The Kansas City Chiefs fell just short of history on Super Bowl Sunday, losing in crushing fashion to the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 40-22. The Eagles were able to exploit the Chiefs in many areas, so the question is, what are the Chief’s biggest needs in the offseason?
The Chiefs have now lost their last two Super Bowls by and large to poor offensive line play. Now not all the blame can be put on the O-line, but when the best quarterback in the league is on the run every play that’s an issue. While the interior line is one of the best in the league, the two tackle spots have been a gaping hole in the Chiefs roster.
At left tackle, Kansas City has struggled to find serviceable play from guys like Lucas Niang and Wanya Morris. The Chiefs’ quick fix was to swing two-time All-Pro Joe Thuney to left tackle and put undrafted free agent Mike Caliendo in the left guard spot. Needless to say, this didn’t work in the Super Bowl.
While Joe Thuney is an elite left guard, he is just on par at the left tackle position. As for Mike Caliendo, he was thrown to the wolves. On the other side of the O-line is Jawaan Taylor. The controversial right tackle had a less-than-satisfactory night in New Orleans. A holding penalty and multiple missed blocks led to complete disarray in the Chiefs offense. The bottom line is, that the Chiefs need a left tackle capable of starting. This would allow them to move Thuney back to guard, and hopefully, Taylor can take a step forward, at least until his contract is up.
The run game was not the Chiefs’ strong suit to say the least this season. They ranked in the bottom ten in all major rushing categories throughout the year and struggled to run the ball on the biggest stage. Patrick Mahomes was the only Chief to run for more than ten yards in the Super Bowl. While they did need to move the ball down the field quickly to try to close the lead, a lack of an established run game closed off a lot of opportunities for Patrick Mahomes. The backfield mainly consisted of Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, neither of whom had great seasons.
In 13 games, Hunt rushed for 728 yards and seven touchdowns. While not terrible stats, he disappeared in the postseason, failing to rush for more than 70 yards during the Chiefs Super Bowl run. Pacheco took steps in the wrong direction this season. Playing in only seven games this year, Pacheco rushed for just 310 yards and one touchdown. Unfortunately, it seems like Pacheco may not be Kansas City’s long-term answer at running back. Headed into next season, Kansas City needs to look for an upgrade at this position.
The Chief’s pass defense got cut up all night Sunday. Jalen Hurts was moving the ball at will and even threw a 46-yard touchdown to DeVonta Smith. The run defense did its job, completely shutting down Saquon Barkley, but similar to the regular season, the pass defense struggled. Kansas City’s pass defense ranked in the bottom half of the league in every major category, and they were exposed against the Eagles. Hopefully, this is a wake-up call for a change in either personnel or schemes.
Unfortunately, a lot of the front seven are hitting free agency for the Chiefs. Defensive linemen Tershawn Wharton, Charles Omeinhu, and Derrick Nnadi are all pending unrestricted free agency this offseason. Another big decision for the Chiefs front office is whether or not to re-sign Justin Reid. He’s had some great moments, but Reid has also leaned towards the inconsistent side at times. The best option may be to re-sign him on a team-friendly deal or make a big free agency splash.
A big topic of discussion around the Chiefs has been the receiver play. With Travis Kelce’s retirement looming, many believe the Chiefs need a superstar wide receiver to help Mahomes. However, Kansas City has done just fine without a “true WR1.”
They won back-to-back Super Bowls after trading away Tyreek Hill, proving they can win with less. With Rashee Rice returning next season, Xavier Worthy looking good in his rookie year, and DeAndre Hopkins eyeing a return, the Chiefs should be just okay in the receiver room.
The Chiefs had a phenomenal season and fell just short of history. While Mahomes continued to prove that he is a generational QB, some changes to the roster are needed. Only time will tell if the Chiefs will be able to make it back to the big game with the same core next year.
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