The Kansas City Chiefs have dropped five of their last six games, but head coach Andy Reid isn’t putting the blame entirely on quarterback Alex Smith.
According to the team’s official site, Reid said all of the offense must improve for the Chiefs to regain their effectiveness through the air.
Reid asserted that the struggles aren’t one thing, providing an example that receiver who breaks open might not actually be part of the progression.
“There’s a lot of things that go into it. The thing I can do is stand before you and tell you that this isn’t an Alex Smith thing, it’s all of us.”
Smith opened the season destroying everything in Kansas City’s path, accounting for 12 touchdowns while throwing zero interceptions as the Chiefs built a 5-0 record. He averaged at least seven yards per attempt in each of those five wins.
During the last six games, though, Kansas City’s offense has slowed. Although Smith didn’t throw a pick until Week 9, he’s failed to reach that seven-yard average three times. The early season explosiveness is only showing up once in a while.
Throughout the undefeated start, the Chiefs averaged 156.2 rushing yards and lost a single turnover. Since then, they’ve mustered just 76.3 yards per game and ceded possession a total of seven times.
Kansas City still holds a slim advantage in the AFC West. But the results of upcoming games against the New York Jets, Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers will reveal if the Chiefs have properly addressed their issues enough to reach the playoffs.