WFT concludes chaotic week with tedious loss to Chiefs originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Each week in the NFL has a flow to it, and typically, the game is where the energy peaks.
Typically.
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For the Washington Football Team, however, their 31-13 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday was far from the most interesting part of their recent stretch.
Though the Burgundy and Gold did lead versus Kansas City at the half, they failed to register a single point in the third and fourth quarters as they watched a potential major upset slowly morph into a predictable defeat.
The result, which dropped Washington to a 2-4 record, marked the conclusion of a week that included Ron Rivera taking questions about making changes to his defensive scheme or coaching staff and, much more notably, the franchise having to answer for its mishandling of Sean Taylor's jersey retirement.
Fortunately for the organization — and coordinator Jack Del Rio in particular — the defense didn't fully embarrass itself against the Chiefs.
The group squeezed three turnovers out of the visitors and limited them to 17 points through three quarters. It appeared like they ran out of gas in the fourth, though, where they ceded a couple of touchdowns that made the final margin an ugly one.
Also fortunately for the organization, the Taylor-related celebrations went well, too.
There was no sign of the anger that thousands of fans had expressed on social media since Thursday's out-of-nowhere announcement that the beloved safety's number would be retired. Instead, those in attendance were simply able to pay homage to an icon.
But just because Sunday's contest was relatively boring doesn't mean it didn't have consequences.
Taylor Heinicke, who very much wanted to bounce back after struggling last weekend against the New Orleans Saints, very much didn't bounce back. He's starting to fade a bit at quarterback.
Del Rio's unit, meanwhile, was still taken advantage of more often than not by an erratic Mahomes and a sputtering Chiefs offense, especially on third down (the Chiefs went 11-for-17 in those spots).
So, Ron Rivera's club will look ahead to their Week 7 trip to Green Bay, which is most definitely not a place they'd prefer to break their two-game losing skid. Maybe this time, things will be quieter as they prepare for that tilt.
But if you know how this team works, you also know that's serious wishful thinking.
