Patrick Mahomes is back on track, but there’s a different Chiefs unit that’s now a cause for concern

Are both sides of the ball showing flaws for Kansas City?

Patrick Mahomes (left) and Andy Reid (right).LAPRESSE

For seemingly the fourth or fifth time this season, the Kansas City Chiefs escaped with a win in a game that could have gone the complete other way. The Chiefs’ 30-27 win over the Carolina Panthers was the eighth one-score win (out of 10) of the season for the Chiefs. They have made a living from winning close games, which can be a great sign once the NFL Playoffs roll around, as every game will be tightly contested.

But a blowout every now and then would ease some concerns for fans. It’s also not ideal that the team couldn’t beat the Panthers, one of the worst teams in the league, by more than 3 points. In fact, they needed a game-winning drive at the end of the game to avoid overtime. But it was how they ended up in that situation that has some Chiefs fans feeling queasy.

Pat McAfee analyzes Kansas City Chiefs’ stats

The defense gave up 18 points in the second half, giving up points on three of the Panthers’ four drives. The most important was a 5-play, 49-yard scoring drive – with a successful two-point conversion – that tied the game at 27-27. Two different pass interference calls helped the Panthers out.

Steve Spagnuolo doesn’t like how Chiefs defense is playing

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was quite displeased with his unit’s performance, saying “I never like to finish a game like that” and that it’s still bothering him.

The Chiefs defense has had some great games this season, but the past two weeks have not been ideal. In fact, all of November has been a bit concerning.

They gave up 24 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, let Bo Nix drive easily for a game-winning field goal attempt the following week, then gave up 30 points to the Buffalo Bills and now 27 to the Panthers.

The defense is now bottom 10 in point per game allowed and bottom 12 in passing yards per game allowed. As the regular season comes to a close, Spagnuolo’s defense isn’t playing to the level it did last season. They have time to get it corrected, though.