The Kansas City Chiefs are in a crisis. While the defense is playing at a high level, the offense can’t say the same. Not only the receivers are to blame, but above all offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

There have been many “culprits” for the Kansas City Chiefs’ poor season performance in 2023.

In the opening game of the 2023 season, wide receiver Kadarius Toney let a perfect pass from Patrick Mahomes slip through his hands, resulting in a pick six and a 20-21 loss to the Detroit Lions. Later there was a loud announcement from Mahomes on the sideline.

Against the Green Bay Packers, for example, the referee team overlooked a clear pass interference penalty. In the end, the Packers won 27:19 against the current champions.

The list could go on and on. Admittedly: Not much is coming together for the Chiefs either. The real, albeit less obvious, reason for the Chiefs’ poor performance this season is on the sideline: offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

Nagy is the Chiefs’ new coordinator this season – although that’s only half right. He was already responsible for the offense at Missouri until 2017. In between, Eric Bieniemy was responsible for the unit around Patrick Mahomes.

Nagy brings Chicago problems to Kansas City

And that’s to be taken literally. In 2018, when Bieniemy started, Mahomes was also promoted to starter. Since then, the Chiefs have consistently been one of the best offenses in the league and Mahomes has won two Super Bowls in addition to two MVP awards, and he’s been in another. This is Nagy’s first season with the superstar, even though Mahomes was drafted in 2017 and was part of the squad.

The numbers compared to the previous season are striking. This year, the Chiefs offense is eleventh in points per game, averaging 22.2 points. Tied with the Packers and just ahead of the New Orleans Saints. That alone is context enough. In Bieniemy’s final season, the Chiefs were the best offense, averaging exactly seven points more, or a full touchdown plus an extra point!

The next alarming number is the so-called red zone efficiency. What percentage of drives that reach the opponent’s 20-yard line result in a touchdown? The Chiefs rank 14th in the NFL with 56 percent. And 2022? You’ve already guessed it: tied for first place with 71 percent (both figures rounded, as of week 16 2023).

Problems in the redzone, wide receivers who don’t break free or plays that don’t open up these receivers – all of this should sound familiar to fans of the Chicago Bears. Matt Nagy was head coach there from 2018 to 2021. Especially in his last year, the offense was not in good shape. The lack of red zone efficiency was also an issue back then

State of the offense affects Reid and Mahomes

Free, it’s not all on the Nagy personnel, but it’s the root of the problems. Every quarterback needs confidence in his pass receivers – and Mahomes simply doesn’t have it. How could he? It feels like Toney alone has lost three games by his own hand. But Justyn Ross and even Travis Kelce inexplicably drop balls or fail to get free

Only rookie Rashee Rice is halfway reliable. But even he only caught six of the twelve passes thrown in his direction against the Las Vegas Raiders last game. The lack of confidence manifests itself not only in the quarterback’s unusually poor throws, but also in his style of play.

Against the Raiders, he ran around behind the line of scrimmage in a near panic, especially towards the end. The most devastating was a ball that was probably meant to be thrown away and instead would have been intercepted by Raiders safety Trevon Moehrig had the tip of the ball not touched the ground. Sheer luck for the 28-year-old.

Head coach Andy Reid is also “influenced” by the state of the offense. With the score 7:3 in favor of the Chiefs, the playcaller called a trick play at his own goal line, which went completely awry and ended in a touchdown for the Raiders. The last bit of confidence in their own offense may have been extinguished.

“We just have to fix all our mistakes, then we can beat anyone,” said Mahomes after the sixth defeat of the season. Yes, if the Carolina Panthers fix all their problems, they will be a top team. It’s just unfavorable when the problems are so deep that they can’t be easily fixed. Not even with a possible Nagy dismissal so late in the season.

Mahomes was left alone by the front office

In general, Mahomes is the victim of his franchise. Because the NFL’s poster boy simply didn’t and still doesn’t get any help.

Instead of investing in the wide receiver room, Missouri probably figured “Mahomes is so good, we can do it without a top receiver”. With the two tackle positions of Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith also likely a wash, the 28-year-old is probably still making the most of the circumstances.

Criticism must go to general manager Brett Veach, who thought this roster was good enough. He turned down a number one receiver like DeAndre Hopkins, who was obviously on the market.

But even in the ultimate team sport of American football, as probably the most talented quarterback in the league, you can’t literally do everything on your own.

Chiefs defense keeps the team in the season

Speaking of not doing it all alone: The fact that Kansas City is even still among the favorites this season is largely due to its outstanding defense. While coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit tended to be the weak link in Mahomes’ early years, it now grinds its counterpart through most games.

Against the Raiders, they did not allow a single completed pass (!) after the first quarter, in addition to scoring just six points. The Chiefs offense scored 14 of the Raiders’ 20 points themselves. Nevertheless, they lost the game.

The statistics speak for themselves. The Chiefs are the second-best defense in points, the second-best in total yards and the second-best against the pass.

So if the Chiefs go far, it’s because of their defense. Or because Patrick Mahomes has once again played superman. In any case, it can’t be down to a good quality coordinator or squad.