Chiefs’ Playoff Struggles: Predictability Might Be the Issue

As the NFL regular season winds down with just four games remaining, the Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in unfamiliar territory. For the first time in nine seasons, the AFC West will have a new champion, and after their Week 14 loss to the Houston Texans, the Chiefs (6-7) are at risk of missing the playoffs entirely. This precarious position likely requires them to win their remaining games while hoping for favorable results elsewhere. The question on everyone’s mind: how can the defending Super Bowl champions turn things around?

Former NFL quarterback and current FOX Sports analyst Robert Griffin III believes he’s identified the Chiefs’ core problem – predictability. “I’m pretty tapped in with Kansas City, and I think there’s a predictability element right now,” Griffin explained while participating in a USAA event for military veterans before the Army-Navy game. Despite having creative minds like head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy at the helm, Griffin observes that opponents can now anticipate the Chiefs’ plays based on personnel packages. “You know when Tyquan Thornton comes into the game, it’s going to be this. You know when Xavier Worthy comes into the game, it’s going to be this,” he noted. This predictability stands in stark contrast to the explosive unpredictability that defined the Chiefs’ offense in previous seasons.

The absence of Tyreek Hill, who was traded to the Miami Dolphins, has fundamentally changed Kansas City’s offensive identity. While they’ve managed to win the last three AFC Championships without him, the team has struggled to maintain consistent explosiveness, instead relying on shorter passes to weapons like Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and others. This approach worked well enough to secure two consecutive Super Bowl victories, but now seems to be faltering as the Chiefs fight for their playoff lives. The home-run threat that Hill provided gave Patrick Mahomes more options and made the offense significantly harder to defend against.

Griffin’s proposed solution is bold but straightforward: “I think the Kansas City Chiefs need to transition their offense into a two-minute offense. Allow Patrick Mahomes to do what he does best, run up-tempo, call what he is seeing.” Griffin believes Mahomes has reached a point in his career where he can effectively read defenses and make adjustments at the line of scrimmage without extensive coaching input. “Ultimately, they have to relinquish some control to Patrick so he can have complete ownership of it,” Griffin explained, noting that the Chiefs seem to perform their best when Mahomes has more freedom to operate. “No team wants to be in a close game with the Chiefs with two minutes left in the game. As soon as they see that, they’re like, ‘Oh damn, here we go.'”

Of course, Mahomes can’t do it alone – his teammates need to step up as well. The Sunday Night Football loss to the Texans featured critical drops from usually reliable targets like Rice and Kelce. These mistakes, combined with the predictable offensive approach Griffin highlighted, have put the Chiefs in their current predicament. The team’s next test comes this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium against their AFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, who are riding high after an overtime victory against the Philadelphia Eagles. At 9-4, the Chargers are also fighting for their playoff positioning, making this a crucial matchup for both teams.

While in Baltimore for the Army-Navy Game, Griffin took time to partner with USAA to surprise two military members with new vehicles. Cryptological Technician Petty Officer First Class Jamil Lewis (currently serving in the Navy) and veteran Patrick Huber (Specialist 116th Infantry Regiment, Army National Guard) received these gifts in front of the USS Constellation at Inner Harbor. This moment was particularly meaningful for Griffin, who comes from a military family with both parents having served in the Army for a combined 31 years. “To see the impact we’ve been able to make over the last 13 years, doing things to make our military members know they’re not forgotten, it does something for me,” Griffin shared. “It’s not a free car. I say that because, yeah, they didn’t have to pay money for it, but there was sacrifice for us and our freedoms to be able to get this type of treatment. We want them to know that, ‘Hey, man, we appreciate you.'”