Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense have found the only thing that can stop them - their own historically bad defense

• The Kansas City Chiefs still have one of the most talented offenses in football.
• Despite that, the Chiefs are 2-3 to start the season, thanks to the worst defense in football.

The Kansas City Chiefs have finally found the one thing that can stop them: themselves.

On Sunday night, the Chiefs lost at home to the Buffalo Bills 38-20, their third loss in four games, pushing them to 2-3 on the season and last place in a crowded AFC West.

It would be time for the reigning AFC Champions to start asking, "What's wrong here?" if the answer wasn't already so abundantly clear: this defense stinks.

Through five games, the Chiefs have given up more points than any other team in the NFL. Opposing offenses have averaged 437 yards per game, second only to Seattle. Their -7 turnover differential is also second-worst in the league, trailing only the lowly Jaguars. They've forced just four turnovers all season.

Over the past three years of the budding Mahomes-era Chiefs dynasty, the Kansas City defense has ranged in quality from "solid" to "good enough." But when they're flat-out atrocious, even Patrick Mahomes can't suture the wounds.

-Paul Hembekides (@PaulHembo) October 11, 2021

The Chiefs defense was so bad on Sunday night that their own players couldn't believe it. Watch safety Tyrann Mathieu react on the field as he realizes there was yet another blown coverage behind him.

-Jared Koller (@JaredKCTV5) October 11, 2021

"Honestly, I think we are just beating ourselves," Mathieu said after the game. "Go back to the Ravens game. Miscommunication, blown coverages. Chargers game - kind of the same thing. And tonight - I think most of the explosive pass plays were guys just running wide open down the field."

When one of your defensive leaders is worried about "guys just running wide open down the field," things are not going well.

For any other team, such a horrendous defense would already have meant looking forward to the 2022 draft. But with Kansas City, there's a pretty good chance this team is still competing for the AFC title come January.

In their opening game, the Chiefs overcame a 22-10 halftime deficit to beat the Browns. Patrick Mahomes is now 10-6 all-time in games that he had trailed by double-digits, including wins in 9 of past 11.

This is one of the most absurd stats in football history, and it shows why no one can count the Chiefs out - Mahomes has proven time and time again that he and the Chiefs offense can overcome a poor start.

But for Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and the rest of the Chiefs' offensive weapons to have a chance at a comeback, the defense has to at least find some stops, and right now, it just isn't happening.

As things stand, the Chiefs are 2-3. In the Mahomes-era, such a slow start is uncharted territory.

In 2020, the team lost two games all season. In 2019, they lost their third game in Week 8 and then didn't lose again, defeating the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. The year before that, the Chiefs waited until Week 15 before conceding their third loss.

For three years, football fans wondered if any defense in the NFL could stop the Chiefs' offensive attack.

This year we finally found out it was their own.