By Jeremy
A 22–6 win over a division rival should feel comfortable, and much of Sunday’s game did. The Chiefs controlled the Chargers, improved to 5-0 and got another strong afternoon from Kenneth Walker III. But the trip to Seattle gives Kansas City a reason to look past the final margin. Against Los Angeles, two promising possessions ended at the goal line with nothing to show for them. A better opponent could make those misses hurt.
The scoreboard hid a frustrating pattern
Walker rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns, while Patrick Mahomes threw for 272 yards. Those are signs of an offense capable of moving the ball, not one that spent the afternoon stuck in neutral. The defense did its part, too, holding the Chargers to two field goals. This was a deserved win.
Still, Chiefs fans have reason to remember what happened after Jack Cochrane returned an interception to the Los Angeles 17-yard line. Kansas City moved to the two, where Mahomes was intercepted on third-and-goal. In the third quarter, another drive reached the one before Walker was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-goal. Those were two opportunities to put real distance between the teams; instead, both ended without points.
There is a useful distinction here. Going for it at the one is not automatically a bad decision, and one failed run does not mean Walker suddenly cannot handle short yardage. But when an interception near the goal line is followed by another empty trip, finishing becomes the question. Kansas City cannot count on every defense to keep the other team out of the end zone while it works through that problem.
Seattle raises the stakes—not the panic level
Next Sunday’s game is on the road against the Seahawks, the reigning Super Bowl champions. Seattle is 3-3 after an overtime loss to Denver, so this is not a matchup that calls for pretending the Chiefs face an unbeatable opponent. The Seahawks have had turnover problems of their own. But playing in Seattle offers a sharper test of whether Kansas City can turn sustained drives into touchdowns when the field gets short.
For the Chiefs, the answer need not be a dramatic overhaul. Give Mahomes clear options near the goal line. Keep Walker involved without assuming the same run will work simply because the ball is close. And if a drive stalls, take the available points when the game situation calls for it. Sunday showed that Kansas City can create chances; the next step is making more of them count.
At 5-0, the Chiefs have earned the right to be pleased. They have not earned a reason to ignore two empty goal-line possessions. Against the Chargers, those mistakes were footnotes to a convincing win. In Seattle, they might be the difference between winning and wondering what was left on the field.
Gotta capitalize on those goal-line opportunities in Seattle. We can’t keep letting touchdowns slip away like that, especially against a solid team. Mahomes has to find ways to convert or we might find ourselves regretting those missed chances.
Those missed goal-line chances could come back to bite us, especially against the Seahawks. Mahomes needs to be aggressive down there. Do you think we should tweak our red zone strategy?