3 key Chiefs takeaways after sluggish Week 9 victory over Packers

The Chiefs opened up their season with a sluggish victory over the Packers. Despite giving up 4 touchdowns, 3 of which were through turnovers, they won convincingly to take control in this divisional rivalry. Here are three key things to remember from last week’s game.

The “who did the chiefs lose to” is a question that has been asked a lot. The Chiefs lost to the Packers in Week 9, but there were 3 key takeaways from the game.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Green Bay Packers 13-7 on Sunday afternoon in a game that was far from picturesque. The game was a shambles, with both team’s quarterbacks barely completing half of their passes and just two combined touchdowns.

We may have had a completely different outcome of the game if Mason Crosby had not missed two short-to-medium field goals (one of which was blocked). Still, a victory is a win, and the Chiefs will enter Week 9 with the same 5-4 record as if they had blasted out the Packers by 40 points without Aaron Rodgers.

On paper, Patrick Mahomes’ relationship with Travis Kelce seemed to be alive and well once again, as the two connected five times for 68 yards and a score, but there were plenty of wasted chances. I’ll get to it later. The Chiefs’ special teams were also outstanding, with punter Tommy Townsend having a field day stuffing the Packers offense within their own 10, as well as recovering a muffed punt and blocking a kick.

What do we think of this lethargic Kansas City team after nine weeks? Will they be able to right the ship? Is the Chiefs offensive truly that much weaker than in previous years, or was it just a byproduct of strong defensive performance in the last two games? Here are three significant lessons from the game on Sunday.

3. The bond between Mahomes and Kelce is shattered.

As previously said, Travis Kelce was the Chiefs’ most consistent target on the day, but there was definitely something odd between him and Patrick Mahomes tonight, continuing a recent pattern. Kelce lost a handful of gimme throws throughout the game, and he was visibly frustrated as a consequence of the fact that he has only eclipsed 70 yards receiving once in the past six games. Mahomes also missed Kelce on a number of occasions when he was wide open for large gains. Huge plays that were inevitable for these two in previous years have suddenly become scarce, which is alarming. Hopefully, this is only a hiccup in these two’s incredible careers, but their particular bond seems to be fractured for now.

2. The defense has just stepped up to the plate.

It can’t be all negative in a game that the Chiefs won. Whatever you think of the Packers’ lack of Aaron Rodgers, the Chiefs kept a quality collection of skill position players to just one touchdown during the game, and they were particularly stingy after the game’s opening three possessions. The Packers’ lone touchdown drive was the only one that didn’t result in a punt or fumble in the six drives Green Bay had from the 10-minute mark in the second quarter forward. Steven Spagnuolo’s team has now limited their opponents to fewer than 20 points for the second consecutive game, giving them a point to build on.

1. Kansas City isn’t a contender, but with a few tweaks, they might be.

This Chiefs team, no matter how optimistically you look at it, is not designed for a playoff run in its present shape. Any decent offense can defeat them right now, with dropped passes all over the place, unimpressive offensive line performance, and unconfident reads from their former MVP quarterback for a club that has been the NFL’s finest offensive engine over the previous five years. If Mahomes can play half as well as he did last season, and the defense can keep the momentum going, they’ll be right back in the mix for a Super Bowl rematch. As fans, all we can do is wait and watch what happens.

Related Tags

• kansas city chiefs record
• 2019 chiefs
• kansas city chiefs players