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The Chiefs' 0-2 start is about as concerning as Patrick Mahomes leading the team in rushing

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The Chiefs' 0-2 start is about as concerning as Patrick Mahomes leading the team in rushing
Sport

Sport

The Chiefs' 0-2 start is about as concerning as Patrick Mahomes leading the team in rushing

2025-09-16 03:18 Last Updated At:03:30

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The fact that Patrick Mahomes has been the Kansas City Chiefs' leading rusher each of the first two weeks is concerning.

About as concerning as their 0-2 start.

In fact, the best offense for Kansas City during a season-opening loss to the Chargers in Brazil and a 20-17 loss to the Eagles in its home opener on Sunday has been when Mahomes has been flushed from the pocket. More than once, the quarterback simply ran over a defender, both to pick up extra yardage and in an attempt to inspire a team struggling to find some kind of spark.

Remember when the Chiefs were the high-flying, score-a-minute team that everyone else in the NFL seemed to envy?

“It's kind of been throughout the whole team,” Mahomes said of their current offensive struggles. “We just — it's one guy here or there. It's not like we're missing by much. I know it sucks to hear it for the fans, but I feel like we're close.”

That's hard to believe looking at the box score. Mahomes threw for just 187 yards against Philadelphia, and a good chunk of that came on a 49-yard desperation heave to Tyquan Thornton as the Chiefs were rallying in vain. They finished with 294 yards, went 4 for 12 on third down, were stuffed once on fourth down and committed the only turnover of the game.

That came when Travis Kelce had a ball bounce off his hands at the goal line for an interception.

Sure, their inability to get the passing game going has been hampered by the loss of Xavier Worthy to an injury and Rashee Rice to a six-game suspension. But it hasn't helped that they have been unable to run the ball. Mahomes ran for 66 yards and a score against the Eagles, and he has 123 yards rushing through two games; the rest of the team has 96 yards combined.

“It's just kind of happened,” Mahomes said. “At the end of the day, I'm just a competitor. I'm just trying to win, so whatever it takes, I'll do it. It's been running a few times earlier this season, but we'll get back to passing the ball again, and hopefully get better at it as the season goes on.”

No time like the present. The Chiefs visit the Giants on Sunday night in a precarious position. Over the past decade, just 7% of all teams that started 0-2 have made the playoffs, and only one such team has managed to make a conference title game.

“This is a good group. They have good leadership, and they'll stay together and they'll work hard on cleaning things up," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "There's nobody more aware of it than the guys. We'll make sure we get back to the drawing board.”

The Chiefs' run defense was a big question mark coming into the season. But after a solid performance against the Chargers, they managed to hold in check Saquon Barkley. The Eagles' star running back had just 88 yards on 22 carries.

Just about everything on offense. Mahomes was sacked twice and under constant pressure. His wide receivers struggled to get open, and not even Kelce could consistently make plays. Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco combined to run 18 times for 53 yards, and it was Hunt who was stuffed on fourth-and-1 in Kansas City territory in the second half.

LT Josh Simmons — The first-round pick showed improvement from Week 1 to Week 2 but, perhaps just as importantly, showed the kind of fight Kansas City needs to get from everyone else. The best example came after Mahomes' interception, when Andrew Mukuba looked as if he might return it for a touchdown. The 310-pound Simmons didn't give up on the play, instead chasing down the Philadelphia safety and knocking him into his own bench to prevent the score.

The Chiefs need more production from their most expensive players. Four of their top salary cap numbers after Mahomes are offensive linemen, and that group has struggled in both the run and pass game. The other two are Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones, both of whom have been inconsistent, unproductive or both through the first two weeks.

DE Mike Danna (quad) and CB Kristian Fulton (ankle) did not finish the game against Philadelphia. Worthy managed to practice a bit last week after hurting his shoulder against the Chargers, and there is a chance he could play against the Giants.

5 — That is the percentage (21 of 423) of teams that started 0-2 and won their division since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Kansas City has won the AFC West nine straight years, two shy of the record set by the Patriots with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

Kansas City faces the Giants on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles' Nolan Smith (3), Jordan Davis (90) and Zack Baun (53) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles' Nolan Smith (3), Jordan Davis (90) and Zack Baun (53) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs for a first down as Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean (33) defends during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs for a first down as Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean (33) defends during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand (AP) — A construction crane collapsed onto an elevated road near Bangkok, killing two people on Thursday, a day after another crane fell on a moving passenger train in northeastern Thailand and killed 32 people.

The work on an extension of the Rama 2 Road expressway — a major artery leading from Bangkok — has become notorious for construction accidents, some of them fatal.

The crane collapsed at part of the road project in Samut Sakhon province, trapping two vehicles in the wreckage, according to the government’s Public Relations Department.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Thai TV Channel 7 that two people had died. It was unclear if anyone else had been trapped in the wreckage.

There was uncertainty about the number of victims because the site is still considered too dangerous for search teams to enter, said Suchart Tongteng, a rescue worker with the Ruamkatanyu Foundation.

“At this moment, we still can’t say whether another collapse could happen,” he said, citing dangling steel plates. “That’s why there are no rescue personnel inside the scene, only teams conducting on-site safety assessments.”

At the site of Wednesday's train derailment, the search for survivors ended, Nakhon Ratchasima Gov. Anuphong Suksomnit said. Three passengers listed as missing were presumed to have gotten off the train earlier, but that was still being investigated.

Officials believed 171 people had been aboard the train’s three carriages, which were being removed from the scene Thursday.

The crane that fell, crushing part of the train, was a launching gantry crane, a mobile piece of equipment often used in building elevated roadways.

Police were still collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses and have not pressed charges, provincial Police Chief Narongsak Promta told reporters.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry reported a South Korean man in his late 30s, was among the dead.

The high-speed rail project where the accident occurred is associated with the plan to connect China with Southeast Asia under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers.

Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand, said the project’s contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.

A statement posted on the website of the company, also known as Italthai, expressed condolences to the victims and said the company would pay compensation to the families of the dead and hospitalization expenses for the injured.

Transport Minister Phiphat said Italthai was also the lead contractor on the highway project where Thursday's accident took place, though several other companies are also involved.

The rail accident had already sparked outrage because Italthai was also the co-lead contractor for the State Audit Building in Bangkok that collapsed during construction last March during a major earthquake centered in Myanmar. The building's collapse was the worst quake damage in Thailand and about 100 people were killed.

Twenty-three individuals and companies have been indicted, including Italthai's president and the local director for the company China Railway No. 10, the project’s joint venture partner. The charges in the case include professional negligence and document forgery, and Thailand's Department of Special Investigation has recommended more indictments.

The involvement of Chinese companies in both projects has also drawn attention, as has Italthai and Chinese companies’ involvement in the construction of several expressway extensions in and around Bangkok where several accidents, some fatal, have occurred.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday the government was aware of the rail accident and had expressed condolences.

Associated Press writers Wasamon Audjarint in Bangkok and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

Relatives of victims and others wait at a hospital, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Relatives of victims and others wait at a hospital, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Relatives wait at a hospital to receive bodies of victims, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Relatives wait at a hospital to receive bodies of victims, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Forensic workers inspect the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Forensic workers inspect the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A cuddly toy lies on the ground at the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A cuddly toy lies on the ground at the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

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