There are many theories as to why Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs offense is struggling so badly this season. Maybe it’s the lack of talent at wide receiver. Maybe it’s the team’s lack of interest in the regular season. Or maybe it’s the Curse of Taylor Swift. NBC analyst Chris Simms has another theory, though. He thinks the issues are due to the team losing offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to the Washington Commanders this offseason.

“The offense isn’t as good as last year. Period. It’s not. Eric Bieniemy had more creative ways to do things. There was more creative play-calling, tying plays together,” Simms told podcast host Kevin Clark on This Is Football. “And Patrick Mahomes — I believe like two weeks ago — kind of said it, too, publically. Bieniemy was the enforcer on that offense. He was the guy who kept everybody in line and in check. And if you weren’t doing good he got in your face and let you know it.”

After several offseason cycles of not getting a head coaching job due to Andy Reid’s considerable shadow on the Chiefs offense, Bieniemy left to become offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders.

The Commanders have had a brutal season in 2023, but quarterback Sam Howell was leading the league in passing for a time thanks to Bieniemy’s offensive scheme and play-calling.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the OC will finally get a head coaching gig in 2024. Reports came out early in the season that players in Washington didn’t like his hard, old-school coaching style. But when paired with a player’s coach like Reid, that type of tough love is just what a team like the Chiefs need, as Chris Simms suggests.