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Arrowheadlines: The Chiefs offense is turning posessions into points

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14 NFL teams that can actually win the Super Bowl this season | SB Nation

Kansas City Chiefs

We’ve done this dance before. Counting the Chiefs out at any point is just stupid, because this team always finds

a way through it all. Sure, they might not look impressive right now at 2-3, but there’s a lot of season to go.

There are obvious issues here the team needs to button up. Nobody has stepped up to become a reliable weapon for Patrick Mahomes, but he’s also forcing the ball more than he normally does, desperately trying to make plays happen where they don’t exist. There’s also major questions about the discipline, with the Chiefs essentially beating themselves with dumb penalties and miscues against the Jaguars in Week 5.

When the dust settles the Chiefs will find a way. It’s just what they do.

Best NFL Week 6 picks and predictions: Seahawks cool off Jaguars | CBS Sports

Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs will probably figure it out by the time the regular season comes to an end, and will again look like a Super Bowl contender, but I don’t see it right now. They are unable to hang with even fringe playoff contenders with their two victories on the year coming against the New York Giants and an injury-filled Baltimore Ravens squad. When the games are close, they’ve fallen flat, owning a 0-3 record in one-score games this season. With this spread sitting at Chiefs -2.5, I think we’ll see more of the same. I have a hard time imagining this current version of the Chiefs offense keeping up with the Lions, who are averaging 34.8 points per game (most in the NFL). Dan Campbell’s team comes into Arrowhead Stadium with a 10-1 record on the road dating back to the start of last season. This could be another stellar showing from Detroit’s backfield duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs as they square off against a Chiefs run defense that is giving up 4.8 yards per carry (tied for fifth-highest in the NFL).

Projected score: Lions 30, Chiefs 23
The pick: Lions +2.5

The Kansas City Chiefs are 2-3. Here are the signs they’ll turn it around | The Athletic

1. Chiefs’ offense is turning possessions into points

Perhaps one of the underrated storylines of this Chiefs season is how the offense has largely avoided negative plays.

Yes, Mahomes’ pick-six against Jacksonville is the glaring and notable exception. But the Chiefs have turned the ball over just twice this season, with the other one coming on a pass that deflected off tight end Travis Kelce’s hands against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Chiefs’ running backs have yet to lose a fumble this season. Mahomes, meanwhile, hasn’t coughed up the ball in five games, either.

And all that leads to an interesting stat regarding the Chiefs’ offense. According to TruMedia, the team has scored points on 51 percent of its offensive possessions in 2025 — a total that ranks third in the NFL.

That number is significantly better than the team’s previous three offenses, and each of those teams ultimately made it to the Super Bowl.

Chiefs LB Nick Bolton reflects on a missed interception opportunity | Chiefs Wire

“Yeah, obviously. Man, I just got to come down with the football. I’m not harping too much on it. Man, I was flying to the football, trying to get at the ball, all things I talked about week to week,” said Bolton, “Man, just kind of unfortunate that it happened to us and couldn’t bring it in. So I mean hindsight is 2020, but, yeah, maybe just call it off and say I got it. But other than that, though, I’m just playing ball.”

Bolton dropped a pivotal interception in the second quarter of Monday night’s loss to the Jaguars after the Trevor Lawrence pass deflected off teammate Trent McDuffie. He doesn’t believe he has to change any communication regarding the missed opportunity.

“Not really, obviously, it’s kind of catching a ball or something like that, it’s your solo grab,” said Bolton, “You might have somebody that’s outside, or maybe give you an eyeball call if you’re like it down the field, but just kind of make a play on the ball on that one.”

2025 NFL season: Ranking all eight divisions in NFC, AFC | ESPN

3. AFC West

Combined FPI rating: 6.7 overall (second)

Kansas City Chiefs: 6.1 (first in NFL)
Denver Broncos: 2.9 (eighth)
Los Angeles Chargers: 1.6 (12th)
Las Vegas Raiders: minus-3.9 (26th)

We slid the AFC West here because the Raiders feel a lot less likely to turn around their season than the Cardinals. And once again, the purpose of this exercise is to rank these divisions in order of which is most likely to put all four teams in the playoffs. The Raiders, who have the 27th-ranked offense by FPI, don’t seem to have a lot of avenues for improvement in that area. Their tight ends are all hurt, their offensive line in disarray, and quarterback Geno Smith is turning the ball over at a ludicrous rate (0.7 TD-INT ratio, tied for second worst).

FPI is predictive, so it does know about the Chargers’ injuries and dropped them into third place. There’s a lot to like about quarterback Justin Herbert and the Chargers in Year 2 of the Jim Harbaugh program, but without their offensive tackles and their top two running backs, it’s going to be tough for them to hang with Denver and Kansas City. The Broncos have the third-ranked defense by FPI, and the Chiefs, believe it or not, have the top-ranked offense to go with the seventh-ranked defense, which explains their standing at the overall top of the FPI ranks in spite of their 2-3 record.

Around the NFL

Giants turn tables on Eagles with complete home victory | ESPN

Stat to know: Dart did a ton of damage in this contest with his legs. He became just the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to rush for at least 50 yards in each of his first three career NFL starts, joining Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts. Elite company. Dart ran for 60 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, which doesn’t even include the handful of sacks he avoided with his mobility.

Turning point: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts overthrowing a wide-open DeVonta Smith. This occurred on a third down on the opening drive of the second half. It led to a punt for the Eagles. The Giants’ defense really turned it on after that play. That was the first of three straight punts. Then the Giants brought rare pressure, and cornerback Cor’Dale Flott had a massive interception of Hurts in the fourth quarter, helping to put the game away. The Giants’ defense didn’t allow a point in the second half.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs Roster: Pass rush failing to create pressure in critical plays

After a third-down end-zone pass interference call gives Jacksonville the ball at the 1-yard line with a fresh set of downs, the offensive line’s initial footwork makes it look like the play will be a quick pass into the end zone. So the Chiefs don’t go with a full-on pass rush. Instead, they try a contain approach, hoping to keep Lawrence in the pocket — while putting their hands up to swat a short throw.

Once he sees Lawrence stumble, Omenihu attempts to penetrate — but the left guard’s block levels him, which opens up the left side of the line. Tillery and Tranquill both miss tackles, allowing Lawrence to plunge into the end zone for the game-winning score.

The bottom line

The Chiefs’ pass rush has significant room for improvement — and it’s clear that Jones needs help. Over the past three seasons, he’s been among the league’s leaders in defensive line snaps — and at 30 years old in 2024, played a career-high 83% of them. After adding in constant double teams and deep postseason runs, his slower start for 2025 isn’t surprising.