The Kansas City Chiefs dropped their sixth game of the season on Thursday, falling to the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 31-28.
Here are some quick notes from the loss.
1. Kansas City raced out to a fast start on Thursday but ultimately couldn't capitalize.
The Chiefs couldn't have gotten off to a better start on Thursday, picking off Cowboys' quarterback Dak Prescott on just the third snap of the game before turning the takeaway into points a few moments later.
Dallas then responded with a touchdown drive of its own, but Kansas City answered right away when quarterback Patrick Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce for a 2-yard touchdown on the Chiefs' ensuing series.
Kansas City looked to be in store for a big game on both sides of the ball, but unfortunately, the Cowboys proceeded to make a handful of plays that the Chiefs didn't match over the second and third quarters. Dallas rattled off 13 unanswered points during that time, and while Kansas City still managed to briefly re-claim the lead early in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys responded with 10 more unanswered points that turned out to be unsurmountable.
The Chiefs deserve credit for remaining in the fight on Thursday, notably when Mahomes evaded pressure and found wide receiver Xavier Worthy for a 42-yard completion deep down the field in the game's wanning minutes. The play set up a touchdown throw to wide receiver Hollywood Brown a few snaps later that cut the deficit to just three points with over three minutes remaining in the game, but Kansas City never possessed the ball again.
Simply put, Thursday's game – like all of Kansas City's losses this season – came down to missed opportunities, and while the Chiefs did a lot of things well over the course of the game, those missed chances added up. Notably, each of Kansas City's four possessions between the second the third quarters drove into Cowboys' territory, but they netted a combined zero points. That sequence of drives, in many ways, ended up being the difference in the end.
2. The Cowboys' performance on third down was the story of the game.
Defensively, the clear difference on Thursday was the Cowboys' performance on third down which, excluding a kneel-down at the end of the game, saw Dallas convert on nine of 15 opportunities.
Specifically, Dallas converted numerous long third-down chances, moving the chains five times on 3rd-and-7 or longer. The Cowboys achieved that feat three times on their opening series, which ended in a touchdown, converting a 3rd-and-7, a 3rd-and-9 and a 3rd-and-10.
Dallas then moved the chains again, this time despite a 3rd-and-8, early in the fourth quarter when Dak Prescott found wide receiver George Pickens for a 39-yard gain. The play, which set up a go-ahead touchdown just four snaps later, represented a clear swing moment in the game. Kansas City had the lead at that point, meaning a punt would have provided the Chiefs' offense with an opportunity to extend the lead, and at worst, drain some clock. Instead, Kansas City was once again playing from behind.
Overall, if any of those long third downs went the other way, there's a good chance the Chiefs would have found a way to win the game. It just goes to show how thin the margin for error is when you let a good team hang around, and it needs to be an area in which Kansas City improves down the stretch.
3. A major positive from Thursday's game was the Chiefs' efficiency in the red zone.
It certainly wasn't all bad on Thursday despite the result, and if there's one major positive takeaway from the game, it was the Chiefs' red zone touchdown efficiency.
Kansas City was 3-for-3 in terms of scoring touchdowns in the red zone, which marked a major improvement after the Chiefs were just 2-for-9 in that area over the course of their prior two games.
If Kansas City is to turn things around and make a run over the next several weeks, that improvement in the red zone will need to continue.
4. The Chiefs shot themselves in the foot with 10 penalties for 119 yards.
Kansas City was penalized 10 times for a season-high 119 yards on Thursday, marking its fourth game this season with 10+ penalties. As you might expect, those four occurrences account for four of the Chiefs' six losses this season.
Those penalties on Thursday took their toll, too. Kansas City went scoreless on its four possessions between the second and third quarter despite driving into Cowboys' territory on each, and costly penalties were the primary factor behind those struggles.
For example, on the first drive in that sequence, a holding call put the Chiefs behind the sticks after driving to the Cowboys' 41-yard line, and ultimately led to a punt. Then, on Kansas City's next drive, another holding call wiped out a 15-yard gain (down to the Cowboys' 28-yard line) and instead thwarted another potential scoring series.
Lastly, on the Chiefs' opening drive of the second half, an offensive pass interference call took a third-down conversion off the board, later leading to another punt.
Much like the Chiefs' struggles on third down defensively that were discussed above, the absence of just one or two of these penalties probably would have changed the game. Again, if the Chiefs are to get back on track over the final month of the season, they can't rack up numerous penalties in critical moments.
5. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes turned in another strong game despite the loss.
Mahomes left it all out on the field during Thursday's game, completing 23-of-34 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns. Two of his scoring strikes took place amidst 4th-and-Goal situations, and his aforementioned 42-yard heave to Xavier Worthy late in the game kept the Chiefs' chances alive.
It ended up not being enough on Thursday, but with a shot at the postseason still very within reach, Mahomes and the Chiefs will have an opportunity to turn things around this Sunday in a primetime showdown against the Houston Texans.
