Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff hopes dim after demoralizing loss to the Dallas Cowboys
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are .500 through 12 games for the first time since the 2017 season.
They squeaked into the playoffs as a wild-card team that year.
They have a whole lot of work to do, and need a whole lot of help, if they want to pull off that feat again.
An inconsistent season by the reigning AFC champions seemed to be summed up by an inconsistent performance on Thursday in Dallas. The Chiefs’ once-high flying offense was rolling when it wasn’t committing penalties, while a defense that had been playing well was gashed by the Cowboys — when it, too, wasn’t committing penalties.
The result was a demoralizing 31-28 defeat that further buried Kansas City in the playoff race.
“I mean, our ceiling is playing in the Super Bowl,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said afterward. “But at the end of the day, you’ve got to go out and do it on a week-in and week-out basis. We can beat anybody. But we’ve shown we can lose to anybody.”
The Chiefs (6-6) were coming off an uplifting win over the AFC South-leading Colts, and they beat the playoff-contending Lions earlier this season. But they have lost to the majority of teams angling for the postseason, including the AFC West-rival Chargers and Broncos, two teams that Kansas City gets to face again down the stretch.
There also are games against the Texans and Titans still to come.
Kansas City just might need to win ’em all.
“We’ve got to be more consistent,” Mahomes said. “It starts with me being consistent throughout the entire game, not in just the big moments. That’s something that we have to do throughout an entire game and week to week. It’s not just one time. We obviously see the last week, we have a big win and then come here and play another good football team and you don’t come to play.
“So, the ceiling can be what it is, but until you put it on the football field, you won’t be able to go out there and win football games.”
The biggest problem Thursday has been a big problem all season: penalties.
The Chiefs were flagged 10 times for 119 yards against the Cowboys. Many came at the most inopportune of times, such as the pair of pass interference calls when Kansas City was trying to get the ball back in the closing minutes of the game.
The Chiefs have been flagged 37 times for 335 yards in six wins. They’ve been penalized 52 times for 438 yards in six defeats.
“The guys understand we’ve got to clean up a few things,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We’re going do better as coaches. We’ve got to do better as players. And so, you go back to the drawing board and you keep working, is what you do. We were close here. But we had too many opportunities that we gave away, and with two good teams playing each other, you can’t have those things.”
What’s working
If the Chiefs were winning more games, Mahomes would be in the conversation for a third MVP. He threw for a season-best 352 yards last week against Indianapolis, and he was 23 of 34 for 261 yards with four TD passes and no interceptions in Dallas.
What needs help
Penalties. It is the first, second and third priority these days.
Stock up
WR Rashee Rice’s stock has been soaring. He had eight catches for 92 yards and two TDs against the Cowboys, and 16 for 233 yards over the past two weeks. Rice missed the first six games of the season because of an NFL suspension but still has 42 catches for 486 yards and five scores, numbers that would translate to 119 for 1,377 and 14 scores over a full season.
Stock down
The entire defensive backfield struggled against Dallas, giving up big catches, big yardage and, yes, big penalties.
Injuries
LT Josh Simmons is out indefinitely after dislocating his left wrist, an injury made doubly concerning by the fact that RT Jawaan Taylor also hurt his triceps against Dallas. SS Bryan Cook missed most of the game after hurting his ankle.
Key stat
9 — The number of third-down conversions by Dallas in 16 attempts, to go with 1-for-1 on fourth down.
Next steps
The Chiefs are back in primetime a week from Sunday when they play the Texans at Arrowhead Stadium.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl