The Kansas City Chiefs rolled up a massive 422 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers in their 22-6 win, which should have been a blowout, right? Instead, they scored a season-low 22 points. That huge yardage total, the second-most in a single game this season for the Chiefs, combined with a pathetic point total, tells you everything you need to know about the real problem emerging for this team: their red-zone offense is flat-out broken, especially on third- and fourth-down conversions.
Three Times Inside the Two-Yard Line, One Touchdown? Seriously?
It’s not just that they struggled; it’s *how* they struggled. Kansas City got inside the Chargers’ two-yard line *three times* in Week 6 and only managed to walk away with seven points total. Think about that for a second. The Chargers were winless heading into this game, and the Chiefs let them hang around way too long because they couldn’t finish drives. In the second quarter, with just a six-point lead, quarterback Patrick Mahomes scrambled on a third-and-goal from the two-yard line. He forced a throw into the back of the end zone, and it was picked off. That’s his third interception of the season, by the way. Later, in the third quarter, they could have put the game away. It was fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, and running back Kenneth Walker got stuffed right at the goal line. No score. That’s just unacceptable for a team with their talent.
Reid and Mahomes Sound Off on What Went Wrong
Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid didn’t mince words after the game about the red-zone shortcomings, acknowledging they kept the winless Chargers in it into the fourth quarter. “We spent time on the short yardage, and we didn’t do very good on it today,” Reid said at the podium. “So, we’ve got to figure that out and get that straightened out. You’re down in there for a couple more touchdowns, and in the goal-line situations, you’ve got to score on short yardage.” He also pointed out that the interception play wasn’t set up for the coverage Los Angeles threw at them, and on Monday, he admitted, “They got us on the pass one. So that was a good job by them.”
Mahomes himself owned up to the bad throw on his interception, which was intended for wide receiver Andrew Armstrong. “Obviously, a ball you can’t throw like that,” Mahomes explained. “The look wasn’t what we wanted, but we had an option, and it was Armstrong, and it happened faster than I expected it, and so instead of just staying with it and throwing it then, I started scrambling, and then I did what you’re not supposed to do. I was trying to throw it away, but at the same time, trying to give him a chance and then getting hit, left it short and so you just can’t do that, especially with how our defense was playing.” When asked about Walker getting stuffed on the run, Reid was clear: “We gotta be very consistent with our blocking in those areas if we’re going to run the football.” This isn’t just one player, it’s a whole unit problem, and they need to fix it fast.
This red-zone problem is no small thing. They rack up yards like crazy, but when it counts most, they’re just not converting. If they want to be a serious contender this season, they absolutely have to sort out these goal-line issues and start turning those long drives into touchdowns.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Arrowhead Pride.
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