Which of the Chiefs' Issues Are Worth Worrying About?

The Kansas City Chiefs keep winning close games. Some of KC's issues are legitimate cause for concern, while other factors are being a bit overblown.

Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs place kicker Harrison Butker (7) kicks a field goal against the Las Vegas Raiders during the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

After beating the Las Vegas Raiders 19-17 on Black Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs are one win away from clinching their ninth-consecutive AFC West title. They must defeat the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football in a divisional showdown, which will be no easy feat. The Chargers are 8-4 and in position to be the top wild card team in the AFC. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are 11-1 and in position to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC. 

Despite the Chiefs being in a great position heading into Week 13, there has been some worry and fear spreading throughout Chiefs Kingdom. The Chiefs haven’t been beating teams by large margins, even teams they are double-digits favorites over. In the end, winning is all that matters, but that doesn’t mean there can't be some things to be concerned about. Let’s take a look at two things I’m worried about and two things I’m not as the Chiefs begin to prepare for the playoffs.

Worried: Left tackle woes

This is currently the most common worry among folks in Chiefs Kingdom. It is a legitimate concern when your Week 1 starting left tackle (Kingsley Suamataia) was relegated to a low-point of being a healthy scratch for one game, while your second starting left tackle (Wanya Morris) was benched mid-game for allowing double-digit pressures in a single game. It has not been good, and it makes quarterback Patrick Mahomes’s job so much tougher play-in and play-out. The good news is there may be help on the way with D.J. Humphries, a left tackle the Chiefs were able to add via free agency, who appears likely to start on Sunday night. However, we have never seen him play a snap with the Chiefs yet, and while the assumption is that he will be a better option than Suamataia and Morris, we won’t really know until he gets thrown into the starting lineup. There is a sliver of hope at the left tackle position, but as things stand today, it is still something to be concerned about this late in the season. 

Per Next Gen Stats on their prime vision broadcast. Most pressures allowed by a #Chiefs left tackle in a single game since 2018.

1. Eric Fisher (2020) - 14
2. Wanya Morris (2023) - 12
3. Wanya Morris (Today) - 11 pic.twitter.com/ihNDWfaSSP

— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) November 30, 2024

Not worried: Cornerback backslide

Sure, there’s been some inconsistencies with the secondary since starting cornerback Jaylen Watson went down with what is expected to be a season-ending injury. There are still some things the team has to work through, but it seems that Kansas City will go forward with Trent McDuffie and Joshua Williams as the starting cornerbacks. With the pass rush getting Charles Omenihu back this past week and solid safety play between Justin Reid and Bryan Cook, the Chiefs should be able to help themselves cover down the stretch and into the playoffs. Add in the fact that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo always brings a solid game plan to the table each week and is one of the league's best at in-game adjustments, and the secondary should be just fine moving forward as the team plays to their strengths. One more thought: Maybe Watson makes a surprise return before the end of the season? 

Neva count me out🎢

— Wat’s Island🏝 (@JaylenWatson12) December 4, 2024

Worried: Kicking and Harrison Butker's health

Matthew Wright and Spencer Shrader have been filling it admirably for the Chiefs since starting kicker Harrison Butker went on IR, but there is no replacing the best kicker in the NFL.

Shrader made a game-winning 31-yard kick as time expired in Carolina. He was 3-for-3 on the day with his longest field goal coming from 41 yards out. Now he is also on IR. The Chiefs were lucky to escape GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium with a win over the Raiders in their last game. Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson missed three field goals in the game. In a game that ended 19-17, that is the difference in the game. Overall, Wright helped the Chiefs win the game by making four field goals. His longest kick of the day was 42 yards, and he missed his only attempt over 50 yards. That’s the difference between league-average kickers and Butker.

When it comes down to a long field goal at the end of the half or at the end of the game, there is not a kicker in the league more trustworthy than Butker. Not only that, but Butker has become one of the most clutch kickers in NFL postseason history. Again, like with the left tackle concern, there is hope that Butker will be back before the playoffs begin. The thought is that Butker will be able to resume kicking duties and still have his accuracy and full range for the postseason. However, at the moment, that is still something that is very much up in the air and will be a wait-and-see scenario for the Chiefs as they decide how to use Butker when he returns. 

Not worried: Recent struggles in KC's running game

There is now a one-game sample size of Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt as a duo, and the results weren’t good. Don’t freak out. It’s just one game.

Head coach Andy Reid will figure out how to best use each running back down the stretch and have the operation humming by the time the playoffs come around. Whether the team chooses to play the hot hand or ride one guy early and let the other come in as the closer, it’s best to trust Reid when it comes to how to use these two backs as the postseason approaches.

When Mahomes gets Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in the mix to go along with DeAndre Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce and the rest of the pass catching crew, that will only open up the offense more and give Pacheco and Hunt more room to work in the running game. Don’t overreact to one game. This will be a fun backfield duo to watch in the playoffs when the Chiefs are icing games in the fourth quarter in front of an Arrowhead crowd. 

It’s always easy to look at worst-case scenarios when it comes to the Chiefs, but when the team is 11-1, looking to clinch a ninth-consecutive AFC West title and potentially the No. 1 seed in the AFC — and with the first ever three-peat in NFL history on the line — it’s OK to take a deep breath and think about how the Chiefs may just be able to figure things out by the time the playoffs roll around, just like they have in previous seasons.

Read More: Patrick Mahomes Is Quite Confident in Chiefs’ Super Bowl Outlook Despite Inconsistency