KANSAS CITY, Mo. — He walked alone back to the locker room late Monday night, through the long tunnel filled with the Kansas City Chiefs’ greatest accomplishments — the many banners celebrating division titles, AFC championships and Super Bowls.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the Chiefs’ oldest receiver at 29, said just one word, a four-letter expletive. He used his helmet to show his frustration, releasing a sharp, loud noise as he slammed it into a wall. Then Valdes-Scantling lowered his head, the walk to the locker room requiring a few more steps.
A few moments earlier, Valdes-Scantling had the opportunity to help his teammates leave Arrowhead Stadium with a come-from-behind victory that would have mitigated a terrible second half for the Chiefs’ offense. Valdes-Scantling sprinted toward the end zone and away from the Philadelphia Eagles’ last defender, cornerback Bradley Roby, and watched as the ball, released in a perfect deep pass by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, reached his hands. Three seconds later, after falling to the turf, Valdes-Scantling watched the ball roll away from him and heard a sound no receiver wanted to hear when he was in the end zone: the groans of the home crowd.
Rather than a heroic moment, Valdes-Scantling’s loss with less than two minutes left marked another Chiefs offensive collapse in the second half, another 30-minute stretch of failure that this time resulted in a 21-17 loss .
Many fans at Arrowhead Stadium — on a night when the weather kept changing from drizzle to rain and back to drizzle again — reacted the same way Mahomes did after the game: They put their hands on their heads and opened their mouths in disbelief.
“We have to find a way to finish games offensively,” Mahomes said.
As the defending NFL champions, the Chiefs have Andy Reid, a future Hall of Fame coach known for his offensive innovation, and Mahomes, the league’s most talented quarterback. And yet, after ten games, the Chiefs’ biggest problem is clearly their offense. In one of the league’s biggest games of the season, a rematch of Super Bowl LVII – and perhaps a preview of Super Bowl LVIII – the Chiefs offense made mistake after mistake and scored zero points after halftime. Monday’s loss cemented an embarrassing and worrying trend: The Chiefs haven’t scored a second-half goal in their last three games.
“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot,” Reid said. “I have to help better. My boys have to do the same. We’re just not that sharp. I could get the boys into better places.”
GO DEEPER
Urgent questions for the Chiefs, Eagles, 49ers and six other NFL contenders: Sando’s Pick Six
Before Monday’s game, the Chiefs were averaging 23.1 points. But Monday’s game should be a turning point for the offense, an opportunity for the unit to re-establish itself as one of the league’s most productive. In the week leading up to the game against the Eagles (9-1), every member of the offense fully participated in every practice. The Chiefs (7-3) also had a bye week, a scenario in which Reid had a stellar 27-4 record before Monday, including 5-0 with Mahomes as the starter.
Using a significant number of new plays that they hadn’t shown on film this season, the Chiefs scored 17 points before halftime and executed their final two drives of the second quarter perfectly.
In the third quarter, the Chiefs had two drives to gain a larger cushion after building a 10-point lead.
“I don’t think it’s an energy or focus thing,” receiver Justin Watson said of the offense’s struggles. “It’s just unforced errors that we need to correct.”
Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy leaned on Mahomes in the second half as the coaches ran just nine designed runs in a combined effort. On 28 dropbacks in the second half, Mahomes completed just 14 of his attempts for 99 yards.
Mahomes failed on four deep passes to his receivers, on three of which the receiver – Valdes-Scantling or Watson – was in front of the last Eagles defender. When the Chiefs actually reached the red zone, star tight end Travis Kelce fumbled the ball. As the Eagles celebrated, Kelce slammed his right fist into the turf after the team’s 19th giveaway of the season, tied for the third-most in the league.
Five players pushed the offense back by also taking a penalty.
“I have to get better,” Kelce said. “I’m just not playing at the level I did in the past. I have to get better. (There are) ball losses and penalties in our half. It’s nothing they did. We all are.”
Perhaps the biggest problem on offense is that Reid and Nagy have not developed one of their receivers into an effective, consistent and reliable secondary option for Mahomes behind Kelce, the best pass catcher.
Despite rookie Rashee Rice being the best contributor among wideouts, Mahomes targeted him just five times against the Eagles’ zone coverage. Kadarius Toney, perhaps the Chiefs’ most dynamic receiver, was more effective on special teams as a punt returner than on offense, finishing with just two receptions on two targets for 12 yards.
“I didn’t pass well enough in certain situations,” Mahomes said. “I threw an interception in the red zone.”
GO DEEPER
What we learned in NFL Week 11: The Cowboys are on the rise, the Lions are stretching, the Chargers are still lagging
In the box score, the Chiefs finished with as many turnovers (two) as touchdowns in the red zone.
“They’re undefeated if they win the turnover battle,” Reid said of the Eagles, who had a chance. “Then you add the penalties, a few drops. We have to take care of that.”
Mahomes’ receivers, including Kelce, dropped five passes, bringing the Chiefs’ total to a league-leading 26.
“You know I’m going to keep firing,” Mahomes said of his receivers. “That’s just who I am. I’ll fire it at the guy who’s open. Usually they’ll make the plays.”
Despite their many mistakes, Reid and Nagy showed perfect passing after the two-minute warning. With the Chiefs near midfield, Mahomes said the Eagles placed three defenders near Kelce in the middle of the field, which opened up a one-on-one opportunity for Valdes-Scantling against Roby. Valdes-Scantling, known for his speed, was 4 yards ahead of Roby when he dropped the potentially game-winning 51-yard touchdown pass.
Had Valdes-Scantling made the reception, the Chiefs would have improved another statistic that’s pretty concerning at this point in the season: They’ve only scored one touchdown in the fourth quarter this year, the fewest of any team in the league.
Valdes-Scantling was not available to speak with reporters after the game but posted his thoughts on social media Tuesday morning. “I’m grateful, I’ll get better. And I appreciate the criticism and the support. God put this on me because He knew I could handle it. Gratitude for everything that comes with it.”
“The game certainly doesn’t come down to one play,” Watson said of Valdes-Scantling. “I’ve seen Marquez make that play 99 times out of 100. That was exactly what he didn’t do. He will have the game played for us next week or at the next opportunity.”
Injury update: Receiver Mecole Hardman suffered a right thumb injury after a 5-yard reception in the first quarter. He returned to the field toward the end of the third quarter. As the starting punt returner, Hardman was replaced by Toney, who had three outstanding returns and rushed for 58 yards on six occasions.
(Photo by Marquez Valdes-Scantling: David Eulitt / Getty Images)
“The Football 100,” the definitive ranking of the 100 greatest NFL players of all time, is in stores now. Order it here.