flew under the radar this offseason, has instead risen to the challenge, leading the WR room with 219 yards. There is also a young playmaker in Xavier Worthy, who is the second-most targeted pass-catcher after Kelce. He has recorded 119 yards after catch so far this year.
However, the big plays through the air are where the Chiefs have been limited this season. For example, the Detroit Lions, who lead the league in passing yards per game, have recorded 21 plays of 20+ yard-receiving plays. They have a standout WR in Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Kansas City has 16, with Kelce making three such plays, the most among pass catchers. In Tyreek Hill’s last season with the Chiefs, the offense totaled 58 such big plays, with the veteran WR posting 13 of them. Kelce also had 13.
This gap was also evident in the Seahawks game, where the Chiefs were also without Thornton and Rice. Worthy was able to catch three passes for 11 yards. He struggled to shake coverage all night and dropped a pass in a key spot in the second half.
NBC Sports’ Mark Garcia broke down his night this way.
“Worthy struggled to separate from primary coverage of the Seahawks throughout, also committing a drop in a crucial situation in the second half,” Garcia wrote. “The Chiefs continue to show hesitancy in utilizing Worthy in a downfield role, which is of particular concern for his fantasy managers considering the absence of Tyquan Thornton. Worthy is better left on fantasy benches ahead of a Week 8 meeting with the stingy Broncos, particularly if Rashee Rice returns from injury.”
Parsons then explained what he thinks Kansas City is missing, pointing to receivers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba who win with route running even without elite speed.
“To me, what really separates receivers is not how fast you can run forward besides the 9 route, the go route. How many times are you actually just running straight? Your ability to change direction and come in and out of breaks is gonna dictate how good you are. That, that’s the separator. It’s like having a fast car with no brakes. Exactly. Can’t turn, can’t hit no corners. I can’t go fast.”
The Chiefs were a 5-0 team heading into this one. Seattle was their first real test, and they were beaten 20-3. The loss to Seattle showed how much the offense is still struggling.
Seahawks hand Chiefs first loss as offense struggles
Sunday night was a rough one for Kansas City. Seattle won 20-3, and the Chiefs took their first loss of the season, dropping to 5-1.
The offense never found its footing. Patrick Mahomes looked frustrated all night, finishing 19 of 33 for 165 yards and an interception.
It didn’t help that Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton were both out, which left Mahomes with few targets. The numbers show how bad it got. Kansas City totaled 213 yards, the lowest of any regular-season game with Mahomes at quarterback, and never got inside the red zone.
Mahomes didn’t dodge the flaws afterward.
“You got your tail kicked,” he said. “Didn’t execute offensively, especially around that midfield area. Kept us away from a lot of points, or at least enough points to be competitive.”
Reid took the blame too.
“Listen, all three phases we struggled, so we’ve got to do better, and that’s my responsibility,” he said. “So I take full responsibility for this. We’ve got to play better as a team.”
Travis Kelce had the one good moment, catching four passes to reach 1,104 for his career and passing Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter for fifth in NFL history.
Kansas City now has to shake this one off quickly. Even with the loss, the Chiefs still sit atop the AFC West, and a chance to prove it comes Sunday against the Broncos.
Kansas City won the first meeting in Week 1, so a second win would complete the sweep and tighten its grip on the division.