The Kansas City Chiefs might be in big trouble with a defense that doesn’t look capable of stopping anyone. Can they even make the playoffs with that unit?
Five weeks into the NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs have yet to hold an opponent under 29 points.
At first, the defensive struggles were a concern. Now, they’re setting off major alarm bells.
The defense isn’t just bad. It’s so bad, it’s a threat to the playoff hopes for a team that was in the Super Bowl last season.
Can the Chiefs make the playoffs with their current defense?
The short answer is no. If the Chiefs continue to give up more than 30 points a game, even Patrick Mahomes and that high-powered offense won’t be able to drag the team to the playoffs.
The worst defense in the NFL last year belonged to the Lions and they gave up 32.4 points per game. KC went into Week 5 giving up 34.2 points per game. That average isn’t getting any better.
The Titans had the worst defense in terms of points allowed last season among playoffs teams. They averaged 27.4 points conceded. The Chiefs need drastic improvement to even get to that point.
The good news is the Kansas City defense should be better than it was against the Bills once they get a bit more healthy.
KC’s best defender, Chris Jones, sat out with a wrist injury. Cornerback Charvarius Ward was supposed to play for the first time in two weeks after overcoming a quad issue, but he ended up as a late scratch.
Getting those two back won’t solve any issue but it’ll certainly help.
Aside from getting back to full strength, Kansas City will have to make some major changes to get their defense under control. At this point, mediocre would be an improvement.