How is a Kansas City Chiefs fan supposed to feel, anyway?
FanDuel Sportsbook still lists the Chiefs as the Super Bowl favorite. Over the last six games, the offense has looked like its vintage self — and
the defense appeared to be turning the corner.
But if the season ended today, Kansas City’s 5-4 record would keep it out of the playoffs. Sunday’s 28-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills has seen to that.
Did you watch the game? I wish I hadn’t.
My late friend Terez Paylor used to refer to such a matchup as “the regular season loss which portends playoff failure.” His idea was that flaws reveal themselves over time. Eventually, they’re exposed for all to see.
Is that what we witnessed? The offensive line couldn’t protect the Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The running game lacked any presence. The defense couldn’t put any pressure on Buffalo’s quarterback Josh Allen.
Under the circumstances, many Kansas City fans expected the team to get some help before Tuesday afternoon’s trade deadline. But the Chiefs — as you might have heard — didn’t make a trade.
For the offensive line, help was already on the way. Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons’ return is likely to be more impactful than any trade the team could have made.
With regard to the running game, it was reported that Kansas City offered the New York Jets a fourth-round draft pick for running back Breece Hall — who is halfway through the final year of his rookie contract — but the Jets would accept nothing less than a third-round selection.
That deal never made much sense to me — not because New York was insisting on a third-rounder, but because right or wrong, the Chiefs believe in their running back Isiah Pacheco. At every turn, they’ve backed him with their actions as much as their words — and before his latest injury, he performed admirably. With Kareem Hunt’s short-yardage ability and rookie Brashard Smith’s expanding role as a gadget player and pass-catching back, Kansas City has a decent backfield. To me, giving up a top-100 selection for an upgrade at a position with minimal usage in Kansas City’s offense made little sense.
But the Chiefs’ defensive line definitely needs pass-rushing help. According to Pro Football Focus, Allen was under pressure for just eight of Sunday’s 30 dropbacks. On those, he was 3-for-5 for 45 yards and took three sacks. But when kept clean, he was 20-for-21 for 228 yards and a touchdown.
Sunday wasn’t an outlier. Kansas City has 20 sacks — which ranks 17th — but that feels misleading. According to PFR, only the Las Vegas Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers have lower pressure rates — and no team has fewer hurries.
Why? The short answer is that Chris Jones is no longer playing at a Hall of Fame level — and he’s in the second year of a five-year contract worth more than $150 million. Halfway through the season, Jones has two sacks and 20 hurries. He had 15 sacks and 53 hurries in the season before his current deal was signed.
The Chiefs’ defensive structure depends on Jones sustaining that level of play into his early 30s. Unfortunately, it hasn’t played out that way.
Jones isn’t the only weak spot. Kansas City whiffed on Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the first round — and he’s out for the year. Omarr Norman-Lott’s injury eliminated interior depth, Mike Danna seems to have lost a step and Charles Omenihu hasn’t returned to his 2024 form. Finally, replacing Tershawn Wharton’s 2024 production — nine sacks and 28 hurries — has been more difficult than expected.
So it made sense for the Chiefs to seek help from outside. But they made no trade for a pass rusher. Here are the deals made for five defensive linemen in the past week:
- Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams for Mazi Smith, a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick
- Defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and a 2026 seventh-round pick for a 2026 sixth-round pick
- Edge rusher Keion White and a 2027 sixth-round pick for a 2027 sixth-round pick
- Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips for a 2026 third-round pick
- Edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones for a 2026 conditional fifth-round pick
Realistically, Kansas City was never going to spend the draft capital (or have the cap space) necessary to get Williams. At this point, Tryon-Shoyinka is nothing more than a depth player. That’s probably true of White, too — although as a former second-round pick coming off a five-sack season for the New England Patriots, he is intriguing.
A third-round pick would have been a lot of Phillips — also on an expiring deal — but he appears to be returning to form after missing most of 2024 with a torn ACL. His ceiling was being go-to pass rusher alongside Chris Jones and George Karlaftis. So while the risk was real, the upside was easy to dream about.
But missing out on Dre’Mont Jones was bad. The former Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans defender is exactly what the Chiefs have been lacking. He accounts for just $1.3 million against the Ravens’ cap, was dealt for a Day 3 pick and can play everywhere along the defensive line. It’s the kind of move Brett Veach made by trading for Melvin Ingram — or picking up Terrell Suggs on waivers.
It might be that I’m overreacting to Sunday’s loss. Still, Kansas City’s failure to add to the defensive line feels like a whiff. I have no doubt the offense is capable of winning a Super Bowl. I have faith in Steve Spagnuolo to get peak performance out of the secondary by the postseason. But the defensive line is still the team’s biggest issue.
Does this inaction at the trade deadline portend playoff failure? I sure hope not.
