The Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up for their upcoming Week 7 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. And while much of the attention will be focused towards that upcoming matchup now, it's clear the Chiefs are lamenting a missed opportunity to get a leg up on their top competitor in the AFC in Week 6 when they suffered a 24-20 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.
It was a heavyweight matchup between two of the top teams in the league, and the Chiefs ended up letting the game slip out of their grasp. This could be a huge result for Kansas City, as the Bills would hold the tiebreaker if they end up being tied for the top spot in the AFC come playoff time.
That's still far away, though, and there's time for the Chiefs to overcome this tough loss to the Bills. As they head into their Week 7 matchup, it's important to take a look at the three players who struggled the most in Week 6 in hopes that they can find their way this weekend. Let's pick out the three players most responsible for the Chiefs second loss of the season and see why their struggles impacted their team so much.
3. Patrick Mahomes
For the most part, Kansas City played a good game against Buffalo. That includes Patrick Mahomes, who kept things moving on offense all day long with a strong passing line (25/40, 338 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT). The problem is that Mahomes' two interceptions on the day likely cost the Chiefs the win over their new nemesis.
Mahomes opened and closed his day with interceptions. He threw a costly pick in the end zone on KC's first drive of the game that took at least three points off the board for the Chiefs considering they were at the Bills nine yard line. That may not seem important since the Chiefs lost by four points, but it could have changed how their final offensive drive of the game went.
That's because Mahomes' last throw of the day ended up being caught by Taron Johnson rather than anyone on his own team. Mahomes had just over a minute to lead his team down the field for a game-winning touchdown, and ended up forcing a throw he likely wants back now. It was a pretty good game for Mahomes, but his two big mistakes earn him a spot on this list.
2. George Karlaftis
There was a lot of hype surrounding George Karlaftis entering his rookie season for the Chiefs. The 2022 first-round pick was expected to play a big role in Kansas City's pass rush after a strong showing during training camp and the preseason. But through six games, Karlaftis has struggled to make much of an impact, and it's beginning to hurt the Chiefs defense in a big way.
Through six games, Karlaftis has picked up just 12 tackles and 0.5 sacks on the season, as the Chiefs try to get him involved in the pass rush. But he hasn't been able to do that, and the Chiefs reeled back Karlaftis' playing time in Week 6, playing him for just 56 percent of their defensive snaps, his lowest snap percentage of the season.
Karlaftis again struggled to do much of anything against Buffalo, as Allen was only hit four times in this game, with the one sack belonging to Chris Jones. Karlaftis is going to have to begin getting to the quarterback with more regularity if he wants to stay on the field, otherwise the Chiefs will have to look for other options on their defensive line.
1. Clyde Edwards-Helaire
It may be a bit unfair to put Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the top spot here, but his inability to get the ground game going hurt the Chiefs offense all game long. Edwards-Helaire has been more involved in the offense than expected early on in the season, but he didn't do much of anything against the Bills, picking up just 33 yards on nine carries while failing to get involved in the passing game.
Edwards-Helaire has the potential to become a huge piece of Kansas City's offense, but he can never seem to consistently get himself involved in the game. His numbers admittedly aren't the worst we've ever seen from him (he gained 0 yards on seven carries against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3) but when he can't help out Mahomes under center, the Chiefs offense struggles.
Edwards-Helaire's lack of involvement hurt the Chiefs offense throughout the game, as they struggled to get points on the board. Mahomes didn't have a bad game, but had he gotten some support on the ground from Edwards-Helaire, it may have opened things up just enough for the Chiefs to win this one. It wasn't the worst outing ever for Edwards-Helaire, but his disappearing act gets him the top spot on this list.
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