The Kansas City Chiefs have been the most successful team in the NFL, with two Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl win and a record of 38-10.
But 2021 has been a rough one for the Chiefs, who are 3-4 and through seven weeks and they have yet to win consecutive games. The primary reason for the struggle has been their defense, who has struggled to get any stops. The Chiefs rank 28th in yards allowed per game, 27th in points allowed per game and 31st in defensive efficiency, as measured by Football Outsiders’ DVOA.
The fanbase is very frustrated and it reached its boiling point on Friday after a couple of defensive players had a tough interaction with their fans on Instagram. A Chiefs fan-page on Instagram posted a question to fans, asking which of general manager Brett Veach’s decision was worst, trading and signing edge rusher Frank Clark to a five-year, $105 million contract, signing linebacker Anthony Hitchens to a five-year, $45 million contract, or passing on Johnathan Taylor, D’Andre Swift, Cam Akers, JK Dobbins and Antonio Gibson to select Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
This didn’t sit well with Hitchens, who responded: “All we did was go to 3 AFC championship games and 2 Super Bowls and 1 SB win in my first 3 years here so far,” Hitchens wrote in the comments section. “y’all fans will never be satisfied it’s sad!”
Tyrann Mathieu, who responded in support to both his teammates and the team’s general manager replied to Hitchens, “Big facts. This might be one of the most toxic fan bases in all of sports.”
Mathieu, who is in Year 3 of a three-year, $42 million contract, has said he wants to finish his career with the Chiefs. With comments like that, it’s looking less and less likely that it will actually happen, especially if this season continues to spiral out of control for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs have a chance to get back on track Monday night against the struggling New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
