In the third quarter, Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd picked off Patrick Mahomes and took it 99 yards for a touchdown, flipping the entire game on its head. Suddenly, the Chiefs were down 14-20, and all their momentum was gone. The home crowd at Jacksonville erupted, and for good reason. That single play sent the Jaguars‘ win probability soaring from 28% to 70%, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Obviously, star TE Travis Kelce was neither happy with the pick-six nor how the game ended in a 28-31 loss. As an immediate aftermath of the defeat, he didn’t appear at the post-game press conference. But now that he has had the time to process all that happened, he addressed the game in the newest episode of the ‘New Heights‘ podcast.

“We go up 14 points, man. We can’t let that get back into it,” Kelce opened up to his older brother, Jason Kelce. “14-point lead. On top of that, 14 f—-ng penalties.”

Truth be told, 13 penalties were called against the Chiefs; not that it makes anything better. In fact, Week 5 saw Kansas City rack up its highest penalty count of the season so far.

“I mean, there’s a stat out there that we outgained the Jags by 157 yards… Won the turnover battle and time of possession. It’s so frustrating to lose a game after that.”

Yes, the Chiefs indeed outgained Jacksonville by 157 yards (476-319). But none of that matters. You could out-stat your opponent to death, but it means nothing if you can’t finish the job. That’s exactly what HC Andy Reid said in the post-game press conference.

Clearly, Kansas City needs to get its act together. They are now 2-3, and strangely, they have lost their ability to win one-score games like they had done last season. Their woes seem uncharacteristic. The Chiefs’ defensive front struggled with gap discipline as Jacksonville rallied. Chris Jones (DT), who blamed inadequate rush-lane control, publicly acknowledged that the line allowed Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence to get away several times. Despite tripping during the last drive, the QB scurried into the end zone quickly.

Handing the Jaguars a win exposed defensive lapses and a lack of discipline. Chiefs’ Jones, too, seemed to give up containment on the last drive. The loss was so hard on him, he later deactivated his social media accounts.

Deep throws sliced through coverage and secondary units. Jaylen Watson and other Chiefs cornerbacks were beaten on downfield targets, which led to flags (such as pass interference) that prolonged Jaguars drives. In one crucial play, safety Bryan Cook would have made a game-winning interception, but Chamarri Conner was called for pass interference. Penalties were everywhere. On the other hand, the Jaguars recorded only four penalties against Kansas City.

The Chiefs are making records they do not want to hear about!

The Chiefs’ second-half structure was destroyed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The offensive effort was precise. Controlled drives spearheaded by Lawrence penalized Kansas City for its missed tackles and coverage errors. Lawrence finished this game with a completion percentage of +11.1 percent, which was higher than anticipated. Five of his completions were 12 yards or longer.

In the end, a loss is a loss. However, Kansas City is just not accustomed to it, especially in the Mahomes era.

The team has a losing record through the first five games for the second time since Mahomes became their QB. Back in 2021, they started 2-3 before they eventually turned things around, went 12-5, and lost the AFC Championship Game to the Bengals. One can only hope for a similar switch this season.

But before that becomes a possibility, Reid will need to address some things: discipline, focus, and situational awareness. There are key aspects to a championship football team. And so, if the Chiefs want to flip things, they must first reflect on their self-sabotaging ways. After all, the kind of lapses they made on Monday can hardly ever be compensated for in January and February.

For now, they need to focus on fundamentals, accountability, and attention to detail. What do you think?