NFL Panic Meter: Chiefs have to address their offensive issues now, before they regret it
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The Kansas City Chiefs are 5-1 with only a road loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Overall, they're fine.
Yet, Sunday night had to be an unnerving performance. The Seahawks were the first team to shut down Kenneth Walker III, and the Chiefs offense melted. They had the fewest points (3), yards (213) and first downs (11) in any start over Patrick Mahomes' career, according to NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno.
The Seahawks defense can do that to teams. But for the Chiefs, it renewed the worry about the weapons around Patrick Mahomes. Nobody made plays on Sunday night. Kansas City's leading receiver had 44 yards. And while Walker will not have many games in which he has just 36 rushing yards, he has never been asked to carry an offense over a long season. He had 14.2 carries per game through four seasons with the Seahawks and this season he's at 20. That's a lot of extra carries for a running back over a full season. There has to be concern about putting so much pressure on him over 17 games and then a postseason.
Rashee Rice's absence hurt on Sunday night and when he's able to return from hamstring and knee injuries, maybe everything will look better. Xavier Worthy can drop down from a featured role that he probably can't thrive in, Travis Kelce can be more of a secondary piece at his age as well and others can play in smaller roles. Realistically, even if Rice comes back healthy, the Chiefs probably do need some help.
There aren't a lot of difference-making receivers available at the trade deadline, but there could be some. Jacksonville's Brian Thomas Jr., Cleveland's Jerry Jeudy, Tennessee's Calvin Ridley and Minnesota's Jauan Jennings are among those who could be available. The Chiefs have to look into all possibilities to make sure they're not stuck short on offense late in the season or the playoffs. Right now too much is on Walker's shoulders. It will eventually have to shift back to Mahomes. And he'll need more help.
Panic meter: Nothing too high for a very good team, but they can't ignore needs.
When you start 0-4, you can't afford a big loss. Certainly not one as a 10-point favorite at home.
The Houston Texans are 2-5 after losing in overtime to the New York Giants. It's hard to completely bury them, because the talent is still there. But now a team that couldn't even beat J.J. McCarthy at home has to go 8-2 at least to realistically be in the wild-card hunt. The defense is way worse than anyone was expecting, and the offense isn't good enough to overcome that. If it weren't for the Chargers, this would be the NFL's most disappointing team.
Panic meter: Still a sliver of hope at a rebound, but let's not waste any more time thinking about the 2026 Texans until they're back to .500.
The Panthers trailed 43-6 at home on Sunday to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that was 1-5 coming in. Even if anyone was wondering if the Panthers were playing over their heads at 3-2, nobody expected that.
The score was 33-6 at halftime and everything was bad.
"I mean, it's a shock," Panthers coach Dave Canales told the media after the game . "For me to be able to move on from it, because I've literally never been a part of a half of football like that. To experience it in all phases: blocked kick, sack-fumble, interception, blocked punt and the defensive side not getting off the field in different ways. It was so crazy and so egregiously different than the ball we're used to playing."
No matter how bad the game was, the Panthers are allowed one ugly loss. They had looked good during a 3-2 start, particularly Bryce Young having a breakout season at quarterback. But next up is a game at the Packers and then a home game against the Broncos. We're about to find out if Carolina has staying power.
Panic meter: The Panthers are on notice after whatever that was on Sunday.
It was a bit strange for Saints owner Gayle Benson to seemingly put coach Kellen Moore and general manager Mickey Loomis on notice last week, saying she will "not accept this level of performance," according to the Associated Press. The Saints were seemingly on the right track late last season, although they were off to a 2-4 start this season. Then they had an ugly 16-10 loss in Paris to the Steelers, which can't help anything.
"Mrs. B's great," Moore said last week according to the AP , before facing the Steelers. "We all want better results, and that's how this business is."
The thought of Moore being in any trouble after a good finish to last season, his first as coach of the Saints, was far from anyone's mind. Until Benson sounded upset at the way the season is going. Then it got worse.
Panic meter: Probably nothing to worry about yet, but Moore might want to quickly win some games just in case.
The Ravens have a very talented team and are no longer better than 50% to make the playoffs, according to DVOA .
The Ravens' odds dipped to 41.4% via DVOA after a bad loss to the Bengals in which they were outscored 35-0 in the second half. The problem is the Ravens face the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL, via DVOA. Lamar Jackson didn't return last week from an ankle injury and that's becoming a point of contention. The Ravens simply need him back if they're going to survive a rough schedule, and that includes their next two games against the Bills and Jaguars. For a 4-3 team, there should be a lot of concern in Baltimore. And if this season ends up with no playoff berth, who knows what changes might come next.
Panic meter: With Jackson back, maybe it will be OK. If he doesn't return soon, the season is probably headed downhill fast.