Coming off a brutal loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs have fallen from grace and no longer look like the unstoppable force that dominated the NFL the past few seasons. With a bunch of teams outplaying them and giving them a 2-3 record through five games, there may be some serious changes in order for the team.
Both Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will have to cook up a new game plan to turn things around for the Chiefs and propel their team back to the top of the NFL. However, the main issue hasn't been on offense. It's the defense that needs to step up immensely and come away with big stops in order for Kansas City to get back to its winning ways.
After three straight trips to the AFC Championship Game and back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, the Chiefs could be in danger of missing out on both if they can't make the necessary adjustments on defense.
Now that they have major issues to address, let's take a look at two Chiefs defenders who are on the verge of losing their starting spots after Kansas City's slow start to the 2021 NFL season.
Chiefs crisis points: Daniel Sorensen
During their blowout loss to the Bills on Sunday, Daniel Sorensen got burned downfield a few times while trying to cover Stefon Diggs and Emmanuel Sanders. Both veteran receivers wound up scoring touchdowns and made things difficult for the Chiefs' defense all night long. Sorensen was outrun on multiple occasions by Buffalo's playmakers.
Usually, Sorensen is one of the Chiefs' best players, always prepared, locked in, and ready to come up with big plays for them on defense. But lately he seems to have lost his touch.
The Chiefs may need to find a replacement for him. He did come up with seven tackles and play his heart out in Kansas City's close loss to the Ravens. However, the AFC champions have now lost a few close games that were very winnable, and Sorensen flinched a few times too many for them during these tough losses.
Kansas City came out flat against Buffalo in the second half of Sunday's game, too. Granted, there were some bad calls and circumstances that caused this, but Sorensen is a seasoned veteran and a leader on their defense who usually helps set the tone and keep everyone in check. With his recent mishaps, the team has definitely regressed on defense and paid a hefty price. Given all that's gone down the past few games, it may be time for the Chiefs to bring in Juan Thornhill as their new starting free safety.
L'Jarius Sneed
Another key member of the Chiefs' secondary who has fallen off the past few games, L'Jarius Sneed needs to step his game up to help Kansas City minimize its opponents' passing game and produce some critical stops. If they want to come away with consecutive wins and get back on the right track, then they will Sneed to bring his A-game in the coming weeks to help them get out of their current funk.
Over the past few games, Sneed has been nonexistent on defense and has had subpar showings for the Chiefs.
Currently sitting at the bottom of the AFC West, the Chiefs need all the help they can get to come away with a few key wins so they can fight their way back to the top of a highly competitive AFC West. In their quest to achieve right the ship, Kansas City will need Sneed to step his game up drastically. Otherwise, he may see Rashad Fenton replace him as the Chiefs' new starting right cornerback.
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