Chiefs crumble as Giants prevail in wild OT
Kansas City has lost 4 of its last 5
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Alex Smith huddled with other Chiefs players, their gaze fixed on massive video boards that beamed replays of the improbable catch that eventually doomed them.
By this point, mimicking the team’s offensive performance throughout the day, the Chiefs were helpless.
Giants receiver Roger Lewis’ sliding
34-yard catch set up the game-winning field goal in overtime, giving New York the 12-9 victory. It dropped the Chiefs
(6-4) further back in the AFC playoff picture.
This was an ugly, disappointing performance, and one that has felt all too familiar over the last six weeks.
The Chiefs, who for the first month and a half of the season looked like the best team in football, have fizzled. They still lead the AFC West, clinging to the No. 4 seed, the lowest in the conference for division leaders. But with the Patriots and Steelers distancing themselves from the rest of the AFC, it’s fair to wonder whether the Chiefs, who have lost four of their last five, are still contenders.
How did a team that was so dominant early in the season lose its spark?
Most players, when asked after Sunday’s loss, did not offer a specific answer.
“Out of rhythm,” Smith said. “That’s the thing that definitely jumps out. Just out of rhythm.”
One, however, suggested a change in opposing defensive schemes has hurt.
“Teams are running Cover 2,” tight end Travis Kelce said, referring to an alignment that, basically, deploys both safeties to make them responsible for deep zones. “Until we can beat Cover 2, both in the run game and in the pass game, we’re going to struggle.”
During their season-opening fivegame winning streak, the Chiefs scored an average of 32.8 points. Over their last five, that number has plummeted to
19.6.
Perhaps the biggest difference is a lack of explosive plays.
“I think they’re out there,” Smith said. “I think we have the playmakers and the plan to do it. But it’s certainly a matter of doing it, though.”
Getting the running game going would help. After a blistering start to the season, rookie running back Kareem Hunt — again — was ineffective.
In the first half, Smith threw 19 passes while Hunt ran just four times on a cool day, with wind gusts blustering at
35 mph. In fact, at several points throughout the game the wind appeared to weigh down Smith’s passes, knocking them down significantly short of their intended targets.
Despite that, the Chiefs opted for a bewildering trick play late in the fourth quarter. Snapping from the Kansas City 40-yard line with the score tied, Smith lateraled the ball to Kelce, who waited for receivers to streak down the field. Kelce heaved an off-target pass downfield and into the hands of Giants safety Landon Collins.
“We just have to continue to do what we do,” receiver Tyreek Hill said. “Coach is going to call the plays, and we just have to go out and execute.”
On the next series, Smith sailed a pass into double coverage. Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins easily picked it off, which set up a New York field goal.
Against the Giants (2-8), Hunt carried the ball 18 times for 73 yards.
Smith entered the game having thrown only one interception all season. Against New York, he threw two. Smith completed 27 of 40 passes for 230 yards and no touchdowns.
The Chiefs converted just three of 11 third-down attempts. And in three trips to the red zone, they had to settle for field goals each time.
“We can’t leave points on the field,” right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff said. “I think that’s what hurt us today. We’ve got to finish those drives and finish with six.”
On defense, the outcome wasn’t much better. Kansas City’s pass rush struggled to generate any pressure, recording no sacks and just one hit, and Giants quarterback Eli Manning had ample time to throw.
In order to turn their season around and halt their downward spiral, the Chiefs face an important game at home Week 12 against the Bills. Each of Kansas City’s remaining games is against an AFC foe.
“I don’t even think it’s necessarily thinking about that,” Smith said of contending for a Super Bowl. “First thing you’ve got to do is punch your ticket to the dance. You’ve got to get to the tournament. Until you do that, you should be focused on every one of these games.”