The Chiefs offense ranks ninth and fifteenth in yards and scoring, respectively, after ranking first in both categories previous season.
The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Miami Dolphins in the NFL Playoffs’ wild-card round as they prepare to defend their crown from last season. However, the club has looked different this season compared to previous seasons when they were strong on offense.
The offense has been sluggish despite having probably the finest quarterback in the league in Patrick Mahomes and even the top tight end in the NFL in Travis Kelce. Their wide receiver talent has fallen short, but that may be an understatement given that the Chiefs lead the league in dropped passes.
According to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk, the team dropped from first in yards and scoring last season to ninth and fifteenth. Mahomes, on the other hand, spoke to the media during his press conference on Tuesday and expressed confidence that the offense will rediscover its stride in the postseason, which begins Saturday night against Miami.
“Not only in our offense, but also in our football team,” Mahomes told the media, according Pro Football Talk. “Based on how the defense is playing, I believe we’re going to play our best football at the right time.” I believe that if we can just score — we don’t even have to score a lot of points — our defense will close the door and we will be able to win.”
According to Mahomes, the Chiefs have postseason experience.
Mahomes emphasized that the squad must play complementary football because the defense has been a shining spot this season compared to prior years, ranking second in total defense according to Fox Sports. Despite the offense’s volatility, the two-time Super Bowl champion feels the squad has the experience in important games that sets them apart from the rest of the pack.
“We play in a lot of big games, playing games on short rest, we play in night games, whatever it is,” Mahomes was quoted as saying. “I believe that just having that experience will be beneficial to us.” Having those games where nothing goes your way and you have to find a way to win despite the odds. Many of the guys on this team have done so.”
The “step up” to the playoffs, according to Mahomes, will be “a little bit smaller.”
Mahomes has played some of his greatest football in the playoffs throughout his three Super Bowl campaigns, with two of them ending in championships. This season, the 28-year-old quarterback has passed for 4,183 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
“The step up that you always see going into the playoffs, it will be a step up, but I think we can make it even a little bit smaller because we’ve been in games like this,” Mahomes said in a statement. “Just being able to rely on our experiences and go out there and be the best team we can be and play our best football and see what happens.”
Kansas City will also benefit from the weather, as the predicted temperature at Arrowhead Stadium is “to be -6 degrees, prompting AccuWeather to highlight in their forecast that it’s ‘potentially the coldest home playoff game in Kansas City history,'” according to NFL.com.
Saturday night’s wild-card playoff game between the Chiefs and Dolphins will be televised on Peacock, a streaming service.
