Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes struggles, exits early as Kansas City Chiefs flounder vs. Titans

Published Oct. 24, 2021 5:09 p.m. ET

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An up-and-down season for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs hit another big downswing Sunday with a 27-3 blowout loss against the Tennessee Titans.

The contest, which dropped the Chiefs to 3-4, was effectively over by halftime.

Kansas City trailed 27-0 at the half, the biggest deficit of Mahomes' career and the first time the Chiefs were shut out in the opening half of a regular-season game since Week 4 of 2016.

The quarterback comparison at halftime was not flattering to Mahomes, who completed five of nine attempts for 41 yards, an interception and a 27.8 passer rating at that point.

That pick from Mahomes marked his sixth consecutive game with an interception, the longest streak of his career. He now has nine interceptions amid this turnover-plagued season after having 11 in the previous two seasons combined.

In contrast, Ryan Tannehill went 7-for-7 for 114 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter alone. Even superstar Titans running back Derrick Henry, known more for his bulldozing runs to the end zone, added a touchdown pass to his account.

To make matters worse for Kansas City's 26-year-old QB, he exited the game with an apparent head injury in the fourth quarter.

His final line for the day read 20-for-35 for 206 yards, one interception and a 62.3 passer rating. He was also sacked four times and had two fumbles, one of which the Titans recovered.

Mahomes didn't get much in terms of help on offense, either. His six carries for 35 yards led the team, ahead of starting running back Darrel Williams' five carries for 20 yards.

Kansas City's dynamic pass-catching duo of Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill was held largely in check, too. Kelce and Hill had seven catches for 65 yards and six catches for 49 yards, respectively, with neither star reaching the end zone.

Byron Pringle led the way for Kansas City's receivers with five grabs for 73 yards.

Furthermore, the maligned Kansas City defense did very little to clean up its reputation. Tennessee's offense scored on its opening five possessions, including a pair of touchdowns on back-to-back drives in the first quarter.

Though the Chiefs did hold Henry to 86 rushing yards after the running back averaged 145 yards in his past five games, they were carved up through the air. 

Tannehill completed 77.8% of his 27 attempts for 270 yards, one touchdown and one pick, compiling a passer rating of 105.2. 

The Chiefs only got to Tannehill once, bringing him down for a nine-yard sack toward the end of the first half.

Kansas City also allowed the Titans to convert eight of their 12 third-down attempts and racked up nine penalties for 77 yards, allowing Tennessee to extend drives and eventually hold a 36:21 to 23:23 advantage in time of possession.  

Simply put, nothing seems to be trending positively for the Chiefs right now.

The possible silver lining from Sunday's loss? Chiefs head coach Andy Reid reportedly said Mahomes cleared concussion protocol but was held out presumably for precautionary reasons.

If Kansas City is going to right the ship, they'll need Mahomes to rediscover the kind of performances that had him in MVP conversations year after year.

But if Sunday's outing becomes the norm, the Chiefs could be in for a long season in the hyper-competitive AFC West.

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Kansas City Chiefs

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NFL - Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tennessee Titans - 10/24/2021

Patrick Mahomes

Travis Kelce

Tyreek Hill