One of the more polarizing players for the Kansas City Chiefs entering this season was safety Jon McGraw. Many Chiefs fans were hoping that the former Kansas State standout wouldn't even make the team this year, and they were wrong. It was none more obvious than in the Chiefs last game against the Miami Dolphins when the Chiefs were burned for 31 points by a winless team. They made Matt Moore look more like Aaron Rodgers and had no real answer on defense, and especially in the secondary for Miami's passing attack.
By many accounts the younger defensive players have always credited McGraw as one of the behind the scenes leaders for a young, but talented secondary. It seems as if with Eric Berry out for the year that McGraw might be the piece of the puzzle that holds the secondary together.
In his absence this week, McGraw was replaced by third-year player Donald Washington. And Washington failed to record a single tackle in the game despite starting at safety. Stat-based website Pro Football Focus had this nugget to say about Washington's performance:
The Chiefs have suffered some bad performances at the safety position this year, but Donald Washington’s (-4.0) game against the Dolphins ranks up there. Washington didn’t record a tackle, but he did miss two, although one was erased through an unrelated penalty. The penalty was a stroke of luck for Washington, as his missed tackle of Bush allowed Bush to run free down the sideline for significant extra yardage all the way down near the five-yard line. He also bit on a play-fake that allowed Fasano to sneak into the back of the end zone for his first touchdown catch, uncontested.
The Chiefs need to get McGraw back as soon as possible if they want to seriously defend their AFC West title.