What the Kansas City Chiefs Must Improve Most Coming out of Week 6 Bye
The Kansas City Chiefs are experiencing something different for the first time in the Andy Reid-John Dorsey era. The Chiefs won the first five games last year, whereas the Chiefs are 2-3 in the first five weeks in 2014.
Being below .500 and having some issues across the field, the Chiefs know firsthand there is plenty of room for improvement.
In this slideshow, we will go over six areas in which the Chiefs must improve in if they want to bounce back and make a push for the playoffs.
Game Planning and Play-Calling
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When a team is struggling, coaches have to look at their game plan and see what must be done to change things. This comes in as an important area of improvement for the Chiefs with Reid admitting his coaching flaws twice.
First, he said he was negligent when he gave Jamaal Charles the ball only seven times on the ground in Week 1 against the Titans. Reid was vocal again when he wished he gave the ball to Charles more against the 49ers this past week.
Helping the Titans and the 49ers, Reid shut down Charles twice this year. Reid was Tennessee’s and San Francisco’s best defense in those two games.
Reid is a good head coach and very accomplished in his 16 years in the league. However, it is valid to ask why the best player on the team is not getting the football.
The first step to winning is having the right game plan and making the right calls during games. At the end of the day, especially in close situations, Charles needs to be given the football.
Consistency from Wide Receivers
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The Kansas City Chiefs are paying Dwayne Bowe $56 million through five years. Players with big contracts, like Bowe’s, must perform at a high level.
Bowe is the team’s best wide receiver, but he’s made minimal impact since Reid was named the head coach in Kansas City.
The worst part is, Bowe does not have a strong supporting cast behind him, leaving the Chiefs with no viable weapons at wide receiver.
Top WR in Week 1 vs. Titans: Donnie Avery, 7 catches for 84 yards
Top WR in Week 2 vs. Broncos: Dwayne Bowe, 3 catches for 40 yards
Top WR in Week 3 vs. Dolphins: Dwayne Bowe, 3 catches for 32 yards
Top WR in Week 4 vs. Patriots: Dwayne Bowe, 5 catches for 81 yards
Top WR in Week 5 vs. 49ers: Junior Hemingway, 4 catches for 50 yards
The Chiefs do have an offense where they work a lot with tight ends and running backs in the passing game. However, that is no excuse for the wide receivers to be a non-factor.
Kansas City has arguably the best running back tandem in the NFL and a tight end in Travis Kelce who is making a name for himself while being on the rise. All that is missing is a dominant No. 1 wide receiver. Bowe has shown he can be that guy, but consistency has been a major weakness of his.
If Bowe plays consistently well moving forward, the Chiefs will be a force to be reckoned with on offense and have a good chance of scoring at least 30 points per game.
Better Play from Defensive Backs
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It was not a pretty sight in San Francisco as the 49ers receiving corps came through with a couple of big catches including a circus catch by Brandon Lloyd.
Although Kansas City’s secondary is thin, the unit has the most prevailing pass rush in the NFL helping it out. Applying pressure is the key in allowing teams to come up with interceptions.
But seeing Colin Kaepernick throw long passes and allowing the receivers to make miraculous grabs is not an encouraging sign. When Sean Smith, one of the tallest cornerbacks in the history of the NFL, allows Lloyd to jump high and make that reception, you know it is rough.
Coached by former Chiefs and Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Emmitt Thomas, the unit must do better as it will go up against San Diego, Seattle, Denver and Pittsburgh, all which have strong passing games.
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Create Turnovers
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Turnovers are a big part of the game and can help the team that is winning that category. Last year, the Chiefs got off to a 9-0 start because of their dominance in creating turnovers and limiting giveaways.
This year, it has been different.
After creating 15 takeaways through the first five games in 2013, the Chiefs have just three takeaways this year through five weeks, all of which came in one game.
Finishing with an AFC best 36 takeaways the year before, the Chiefs tie for the third fewest this year in the conference.
Smith takes care of the football and rarely commits turnovers. The Chiefs have the pass-rushers to help create opportunities to get the ball. Reid must emphasize turnovers to his players during the bye.
Get More Players Involved
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This could be a challenge, and understandably so. But the Chiefs must have plenty of talent and must take advantage by getting those players involved.
Rookie running back De’Anthony Thomas made his debut this past week after recovering from an injury. He wasted no time making noise, scoring a touchdown on his first career catch.
Even with Charles and Knile Davis on the depth chart, Thomas’ speed can’t go unheralded and must be used to better Kansas City’s offense.
On the defensive side, the Chiefs have another rookie who needs more face time. Despite a gaffe against the 49ers this past week, Dee Ford provides additional pass-rushing skills to an already dangerous front seven.
With Tamba Hali and Justin Houston as the starting outside linebackers, it never hurts to substitute your first-round draft pick into the game and have him apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Starters and backups have their role for a reason. In today’s day and age in football, depth is important and the Chiefs should find ways to get more players involved who could ultimately help them win more games after the bye.
Finishing Games
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Last, but certainty the most crucial, the Chiefs need to know how to close the lid in games.
The Chiefs have failed twice in games that have come down to the wire and are 0-7 in close games against playoff teams in the past two seasons.
Kansas City has a lot of potential and can be viewed as a great team, but it is far from it. In order for the Chiefs to achieve the label of greatness, they must finish strong and find ways to capitalize and win or tie games late in contests.
The Chiefs had the ball at the 2-yard line twice against Denver while down by seven, failing to punch the ball into the end zone. Alex Smith had a chance to lead the Chiefs to victory against the 49ers but threw an interception on the first play of a short-lived drive, the last time the Chiefs had the ball in the game.
The Chiefs will have more games that could come down to a big play on the final minute. If the Chiefs don’t improve in this area, they will be lucky to finish the season at the .500-mark.
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