The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27-19 and produced one of the biggest upsets of this season. After defeating the Lions in their last game, they have now toppled over the reigning champs at Lambeau Field. What could be the main reasons behind this shattering defeat? The Chiefs sure have a list of concerns on their hand.
Although the Chiefs have given exceptional performances in the winning causes, their losses against the Packers and the Broncos have raised several eyebrows. The recent defeats have proved that a few matters are troubling the Chiefs as they are not able to perform on their merit.
Ari Merov in his recent tweet addressed the Chiefs’ loss and started by pointing out the unnecessary roughness call and question on Marquez Valdes Scantling’s climbing attempt on the back of a Chiefs’ player. He pointed out that DPI could have been used to address the situation. If the technology is available, then what’s the point of not using it when it is required the most?
Another was the obvious reason when the clock stopped just before MVS took the catch that could have resulted in a touchdown. While the roughness, the lack of technology usage, and referee calls remain starting main concerns, some other important factors also affected the game for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs do not have practice to perform in the extreme cold conditions of Green Bay. The minus-degree temperatures of the city proved to be troublesome for the Red Army. The last crisis remained the list of horrifying injuries sustained by the Chiefs players at key moments.
The Chiefs entered without RB McKinnon and LB Nick Bolton who were ruled out before the game. During the game, the starting LB Drue Tranquill suffered a concussion in the first half and their left tackle Donavan Smith’s return was in doubt because of a neck injury. Safety Bryan Cook was tackled by AJ Dillion after a 14-yard interception in the second half.
Outside these 5 reasons, fingers point toward the defensive failures and QB Patrick Mahomes and TE Travis Kelce’s lackluster performances. In comparison to their previous display of skills, both players looked to be lacking in performance on Sunday.
Throughout the game against the Packers, the defense of the KC side looked underwhelmingly sub-par. The Chiefs’ defense could have easily defended one of the crucial completions, but none of their defenders reacted in the given time. They committed a blunder when RB Patrick Taylor got away with a 27-yard line pass.
However, this time around, even the offense of the team was not in the best condition. QB Patrick Mahomes, in comparison to his previous games, put forth a basic presence with 1 TD, a 63.6% completion rate, facing 1 interception, and being sacked 3 times. Besides him, even TE Travis Kelce has not been at his best for some games now. While he showed some recovery from his previous clashes, reaching 81 yards with four receptions on five targets, the expectations remain much higher from the TE to get KC back into their dominant stance.
