Chiefs Have A Closing Problem They Need To Solve vs. Jets

The Kansas City Chiefs were in a great position to win last Sunday against the Denver Broncos with a two-score lead, but they couldn’t seal the deal, and tight end Travis Kelce got more than a little emotional about it in his post-game comments, according to a report from Jesse Newell of The Athletic. 

Kelce said the Chiefs have to “fix a lot,” Kelce offered as he referred to the penalties that hit Kansas City hard in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs had 11 penalties for 105 yards in their 28-24 loss, and he was one of the problems. 

Kelce has a false start penalty that was his third in three weeks, and he said he’s one of the players who “sets the tone” for the other players on the field and in the locker room. 

It was a false start penalty that helped torpedo the Chiefs’ touchdown drive that would have won the Denver game, but this isn’t a new problem. It’s also happened against bad teams like the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers, which is why it’s especially relevant with the New York Jets coming to Arrowhead on Sunday. 

The vernacular expression when good teams like Kansas City do this is “playing with their food,” and the Chiefs let both Miami and the Chargers hang around for too long. There’s a risk in this, and it could come back to haunt the Chiefs against the Jets if they continue to play sloppy football. 

The breakdowns occurred in all three phases of the game, according to Newell. Kicker Harrison Butler missed a 54-yard field goal, and he’ll be in the spotlight against the Jets when his number comes up for the inevitable long field goal to put points on the board. 

Defensive tackle Chris Jones pointed to the missed tackles, saying that’s the one thing he’d like to have back, especially during the 51-yard catch-and-run by Denver running back Jonah Coleman late in the game that put Denver in position to score what became the game-winning touchdown. 

The Jets do have some players who are capable of making the Chiefs pay, most notably quarterback Geno Smith, who threw for 290 yards and a pair of touchdowns while shredding the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense last Sunday. Running back Braelon Edwards rushed for 147 yards, while receiver Adonai Mitchell had seven cathces for 142 yards and a touchdown. 

All three could be factors late if the Chiefs let the Jets hang around, and this game will be closely watched to see if the Chiefs have solved their finishing problem.