The Chiefs squeaked by the Raiders with a 19-17 win, securing their playoff spot yet again. But let’s be real—barely scraping past one of the league’s bottom-dwellers isn’t exactly the flex fans were hoping for. In fact, it took until the last quarter for Chiefs coach Andy Reid to make some big changes to the offensive line. The team had Kingsley Suamataia at left tackle but the rookie didn’t seem to be doing good with pressure and sacks so, he got switched for second-year pro-Wanya Morris. Unfortunately, Morris didn’t fare any better at protecting QB Patrick Mahomes.

In the last minutes of the game, the Raiders fumbled the chance at a winning field goal. The Chiefs then replaced Morris with Joe Thuney and brought Mike Caliendo off the bench to play guard. All this pointed to a season-long problem for the Chiefs: Their left tackle issue.

When are they going to solve it? They brought in former Pro Bowl left tackle D.J. Humphries last week. However, he has barely had the opportunity to spend time with the team and is also coming off an ACL tear, and Reid understands the issue they are facing.

The HC talked about Patrick Mahomes’ O-line. He was on the Kansas City Chiefs’ YouTube channel for a press conference, where he stated, “Yeah, we can do better in that area. So, I have to make sure to give the guys the right things to run against that defense, and then the guys have to do their job on top of that. So, it’s kind of a packaged deal there.” Translation? There’s room for improvement and the clock’s ticking.

That being said, the HC took some of the blame on himself as well. “I didn’t feel like I was necessarily putting them in the best position against them,” he stated. Isiah Pacheco’s return from injured reserve was supposed to inject some life into the run game. But paired with Kareem Hunt, the duo managed just 14 carries on the day. Not exactly the ground-and-pound dominance you would expect from a team that’s chasing the 3-peat!

Mahomes and his team may have clinched their 10th straight playoff berth, but the performance raised more questions than answers. The bigger problem? Patrick Mahomes is taking way too many hits. Starting left tackle, Wanya Morris had a game to forget, allowing the QB to be sacked five times. Interestingly, it tied for the most sacks on Mahomes in his 126-game career (regular season and postseason) and also marked the third time the QB has been sacked five times.

The Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid had to make adjustments mid-game—a move that ultimately saved the day. But like they say, ‘The damage was done.’

No one liked what they saw from the two-time defending champs. If that’s the show fans are going to get in the postseason, what’s the point Because long story short, if they do this in playoffs, the fans will be raging. The good thing here? KC’s #15 knows it all too well.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 306 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders. And that’s funny, isn’t it? We keep saying how bad they were, but that’s the mark of the champs to eke out victories at your worst. But if it starts becoming a habit, then that’s a problem. That’s why Mahomes isn’t celebrating. Not yet.

“We don’t feel like we’re playing our best football,” he admitted. This win didn’t feel like a Super Bowl contender flexing—it felt like a team hanging on by the skin of its teeth. I mean, when they met their match in fellow SB-contenders in the Bills after they tasted the first defeat of the season. So, it’s not all about popping the red and gold confetti every time they get a dub. Sometimes it is also about reality check.

Consistency, or lack thereof, has been the Chiefs’ Achilles heel all season. Mahomes is craving a complete game, but so far, it has been a lopsided affair. One week, the defense steps up; the next, it’s the offense keeping them afloat. Against the Raiders, a game full of mistakes and missed opportunities ended in Kansas City’s favor only because Vegas botched their final drive. That’s not exactly championship football, is it?

“We’ve got to find a way to build up so we can play great as a full team,” Mahomes said, voicing what every Chiefs fan is thinking. So, that’s good news that the coach and the guy at the center are on the same page when it comes to noticing the flaws in the system, it looks like they need to get better at execution. Well, all that being said about the offense, let us not forget about Travis Kelce, who once again depended on a smooth lateral move.

Andy Reid: Will Travis Kelce’s lateral pass become a part of their playbook?

Kelce threw a perfect pitch to teammate Samaje Perine. It was the 3rd & 10 on the play and just a bit over four minutes left in the first quarter. “It was not scripted, I can tell you that much,” Perine shared after the game. “I saw him do it a couple of times, he does it in practice, so I was like, ‘Let me stay in phase, just in case.’ And, sure enough, I saw him switch the ball and wind his arm back and I was just ready for it.”

Even Reid confirmed something similar after winning against the Raiders. “We do it everyday at practice. I can’t tell you the name of it,” he told a journalist. Well, the TE’s lateral pass has been quite famous and so, will it be a part of the playbook for the Chiefs?

In the same press conference, Coach Reid was asked that question. Here’s how he responded:

“He has been doing it for a few years. We do it at practice every day. You guys see that, so you know it. This isn’t something that we throw out there on game day. I mean it is something we do. And so everything’s okay with that just as long as you complete them.”

Well, Andy Reid didn’t answer with a definitive yes or no, but the move is already a part of their practice sessions. In fact, even in the New Orleans Saints game, Reid was quite supportive of Kelce’s in-game creativity with his lateral pass. Also, let us tell you one more thing. Taylor Swift loves Travis Kelce’s lateral throw, which earned the Chiefs a first down and QB Mahomes ended the drive with a 6-yard pass to Justin Watson. It gave them a touchdown!

Swift, who attended the game, even mimicked her beau, Kelce’s first down signal after the play.