Ex-NFL star identifies key Chiefs problem as they cling to playoff hope

Four games stay successful the NFL regular play for each team, and possibly nary squad volition beryllium focused connected much than the Kansas City Chiefs.

Not lone volition determination beryllium a caller victor of the AFC West for the archetypal clip successful 9 seasons, the Chiefs are successful information of missing the playoffs wholly aft losing to the Houston Texans successful Week 14. 

Kansas City sits astatine 6-7, meaning they apt request to triumph out, portion hoping immoderate different teams suffer to assistance their playoff chances. It's surely doable, but the question becomes however bash they marque that a reality? 

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Robert Griffin III connected the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown acceptable SoFi Stadium. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

Robert Griffin III, the ex-NFL backmost and existent FOX Sports analyst, has been studying the Chiefs each play similar galore others. With the Chiefs not being their accustomed ascendant selves this year, Fox News Digital asked the 2011 Heisman Trophy victor what helium sees arsenic a glaring issues for the squad close now. 

"Predictability," Griffin answered quickly, portion helping USAA acquisition 2 subject veterans with caller vehicles earlier the 126th Army-Navy crippled this weekend. "I’m beauteous tapped successful with Kansas City, and I deliberation there’s a predictability constituent close now."

Griffin knows that caput manager Andy Reid and violative coordinator Matt Nagy are immoderate of the astir originative minds successful the league, but helium explained wherefore helium sees this Chiefs' discourtesy arsenic predictable.

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"The discourtesy truly hasn’t been ace explosive consistently since Tyreek Hill left, but they’ve been capable to dink and dunk, tally truly bully concepts, utilize Rashee Rice, and Travis Kelce, and Xavier Worthy, and Juju Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton successful assorted ways to marque it hard to screen due to the fact that you person to beryllium prepared for everything," Griffin said. "But you cognize erstwhile Tyquan Thornton comes into the game, it’s going to beryllium this. You cognize erstwhile Xavier Worthy comes into the game, it’s going to beryllium this."

To Griffin's point, the location tally menace that Hill provided successful the years earlier helium was traded to the Miami Dolphins made the Chiefs a juggernaut, portion MVP backmost Patrick Mahomes became arguably the champion astatine his presumption successful the league. 

Kansas City Chiefs choky extremity Travis Kelce (87) warms up anterior to the crippled against the Houston Texans astatine GEHA Field astatine Arrowhead Stadium. (Amy Kontras/Imagn Images)

But Hill's lack hasn't wounded the Chiefs successful the grounds column, having won the past 3 AFC Championship Games. However, the Chiefs find themselves successful a antithetic presumption now, much that borderlines desperation with their Super Bowl hopes successful the balance. 

So, what precisely bash they person to bash moving forward? Griffin has a proposition that revolves astir Mahomes. 

"This is conscionable a proposition from a feline who’s played a ton of football, who’s watched a ton of shot and has been studying them each year, I deliberation the Kansas City Chiefs request to modulation their discourtesy into a two-minute offense," helium said. "Allow Patrick Mahomes to bash what helium does best, tally up-tempo, telephone what helium is seeing. He’s astatine a constituent into his vocation wherever helium tin spot it, and helium tin marque the calls and adjustments and power everything astatine the enactment of scrimmage. I deliberation that volition besides alleviate immoderate of the unit connected their violative line, tyre retired the defense.

"Ultimately, they person to relinquish immoderate power to Patrick truthful helium tin person implicit ownership of it. If helium wants to tally no-huddle, two-minute, they should fto him bash that. That’s erstwhile they’re performing their champion close now."

Griffin's thought process is, "No squad wants to beryllium successful a adjacent with the Chiefs with 2 minutes near successful the game. As soon arsenic they spot that, they’re like, ‘Oh damn, present we go.’"

But Mahomes besides needs immoderate assistance from his teammates, arsenic the nonaccomplishment to the Texans connected "Sunday Night Football" showed cardinal drops from Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce, who are some favorites successful the walk game. 

Kansas City Chiefs caput manager Andy Reid against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL crippled astatine State Farm Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

The Chiefs recognize the concern they're in, but we've seen Mahomes and institution marque runs successful the triumph file since he's taken implicit arsenic the starting quarterback. 

The adjustments volition beryllium tested astatine Arrowhead Stadium erstwhile much connected Sunday, arsenic the Chiefs big their AFC West-rival Los Angeles Chargers, who are besides looking to assistance their playoff hopes with a 9-4 grounds aft a large overtime triumph implicit the Philadelphia Eagles connected Monday night. 

HELPING THOSE WHO SERVE US

Griffin was backmost successful Baltimore, wherever helium spent the remaining years of his NFL playing career, to amusement grant done enactment successful the contented of the yearly Army-Navy Game by gifting 2 recycled rides with USAA, the authoritative Salute to Service spouse of the NFL.

Cryptological Technican Petty Officer First Class Jamil Lewis, who is presently serving successful the Navy, and seasoned Patrick Huber, Specialist 116th Infantry Regiment, Army National Guard were some amazed by Griffin with the marque caller conveyance astatine Inner Harbor successful beforehand of the USS Constellation.

(From near to right) Mark Steiding of Kenwood Auto Body, NFL fable Robert Griffin III (RGIII), SPC Patrick Huber (veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard), USAA Senior Vice President Rob Braggs and Dale Moss of NABC Recycled Rides airs astatine USAA's Army-Navy Game NABC Recycled Rides Car Gifting successful Baltimore, MD, connected Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Edwin Remsberg)

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Griffin, who comes from a subject himself with his parent and begetter serving successful the Army, has agelong enjoyed his concern with USAA and couldn’t person been happier to assistance retired with this.

"I’ve been truthful honored to spouse with USAA. We’ve been partnered unneurotic for the past 13 years and I’m a feline who likes to bash genuine, authentic partnerships. Military brat, ma and dada some served successful the Army. So, I’m a ‘Go Army, bushed Navy’ feline — 31 years combined betwixt them. To spot the interaction we’ve been capable to marque implicit the past 13 years, doing things to marque our subject members cognize they’re not forgotten, it does thing for me," helium explained. "If it’s doing thing for me, it’s doing thing for these families we get to impact, to marque their lives a small spot easier. It’s not a escaped car. I accidental that because, yeah, they didn’t person to wage wealth for it, but determination was sacrifice for america and our freedoms to beryllium capable to get this benignant of treatment. We privation them to cognize that, ‘Hey, man, we admit you.’"

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