Social media has said all they can about the Kansas City Chiefs’ lackluster effort against the Green Bay Packers. Let’s be honest: had the team played with more fire and passion Sunday night, we’d be talking about a win and Taylor Swift’s Time Magazine honor. Instead, this team sits 8-4 and faces a tall order defeating the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
The Kansas City Chiefs are still the team to beat in the AFC. Until someone knocks them off their perch, all other applicants must finish the job to dethrone the Champs. It won’t be easy because usually, when the Chiefs are down, they play their best football. They’ve done this in their previous five seasons during the Mahomes era, and I doubt the sixth season will be any different.
Yes, I was upset they lost, but not surprised. When you’re searching for your identity, sometimes it takes time, and as fans within the Chiefs Kingdom, we want them to hurry up and figure it out.
If I’m going to be honest, I think the Chiefs have as much talent on both sides of the ball as any other team in the AFC. They have the best quarterback and head coach combination in Mahomes and Andy Reid, which speaks volumes for their ability to correct their flaws.
With five games left, a season-ending winning streak could secure the top spot in the AFC. However, that starts Sunday against a Buffalo Bills team desperate to prove they can sneak back into the playoff picture.
Yet, none of that matters if the Chiefs play their brand of football and eliminate mistakes. It also boils down to their internal drive and unity within that locker room, pushing them across the finish line.
One thing I’ve always admired about Reid, Mahomes, Chris Jones, and Travis Kelce is that they don’t call out their teammates. They take the blame for the loss and praise others when they win. That’s not always the case in every NFL locker room.
Mahomes is the ultimate team leader, and in this recent stretch where they’ve lost three of five games, he takes full responsibility for the offensive struggles. Even though it doesn’t appear to be the case, does anyone believe that come playoff team, the Chiefs will not roll through the AFC?
Sensing vulnerability, AFC teams don’t fear the Chiefs as they once did. They may smell blood in the water with four losses through 12 games. However, that sea of red might not be blood but the oxygen that carries this team to back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
Momentum is a funny thing. For the Chiefs, a good showing Sunday against the Bills, and they’ll be viewed differently. The Arrowhead Invitational in January suddenly seems inevitable if they have a resounding victory.
With the team starting their field prep for the Bills on Wednesday, it’s clear to me, despite many reasons to doubt the possibility, that the Chiefs have the rest of the AFC right where they want them.
In NFL cities like Miami and Baltimore, they have a leg up on the Chiefs. They have elements to their team that are nearly impossible to stop. However, neither of them has made an impact in the postseason.
To think Lamar Jackson or Tua Tagovailoa are better than Mahomes makes me laugh out loud! That doesn’t mean Mahomes can be beaten in January, but are these the guys to end the Grim Reaper?
The only man that can do it will be on the other sidelines on Sunday. Bill’s Quarterback, Josh Allen, is a warrior. He never quits. He gives it his all even when the cast around him is less good than in years past. He doesn’t care about any of that. He wants the ball in his hands with the game on the line.
Mahomes is the same way, and if there’s any truth to the reality facing both these quarterbacks, they generally bring out the best in each other. Yet, it’s been the Chiefs experience and resolve over the last five seasons that has made them Super Bowl Champions twice.
We’ll find out if that helps them defeat the Bills on Sunday.
