Welcome back to the Arrowhead Pride Mailbag! Throughout the season, keep watching The Feed for an opportunity to submit your questions about the Kansas City Chiefs!
The Chiefs are now 5-1 after falling 20-3 to the Seattle Seahawks in possibly the worst performance of the Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes pairing. Let’s see what’s on our readers’ minds.
Papajazz asks:
Did the Seahawks show the rest of our opponents how to beat us? Granted they have a ferocious defense but still…..
The Seattle game showed us that the best
way to beat the Chiefs is to have a defense that ranks in the top two in expected points added (EPA) in both run plays and pass plays. Seattle is currently ranked second in both categories with a -0.22 defensive EPA on pass plays and a -0.16 EPA against the run (these figures do count their dominant performance against Kansas City). While Kansas City’s effort was especially embarrassing, Seattle’s combination of talent at all three levels should allow the Seahawks to have a top-notch game plan against any team.
Every team would love to do what Seattle did. But the reigning champs may be the only squad able to pull off what they did for four quarters. I think Seattle was so rested and prepared that they would have won that game against almost anything the Chiefs could have done. But I think Kansas City’s offensive performance would have been more respectable with the top passing game option in Rashee Rice available and Jaylon Moore available at right tackle.
Denver’s defensive staff surely watched the game for some ideas on what they can do after being embarrassed in Week 1. I am sure the Broncos will come out with a Walker-focused game plan after he torched them for 177 yards to open the season. But the same middle-of-the-defense problem remains. Denver is currently fifth-worst in the league in run defense EPA and is averaging 133 rushing yards allowed per game (29th). Stopping Walker will probably require formations that put their top-five pass defense at a disadvantage.
I have concerns coming out of Sunday. But I also think Seattle is so good defensively that I am going to treat it as a one-of-one occurrence until other teams are having similar success against Kansas City.
Sadeeki asks:
Last nights game gave off Tampa Bay/Philly Super Bowl vibes.Every team has a “bad game” here and there but do we have a solid fix for the O line?
I won’t put all the blame on the offensive line for Sunday. Every concern the Chiefs’ first five games have raised — tackle play, wide receiver depth, inconsistent pass rush, leaky third-down defense, undependable kicking — played a part in the loss.
In both those infamous Super Bowls, the Chiefs had already shuffled the offensive line to the point that the depth was exhausted. The Chiefs have performed admirably on the offensive line in the absence of left tackle Josh Simmons, who I would be surprised to see play in 2026 for the Chiefs (if ever again) at this point. However, the absence of Jaylon Moore seemed to push the overall system past the point of functionality.
Other than the remote possibility Simmons returns later this season, there is not really a fix. Joshua Ezeudu did not perform well in his first start of the season, but he is a veteran who hopefully would perform better if he gets a second chance (likely against a less dangerous defense). Rookie Diego Pounds is a total unknown, and I would be surprised to see him called upon unless absolutely necessary. We probably won’t know what the team thinks about him until next year’s training camp.
OzarkEd asks:
Will we address any of our shortcomings before the trade deadline?
Reading our comments and other Chiefs-related social media, we should be fine if general manager Brett Veach can just add a starting left tackle, one elite wide receiver (or two good ones), a tight end that can be a successor to Travis Kelce, an edge rusher capable of double-digit sacks, a linebacker and a starting safety at the trade deadline.
Obviously, Veach is not going to be able to pull off much, if any, of this list. I do predict a couple of players will be acquired via trade. I am fully expecting to be underwhelmed with anyone coming in. But I do think that if the Chiefs could add a wide receiver with the potential to be a cornerstone in what will probably be a rebuilt passing game in 2027, they would probably consider making a major trade.
There are signs that this may be a less active trade deadline than previous years, although the Indianapolis Colts are off to a strong start. The main thing that I could see being a barrier to trades is how many teams will still be firmly in the running for division races on November 10. Three divisions — the AFC North, NFC North and NFC South — are wide open for all four teams. So many teams having clear paths to the postseason could mean fewer teams are motivated to sell — and that more teams are competing for the fewer players who are available.
Andyreidsmustache_ asks:
Up until this season I’ve been patient with Butker since his injury, but it really can’t be denied anymore. He’s more than, “just a bit off” as Andy would put it. Cutting him isn’t an option as he’d essentially be around 7 million in dead money (space we can’t afford).What realistic options do we have?
We have covered Butker’s contract multiple times in this column. Cutting Butker at this point would be cap neutral. The Chiefs would still owe him the remainder of his 2026 base salary, and then they would lose cap space when his replacement was signed. Even if Butker finishes the season on the roster, I very much expect Butker to be released in the spring as the Chiefs start making 2027 salary cap moves.
Missing two field goals in a game that was still a two-score game entering the fourth quarter should raise the stakes in how the Chiefs approach Butker moving forward. Kansas City has real questions on both sides of the ball, and the team will probably be in multiple close games in the difficult stretch of the season ahead.
With an open practice squad spot, perhaps the Chiefs add a kicker to give Butker some urgency to improve his performance. I still suspect that adding a kicker would be accompanied by Butker going on the Reserve/Injured list with a conveniently previously unknown ailment.
DualBlock asks:
How badly will Broncos quarterback Bo Nix torch us next week?
I am much more concerned about a talented Broncos defense rising to the occasion on Sunday than I am about Nix.
Nix currently has a -0.1 EPA per dropback. The third-year pro is completing less than 60% of his passes and averaging less than six yards per attempt. Three times this season, Nix has failed to pass for 150 yards.
The Broncos are coming off of their best full-game performance of the year in defeating the Arizona Cardinals 30-16 on Sunday. They are a much better team than what we saw in Week 1. But I would also be willing to bet that, should Denver take a significant step forward Sunday in defending their AFC West crown, it will be because of the defense building on what happened in Week 7, rather than Nix.
Nix will probably play better than he did in Week 1. But I will also be surprised if the Chiefs surrender a 62-yard rushing touchdown to him as Arizona did.
Thank you for reading this week’s Arrowhead Pride Mailbag! We will be back after the Chiefs face the Broncos in a game that could ultimately determine how the AFC West is won. Keep watchingThe Feed for an opportunity to ask your questions.
