Last week’s loss sucked. The Kansas City Chiefs were dominated and outplayed in every phase of the game.
This one hurt more.
Not just because the Chiefs should have beaten the Denver Broncos, but because of how they lost and what was at stake in the AFC West.
It felt like the defense played well enough to win. It also felt like the offense moved the ball well enough to win. It wasn’t the 90% of the plays that cost the Chiefs; it was the minutiae. The little things that all add up to a team coming up one
play short when they needed it the most.
Here are five things we learned from the Chiefs losing to Denver 28-24 in Week 8.
1. Sack Nation is dead
The Chiefs’ pass rush isn’t bad. It’s non-existent.
\We’re almost halfway through the season, and the Chiefs have recorded a total of eight sacks. It’s tough to come to grips with the fact that Chris Jones is no longer the game wrecker he once was.
Peter Woods left early with a neck stinger, but he hasn’t been a difference-maker in his short time in the NFL.
And that’s about it for interior pass rushers who still have a shot at getting to the quarterback.
The edge rushers are faring a little bit better, getting the occasional pressure, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
It’s embarrassing to still refer to the Chiefs’ pass rush as “Sack Nation.” Especially when one of the few things they do well is knock down passes.
So I’m proposing we retire the moniker Sack Nation and come up with a more fitting one.
I propose: The Batting Cage.
2. The coaching staff needs to make better choices
The choice to trot Harrison Butker out to attempt a 58-yard field goal in the rain when he has failed to convert anything over 50 yards, when you’re up three with two and a half minutes left to play, is a wild decision to make.
I get trying to show faith in your guy who has shown up for you in the past. But part of being a head coach is having the huevos rancheros to know when a guy is cooked or in a slump, and make the tough/sometimes unpopular choice to adjust accordingly.
The same goes for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s refusal to adjust his scheme and game plan to attempt to generate more pass rush. Or the unforgivable crime of slipping into prevent defense when Kansas City was up by two scores late in the fourth quarter.
I won’t get into special teams coordinator Dave Toub here, because those huevos went bad two seasons ago; now they’re just stinking up the chicken coop.
We’ll see if the Chiefs make the move to call up Justin Tucker this week.
Speaking of huevos. I hope the organization finds the internal fortitude to skip plan B (Tucker) and find a less slimy solution to their kicking woes than a sleazeball who is no better than Deshaun Watson.
Perhaps a guy like free agent Tanner Brown, who was the UFL’s Special Teams Player of the Year in 2026, making three field goals from 60+ yards this past season.
3. Emmett Johnson deserves a bigger role
There were a few bright spots in this game. But for my money, the brightest was rookie running back Emmett Johnson, who at times seemed to be single-handedly trying to will this team to victory.
Johnson finished the day with 128 yards receiving and a touchdown. He also had a clutch kick return late in the fourth quarter that set up the Chiefs with a short field and a chance to win.
Going back to making questionable decisions — you have to wonder, on their final drive, if Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy should have ridden the hot hand a little bit more and fed Johnson. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered. Maybe they would have gotten in the endzone; we’ll never know.
Regardless, Johnson needs to be an explicit part of this team’s game plan moving forward.
4. Situational football matters
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was brought in to enforce discipline and improve the Chiefs’ situational football. So, seeing a game-winning touchdown wiped off the board by a false start on what should have been the final play is disheartening.
These are the things Bieniemy was brought back to clean up.
We’ll see if he’s up to the task.
5. If Brett Veach doesn’t make a move, it’s on him
I like Brett Veach as a general manager, but let’s be real for a second. If he doesn’t make at least one, maybe even two, significant moves between now and the trade deadline, he is letting this team down.
I’m not usually one for going all in for a championship run. But this is probably tight end Travis Kelce’s last season. This might be the last time to get Chris Jones another ring if his decline continues.
The Chiefs need help at wide receiver. Rashee Rice is really good at doing one thing, but it’s still just one thing.
Why waste this season by waiting for rookie Cyrus Allen to develop? Allen’s ceiling is that he evolves into a player like Josh Downs. You have the chance to go get Josh Downs, so go get him.
The same goes for a pass rusher. Some really bad teams have really good pass rushers.
After finishing with six wins last season and losing back-to-back games, it’s clear that this team needs a player or two to get them over the hump.
With where things stand, Veach’s actions are the only ones that may put them over the top.
