The Chiefs executed on all phases and destroyed the Steelers 42-21 in Mahomes first wild card game that he played in since starting for the Chiefs. After this blowout victory, many are starting to wonder is the Chiefs the most feared team in the playoffs this year?
Patrick Mahomes put up a monstrous stat line Sunday night throwing for 404 yards and 5 passing touchdowns. Travis Kelce also had a great game being the first player in postseason history to go over 100 yards receiving, catching a touchdown, and throwing a touchdown as well. After a slow start in the first quarter, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to catch fire and blow out the Pittsburgh Steelers. What does this mean for Kansas City going forward? Well, they can feed off of this and use that victory as motivation to move forward and keep up the consistent effort going into next week. Does this make the Chiefs the most feared team in the playoffs?
No, but the reason they are the most feared is because of the experience they have as a unit in the postseason from previous years and the fact they can score at will once clicking as fast as anyone in the NFL. Here is why playoff teams should take notice and be fearful of what can happen the rest of the way.
Teams should be fearful because the Chiefs are beginning to look as complete as anyone in this year postseason. With the defense being one of the best since post-Thanksgiving and the offense getting their groove back, they are in the perfect situation to make a 3rd super bowl run. Offensively, this team is beginning to accept the fact they will not be teams deep anymore, however, take the big plays when they are there. This helped them a lot because being stubborn and not accepting the fact teams are being successful in the scheme that is limiting the splash plays caused turnovers this season that may have caused multiple losses this year. With all the negative that happened this year, they still found a way to get through the season and begin to click when it matters most. I am someone who is big on doing the right things when it matters, and coming back to the playoffs when you have a chance to win another Hunt and Lombardi trophy there is nothing better that makes this make sense for this offense.
This offense is still scary and has one of the best QB in the game, top 5 wide receivers, and one of the best tight ends in the game which puts them at an advantage over most. We all know this offense can turn it on when it matters and I expect nothing less from them this year. Defensively, even though the corners have had a slump in the last weeks of the regular season when the Chiefs get the pressure that’s when they are at their best. Honestly, I feel with any defense if you have an average or below-average pass rush, it will always be a long day for your secondary. The reason why is because these QB’s are more talented and the Wide Outs are as explosive as in recent years, and the speed a lot of these guys possess makes it tougher for opposing secondaries.
Since the addition of Ingram and Jones moving back in the inside, that has made them a whole different beast and we started to see more pressures and sacks that we didn’t see at the beginning of the season. With Jones back inside, that allows for the pocket for the opposing QB to collapse from the inside and allow the Pass Rushers on the outside to track down the QB to either get a sack or force a pressure that would end up in a turnover. I expect this defense to go back to the basics and keep the tempo up which makes this team in whole fearful and somebody you would not want to run into going the rest of the way.
The Kansas City Chiefs are the most fearful team because of the experience they have in the post-season and the talent surrounding them that makes them one of the best in the league. Last year during this time, the offensive line was banged up and Brett Veach went out in the post-season and rebuilt a line that seems to be one of the best this year. Being healthy during this time gives them an advantage as well, but dealing with a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss last year, this team is ready to erase that memory and use that hunger to roll their way to a 3rd straight Super Bowl and hopefully 2nd Super Bowl win within 3 years.
