After the defeat against the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs are more self-critical than they have been in years. In Sunday’s away game against the Washington Football Team, Patrick Mahomes and Co. must get back to basics.

Munich – With six interceptions after five games, the usually accurate Patrick Mahomes is not entirely innocent in the supposed mini-crisis of the Kansas City Chiefs.

After two wins and three losses, the Chiefs are in last place in the highly competitive AFC West and have already conceded as many defeats as they did in the whole of last season.

Mahomes and Co. don’t have long to mourn, however. On Sunday (from 6:55 p.m. in the livestream on ran.de), the next acid test in terms of morale is coming up with the duel against the Washington Football Team. The key to success here could be a return to the basics.

It’s not quite possible without defence

With over 437 yards allowed on average, the Chiefs rank second to last in the league – only the Seattle Seahawks are worse here. In addition, the defensive line allowed an average of 32.6 points to opponents, which ranks last in the league.

Against the Bills and the Ravens, the opposing receivers had way too much space several times and ran alone towards the end zone. The opponents were so free that even their own players – in this case safety Tyrann Mathieu – grabbed their heads.

Tyrann Mathieu has nightmares about this pic.twitter.com/IkNQum6AGe

– Arrowhead Live (@ArrowheadLive) October 12, 2021

Safety Daniel Sorensen is always at the centre of criticism here. The veteran not only has problems covering the opposing players. With eight missed tackles – also the worst figure in the league – he is emblematic of the poor run defence. Chiefs fans’ criticism of the 31-year-old then went so far last week as to raise money to buy the 2019 Super Bowl champion out of his contract.

When defensive tackle Chris Jones is missing due to injury, as he was against the Bills, the Chiefs have little ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks. According to Pro Football Focus, the Chiefs rank last among all teams in pass rush so far.

It is still unclear whether Jones will be able to play again against Washington. Along with defensive end Frank Clark, Jones’ return could be a stabiliser on the defensive line for the upcoming games. After all, another part of the team’s structure depends on the shaky defence.

Less “hero ball” from Patrick Mahomes

Only rarely did Patrick Mahomes find himself in the situation of saving a lead over time. Most of the time, the playmaker has to whip his offence forward like crazy to make up for the deficit caused by the defence.

At least for the MVP of 2018, however, this does not seem to be the main problem of the Chiefs offence: “We always want to score a touchdown when we get the ball. It doesn’t matter what happens on the other side of the ball. It’s our job as an offence,” said the 26-year-old.

So the focus should be back on scoring points as easily and effectively as possible. The six interceptions thrown also resulted from Mahomes trying too often this season to create spectacular scenes with wild passes. “He’s realising more now that scoring touchdowns is very important right now,” head coach Andy Reid said ahead of Sunday’s game.

The quarterback also already has a plan to get back from over-the-top “hero ball” to unstoppable offensive roller: “I don’t want to have to pretend, but I have to get back to the basics of the game. What will be important here is that I stay in the pocket more often. If I can do that, everything else will fall into place over time,” he said as a goal. Here, however, he is also dependent on support from his receivers.

Josh Gordon: From outcast to X-factor?

Although Mahomes’ lack of concentration is mostly to blame, he has also been frequently dogged by bad luck in the 2021 season. Two of his interceptions resulted from an easy catch slipping through a receiver’s hands and being caught by the opposing defender.

In addition to the trio of Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and outside receiver Mecole Hardman, he currently lacks another reliable playmaker. Outside of those three, Mahomes has yet to find an offensive player in double figures.

That role could be filled in time by recent signing Josh Gordon. The controversial receiver made his first appearance on the field against the Bills, but was rarely used due to a lack of practice. He could already be in for a much busier afternoon against the Washington football team.

“He did well,” Coach Reid said ahead of the game, “It was also the rhythm of the game, I actually wanted to use him more. He is progressing well,” he continued. Mahomes is also happy about more playing time for his new weapon: “I think we will use him more often soon. Not many players in the world have his skillset,” the quarterback continued.

Duelling with WFT: Next Rebound in the NFC East?

Although the game against Washington will certainly not be an easy one, the Chiefs are capable of putting an exclamation mark on the league even in this constellation. The narrow loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 was followed a week later by a show of offensive power against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The constellation that the NFC East must now serve as a punching bag for irritated Chiefs would also be curiously possible in Week 8. On the next matchday, the Chiefs travel to the Tennesse Titans before the New York Giants travel to Arrowhead Stadium.

First, however, the focus should be on the upcoming opponent. The two teams are separated by just a few spots in the defensive rankings, while Washington’s mediocre offense should come just in time as a rebuilding opponent for the Chiefs defence.

If the Chiefs manage to get back to basics offensively as well, WFT’s quite vulnerable defence should be crackable, so it won’t need another rebound game anytime soon.