Following a season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions, the Kansas City Chiefs have reeled off six straight wins and undoubtedly look like a team that could become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champion in nearly two decades.
As expected, the Kansas City offense is rolling as Patrick Mahomes is having yet another MVP-caliber season, having completed 69.5% of his passes for 2,017 yards with 15 touchdowns through seven games.
And more than a quarter of that production involves Travis Kelce, who's also having yet another All-Pro season with 48 catches for 525 yards and four scores. One has to wonder if that loss to the Lions would have happened had Kelce not been sidelined with a knee injury.
Overall, the Chiefs are averaging 396.7 yards of offense, second only to the Miami Dolphins, and are also among the league leaders in scoring at 25.4 points per game.
But what's truly scary about this 2023 squad is that the offense isn't even their best unit, as the defense might just be the strongest Andy Reid has had since he came to Kansas City a decade ago.
Through seven games, Steve Spagnuolo's group is allowing just 15 points per game, second only to the Baltimore Ravens.
But no team is perfect, right?
Even with everything Kansas City does well -- and that's obviously just about everything -- there are still a few concerns. Specifically, here's a quick look at three players still showing some warning signs during the Chiefs' 6-1 start.
Kansas City Chiefs CB L'Jarius Sneed needs to be better
Overall, fourth-year cornerback L'Jarius Sneed is having a solid season.
While he's recorded just one interception thus far this season, that coming this past Sunday in the Chiefs' 31-17 win over the Chargers, the Louisiana Tech alum is tied for the team lead in total tackles with linebacker Drue Tranquill with 36.
But the issue obviously isn't with the tackles he's made, but instead the ones he's missed.
Through seven games, Sneed has missed seven tackles, which also leads the team. Thankfully, it hasn't cost the Chiefs really anything. But as the season progresses, a big missed tackle could perhaps cost Kansas City the No. 1 seed or even a playoff game.
Again, it's not as if Sneed is having a terrible year by any stretch of the imagination. But a 17.5% miss percentage should have Spagnuolo concerned at least a little.
Kansas City Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling has room to improve
It may surprise some to know that of every player on the Kansas City Chiefs roster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling has the sixth-highest 2023 salary-cap hit, trailing only Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, Travis Kelce, Joe Thuney, and Justin Reid.
Unfortunately, however, the former Green Bay Packer has been nowhere near worth the $11 million he's collecting this season.
Coming off a 2022 campaign during which he caught 42 passes for 687 yards and a pair of touchdowns, adding another 122 yards and a pair of scores during Kansas City's postseason run, the former Green Bay Packer is on pace to finish with far worse numbers in 2023.
Through the first seven games of this current campaign, all of which he's started, Valdes-Scantling has been targeted 17 times and has caught just 10 passes. Sure, those 10 catches have accounted for 200 yards, and he has scored a touchdown.
But it's a bit concerning when the team's highest-paid wideout has fewer targets and fewer receptions than seven other players.
Now, MVS obviously can't control how many times Mahomes throws the football in his direction. And, yes, Rashee Rice has exceeded expectations in his rookie season with 26 catches for 305 yards and three TDs.
Perhaps the six-year veteran is simply a decoy at this point -- and maybe he's just fine with that, given the big checks he's collecting. But one has to think Valdes-Scantling would enjoy being a more significant part of the Chiefs' offense.
Kansas City Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire needs to play up to his potential
It's wild to think that in 2020, Clyde Edwards-Helaire accounted for 1,100 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, which obviously made him one of the most promising young running backs in the NFL.
It's also wild to think that just three years later, he's now technically the third-string running back behind Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon, although McKinnon is used far more in the passing game than as a rusher.
Now, you may be wondering why a third-stringer is any cause of concern for the Kansas City Chiefs. And maybe he's not.
But despite his reduced role, the LSU alum still gets several touches per game. The problem is that those touches rarely amount to anything. In fact, through the first six weeks of the season, 67% of his 36 touches (30 rushes, six receptions) resulted in negative yardage. Perhaps that's why he only touched the ball twice against the Chargers in Week 7.
So why does this matter?
Well, it matters because if Pacheco, who plays a highly physical brand of football, rolls an ankle or takes one hard hit, Edwards-Helaire will have to step up.
And given what we've seen from this year, that could be a real problem for the Kansas City offense. Opposing defenses aren't scared of him in the slightest anymore, nor should they be. There's essentially no need to pay much attention to him when he's on the field, which allows defenses to double up elsewhere.
If and when the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent is forced to again take on a bigger role, he'll need to prove he can be even half the player he was three years ago.
