Welcome to How the heck is it December Week 14 edition of 'Speaking with the Enemy,' a weekly feature here at Toro Times where I'll be sleuthing for some intel on each week's Houston Texans opponent.
This week, ahead of a potential Loser Leaves Town matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, I spoke with Matt Conner of Arrowhead Addict to to give us the some Chiefs-centric insight on what we should be expecting from this matchup.
Sonny Giuliano: So Matt, I think I'm obligated to ask you the one question it seems that everyone is searching for an answer to... what the hell is wrong with the Kansas City Chiefs? 6-6 going into December is something that may have been tolerated in the Alex Smith days, but with Patrick Mahomes under center, this is inconceivable. It's weird, because you look at some of the numbers and this year's team is actually comparable to last year's team that went 15-2 and lost in the Super Bowl. The biggest difference just seems to be the ability to close out close games, which KC was historically great at last year and struggling with this year. Is it that simple, or am I missing something else?
Matt Conner: Lots of shooting themselves in the foot. The metrics bear out that they are not a .500 team, just as they were not a 15-2 team last year either (more like an 11- or 12-win team). But the mistakes are brutal. The player usage of younger guys on both sides of the ball is very confusing. Just odd coaching calls and sloppy player concerns. Now there are major injuries as well. The whole picture looks both impressive and awful, and we're all confused.
SG: One thing I've noticed about the Chiefs defense -- as a Site Expert for the Houston Texans and a lifelong fan of the Chicago Bears, I recognize things like this -- is a lack of splash plays defensively. Kansas City is 29th in forced turnovers and 27th in sacks. That's not the M.O. of a Steve Spagnuolo defense. What's been the biggest issue here?
MC: That's part of the miscues. Easy interceptions that are dropped help explain a bit of that. But the pass rush has no teeth, which is the main concern here. Chris Jones has been the pillar here, but nothing else is holding up this house. It's brutal. There's not a single pass rusher on the Chiefs aside from Jones who would make an offensive coordinator adjust the game plan. If your front four can't collapse the pocket and force bad decisions, then a quarterback at this level is just not going to turn the ball over.
SG: It feels like the Texans and Chiefs are in a similar boat in that either team would likely scare the hell out of any Wild Card Round playoff opponent, even the KC or Houston were on the road for that game. Do you think that fear of the Chiefs is actually justified this season, or would that fear be based on reputation alone?
MC: It could be reputation in hindsight, but that said, I'm still very bullish on the Chiefs. Just saying the numbers out loud—"five Super Bowl appearances in the last six seasons"—should do all the talking for the franchise at this point. I'm not going to say they shouldn't be feared until it's been proven in the postseason that they shouldn't be feared.
SG: Give me one under the radar Chiefs player that Texans fans should be keeping an eye on?
MC: Tyquan Thornton looks reborn in this offense, if only they'll play him. I'm not sure if K.C. even has much planned for him on Sunday given that Houston's pass rush will likely keep much from developing down the field, but his resurgence after years in New England would be a bigger storyline if K.C. wasn't falling apart.
SG: If the Chiefs hold off the Texans on Sunday night and get back above .500, what do you think the reason why will be?
MC: The Chiefs stop shooting themselves in the foot. Cut the penalties. Stick to fundamentals. Fill your gaps. And Andy Reid also needs to leave his "cute" playcalling folder at home.
SG: Last, and most importantly, what's the latest news on the Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift wedding? Has the Arrowhead Addict staff gotten its Save The Date yet?
MC: I refuse to talk about such things.