The Chiefs were able to get through No Loss November and get back to the top of the AFC West, so let’s review how the season has been so far.
The Chiefs are now considered to be one of the best teams in the AFC, but it took us a while for us to loop back around to get back to this point. There were moments where it looked like the Chiefs were not going to get to the playoffs, let alone win the division. So how did we end up back in front of the AFC West and a potential top AFC Seed?
It’s kind of a long story, but I promise it gets a lot better towards the end.
It started in Arrowhead (I refuse to use the GEHA name) on the first Sunday afternoon where the Chiefs had a vintage double-digit comeback win over the Cleveland Browns. The Chiefs defense couldn’t stop a leak, let alone Nick Chubb until they got some stops late in the third quarter where Chris Jones exploded with a huge sack late. Mahomes was able to be Mahomes, he got three touchdowns on the day and was automatic and then they played the Ravens in Baltimore.
The Ravens NEEDED this win more than anything, they had yet to beat the Chiefs in the Mahomes-era and this would help Lamar Jackson build on his career ascension (even though he was an MVP two years ago). The Chiefs had the lead late, and Mahomes threw his first INT in September late and the Ravens were able to run all day on the porous Chiefs defense. It ended in a one-point loss after Clyde Edwards-Helaire fumbled on an insane defensive play by Odafe Oweh of Baltimore.
Now 1-1, the Chiefs needed to win against the Chargers in Arrowhead and the Chiefs had five turnovers, including a couple of disastrous INT’s late by Mahomes which secured the win for the Chargers, now the Chiefs had a losing record in September something which hadn’t happened since the 2016 season. The Chiefs were able to get a much-needed win over the Eagles but the game still was somewhat close, they won by 12.
The Chiefs played the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night in Arrowhead in one of the biggest games of the year at that point and the Chiefs got BLOWN and it was the first time Patrick Mahomes lost by more than 10 points in the regular season. The Chiefs were lost on both sides of the ball, the offense was inefficient and the Bills exploited the poor secondary of the Chiefs all night.
Now, this is where the media turned on the Chiefs and said “the league figured out Patrick Mahomes” all the time. But now the Chiefs have to continue in their schedule and quickly dispatch the Washington Football Team by scoring 21 second-half points, exploiting the poor secondary of the Football Team.
Then came the turning point of the season, in my opinion, the thrashing by the Titans in Nashville really helped to turn the season around. The Chiefs lost 27-3, but the defense of the Chiefs was able to make the adjustments to only allow 3 points in the second half and all they needed to do was let Mahomes get back to normal and they would be dangerous.
Finally, “No Loss November,” where the Chiefs got four straight wins to get back to their current record and fixed the defense. The Chiefs beat the Giants and Packers with defense, the defense was able to get a bunch of pressure and force turnovers. The front office also was able to obtain Melvin Ingram before the Packers game and he has helped to fix the pass rush by moving Chris Jones back inside.
Now they absolutely dismantled the Las Vegas Raiders on the Strip with Patrick Mahomes throwing five touchdowns and throwing for over 400 yards. This is the return of the Kansas City Chiefs everyone was looking for, they needed to get back to basics and the Chiefs shined. The Chiefs also were all to get back atop the AFC West, destroy the Raiders (again), and finally get the media to turn back to the Chiefs being good once again. Finally, the Chiefs were able to beat the number one offense in the Cowboys and were able to hold them to nine points.
Now let’s review this season, the Chiefs were able to take a bad start and turn it around to get back to where they wanted to be at this point. The Chiefs had a roller coaster ride of a season but they needed to get back to the basics and play good football.
