Here are four things that stood out in Chiefs' loss to Cowboys
The Chiefs were their own worst enemy in Week 13 action
The Chiefs’ road woes continued Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys.
Third-down issues, penalties and inconsistent offensive play contributed to the Chiefs’ 31-28 loss at AT&T Stadium.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes did all he could to keep the Chiefs in the game in his first professional outing in Dallas.
Mahomes completed 23-of-34 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns for a 129.7 passer rating, adding 30 yards rushing on three carries.
His most impressive throw came when the Chiefs attempted a comeback late in the fourth quarter.
Facing a third-and-6 situation, Mahomes was flushed out of the pocket and he scrambled to his right. Mahomes stumbled but managed to keep his balance before heaving a deep pass down the field to wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who turned it into a 42-yard gain.
The Chiefs would get in the end zone four plays later when Mahomes found Hollywood Brown for a 10-yard touchdown, which represented the team’s final points of the game.
Kansas City now sits at 6-6 on the season, which includes a head-scratching 1-5 record on the road.
And the team knows the margin for error with five games remaining is thin.
“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to win every game now,” Mahomes told reporters after the game. “I hope that’s enough. We’re going to play a lot of good ball teams coming up.
“If we’re going to make the playoffs, we’re going to have to win them all. That’s got to be the mindset when we step into the building when we get back.”
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones echoed Mahomes.
“I think we got these next five to six games, is going to be very, very critical for us as a team that we need to make sure we execute at a high level — offense, defense and special teams,” Jones told reporters after the game. “So, for us, it’s about honing in and coming closer together, relying on each other and pushing each other.”
Here are four areas that stood out in the loss:
OWN WORST ENEMY
The Chiefs first two possessions produced touchdowns, and then the Chiefs were forced into two straight punts to close out the first half.
Kansas City’s first possession of the second half also stalled, leading to another punt.
Penalties were the culprit.
Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons was flagged for holding during the stalled two drives to close out the first half. Then, Worthy drew a penalty for offensive pass interference to stall the initial third-quarter drive.
The Chiefs would go on to punt the ball four straight times after the two early touchdowns before snapping the streak early in the fourth quarter with a touchdown to give the Chiefs a short-lived 21-20 lead.
While some the infractions were questionable, Kansas City finished the game with 10 penalties for 119 yards.
“Penalties killed some drives,” Mahomes told reporters after the game. “That’s the stuff that we’ve got to be better at.
That’s the kind of stuff that we’ve done all year long -- you get penalties, you get behind the sticks and then you don’t get first downs. So, whenever you get 10, 11, or whatever it was, penalties, that usually hurts you at the end of the day.”
Meanwhile, yellow flags weren’t the only issue to plague the Chiefs.
The Chiefs defense couldn’t get off the field when they needed to, as the Cowboys converted 9-of-16 chances (56%) on third down situations.
On the flip side, the Chiefs’ offense converted just 5-of-13 opportunities (38%) on third downs.
STAYING HOT
Wide receiver Rashee Rice’s value to the offense has been shining since he returned to the lineup after serving a six-game suspension to start the season.
Rice made an early impact against the Cowboys by catching a short pass before outrunning the defense down the left sideline for a 27-yard touchdown. The score arrived two plays after Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson picked off Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Rice continued to make his presence felt throughout the game, making big plays when needed.
Rice finished the contest with eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns on 12 targets, adding a carry for 2 yards.
Thursday night’s game comes days after Rice totaled eight catches for 141 yards on 12 targets.
Over the last six games, Rice has found the end zone six times (five receiving, one rushing).
Imagine where the Chiefs would be if he didn’t miss the first six games of the season.
SECOND DRIVE
So that’s what it looks like when the Chiefs want to run the football.
The Chiefs pounded the rock on the second possession, which produced a 12-play, 72-yard scoring drive. Patrick Mahomes capped off the drive when he found tight end Travis Kelce for a 2-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-goal situation.
The bigger story, though, was the Chiefs gained 66 yards on the ground with five different players: Mahomes, Rice, Worthy and running backs Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco.
Mahomes helped keep the drive alive with a 16-yard scramble out of the pocket on a third-and-14 situation. He got down to the Cowboys’ 9-yard line, then found Kelce for the score four plays later.
The Chiefs finished the game with 119 yards rushing on 23 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt.
Hunt paced the attack with a team-high 58 yards on 14 carries, while Pacheco chipped in with 30 yards on three carries in his first game back since Week 8.
BOOKEND PROBLEMS
Remember when the Chiefs’ offensive tackles were a question mark during the offseason?
Any concerns were alleviated in training camp, as Josh Simmons and Jawaan Taylor solidified the positions.
That was then, this is now.
Taylor left Thursday’s game with a triceps injury, and then Simmons departed in the third quarter with a wrist injury.
Jaylon Moore entered the game at right tackle in place of Taylor, while Wanya Morris replaced Simmons at left tackle.
The Chiefs were already without starting right guard Trey Smith (ankle) to start the game, but being down two starting tackles for any length of time will be an issue going forward.