Chiefs vs. Patriots: Loss of Matt Cassel Shouldn't Excuse Chiefs' Ineptitude

It's a shame that the Kansas City Chiefs can look back at this season and use the excuse that running back Jamaal Charles and quarterback Matt Cassel were injured.

Not even those injuries can excuse the Chiefs from this display.

On Monday night against the New England Patriots, the Chiefs lost, 34-3, behind backup quarterback Tyler Palko.

Sure, their opponents were the Patriots—a team that regularly can blow other teams out of the water.

But that doesn't mean the Chiefs didn't play well below their talent level.

Remember, this was a team that went 10-6 last season and captured the AFC West. They were one of the true Cinderella teams in the NFL. Head coach Todd Haley was being praised and the Chiefs looked ready to be a contender in the division for years to come.

But a team doesn't win 10 games on two stars alone. They do so with a complete team, with multiple contributions across the board and with sound football behind well-executed game plans.

The truth is that Cassel was partially to blame this season, even before his injury, as was most of the team, including Haley.

There is absolutely no excuse for this team to fall so far—they are now 4-6 on the season—when the Chiefs even brought in Steve Breaston, a solid second option at receiver.

The Chiefs were averaging 15.7 points per game headed into Monday night's matchup against the Patriots. That's not just bad—that stinks.

In addition, the Chiefs have a league-low 12 sacks this season. Last season, they finished with 39 sacks.

This is mediocrity across the board.

The Chiefs aren't victims of anything.

They did this to themselves.