Chiefs’ Favorite Possessions Have Sputtered in Costly Fashion

In Sunday’s 22-19 loss at Denver, those drives sputtered like an old truck needing a tuneup – and one ended in disaster.

Second-quarter Drive I

Kansas City got the ball with three minutes left in the second quarter and actually got 9 yards on its first two plays.

• Then, despite Kareem Hunt’s league-leading ability to convert short-yardage, the Chiefs on third-and-1 decided to pass against the league’s No. 1 pass-rush defense.

• Nose tackle D.J. Jones got Denver’s first sack of the day, dropping Patrick Mahomes.

Second-quarter Drive II

After the Chiefs’ defense neutralized the Broncos, Andy Reid opted to allow precious seconds to roll off the clock before Denver punted. Kansas City got the ball back on its 24-yard line with 27 seconds and two timeouts.

• On the first play, Hollywood Brown moved the chains on the sideline but for some reason didn’t go out of bounds, forcing Reid to burn a timeout.

• After a Josh Simmons false start, Mahomes evaded pressure and threw a perfect strike to Rashee Rice, but the receiver let the ball go through his hands to negate a gain of 20-plus yards.

• Ja’Quan McMillian got home on a blitz to smother Kansas City’s Hail Mary before Mahomes could even launch it.

Third-quarter Drive I

The Chiefs fell 2 yards short of a touchdown against the league’s No. 1 red-zone defense, but the drive was painfully inefficient. In fact, two Broncos penalties on the drive saved the Chiefs on separate occasions.

• Rookie Jahdae Barron intercepted Mahomes on the drive’s third play and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown. But Riley Moss was called for illegal contact, giving the ball back to Kansas City.

• It was a Chiefs penalty, though, that really cost the Chiefs. Jawaan Taylor lined up too far off the line of scrimmage, wiping out Kareem Hunt’s big reception that would’ve had the Chiefs at first-and-goal from Denver’s 2-yard line.

• Two plays later, Mahomes couldn’t get the ball over McMillian’s head and the cornerback picked off the pass. Sean Payton’s illegal collision with an official on the opposite sideline wound up negating the return yardage, but Denver got to keep the ball.

The game before in a 28-21 loss at Buffalo, the Chiefs on the last drive of the first half had first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. However, they couldn’t secure that crucial touchdown and wound up settling for a field goal. Then, on the initial drive after halftime, they went three-and-out.

On those second-half-opening drives, Kansas City actually ranks tied for first in the NFL with six touchdowns (Buffalo also has six).

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