After enduring another close loss on Sunday to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Kansas City Chiefs are in need of some major adjustments prior to their Week 4 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. With a costly interception by Patrick Mahomes and a poor showing by their defense late in the fourth quarter against the Chargers, the Chiefs need to get back to the drawing board and devise a new game plan to avoid a third straight loss next Sunday.
It is still early in the season, but their back-to-back losses have put the Chiefs into a bit of a hole with a 1-2 record, marking the first time they've been below .500 since 2015. With a ton of changes set to take place for the Chiefs before their Week 4 faceoff with the Eagles, let's take a look first at three takeaways from their loss to the Chargers.
Patrick Mahomes needs to be more cautious in the pocket
Between his no-look pass and late-game heave that both resulted in costly picks for the Chiefs, one major takeaway is that Mahomes was being careless with the football. His errors resulted in two Chargers touchdowns that cost the Chiefs the game. As good of a pressure player as Mahomes has been, he got a bit reckless on Sunday and it definitely didn't do the Chiefs any favors, especially during the final minutes of the game when they needed to make some big gains and close out the Chargers.
Moving on to their crucial matchup against the Eagles, Mahomes will need to be locked in and play more cautiously so he can avoid having another game with multiple picks thrown. Simply put, Mahomes needs to step up and lead his team to a big win on the road.
Chargers could be the new kings of the AFC West
We are only three weeks into the 2021 NFL season, but after a big statement from the Chargers on Sunday, it seems like they could pose the biggest threat to the Chiefs as the new kings of the AFC West. Sophomore quarterback Justin Herbert showed that he has the skill, will, and composure to go toe-to-toe with Mahomes while putting up big numbers and leading his team to a major road win.
Not to mention the depth and explosion the Chargers possess on offense with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Jared Cook, and Austin Ekeler. Plus with talents like Joey Bosa, Derwin James, Michael Davis, Nasir Adderley, and Drue Tranquill setting the tone for them on defense, they've got a lot going for them in their campaign. It is still early, but watch out for the upstart Chargers to make some noise and challenge the Chiefs for AFC West supremacy this season.
Chiefs defense needs to step up
With multiple blown coverages at pivotal points in the game, the Chiefs defense without question was outplayed by an explosive Chargers offense. As well as Daniel Sorenson, L'Jarius Sneed, and Tyrann Matthieu played on Sunday, the Chiefs still need bigger contributions from Jarran Reed, Ben Niemann, Mike Hughes, Chris Jones, and Alex Okafor who all had a relatively quiet game against the Chargers.
In order for the Chiefs to snap out of their funk and get back to their winning ways, they'll need everyone to pitch in on defense and help them make major stops. Starting next Sunday against the Eagles, the Chiefs will need a balanced attack as they look to get back to .500 and end their losing streak.
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