Chiefs Super Bowl Bound Again?
Only one team has ever gone to four Super Bowls in a row (sorry Bills fans), but the Kansas City Chiefs have their sights set on becoming the second team to achieve that feat. The Chiefs, led by Messrs. Mahomes and Reid, have represented the AFC in three straight Super Bowls, picking up back to back Lombardi’s in the process. This season there is certainly no easing up from Kansas City, as they look to enter themselves into the record books once again.
The green and white confetti rained down on the Superdome field in New Orleans last February after the Eagles had dispatched of the Chiefs, in what was one of the most one-sided Super Bowls you are bound to watch. The expectation was that the Chiefs may come away from that loss battered, bruised and more importantly exhausted from three deep playoff runs in a row. This season started in kind with that expectation with Kansas City falling to 0-2, with defeat to the Chargers in Brazil and the Eagles once more marring their opening two weeks. Since then, a lot has changed.
The Chiefs are on a 4-1 run since the disappointment of weeks one and two, and any notion that this season would be some form of a reset for this team has gone out the window (sorry Bills fans). The last two weeks have defined what this team is all about, taking down the roaring Lions 30-17 on Sunday Night Football, before making a mockery of their divisional rival Raiders 31-0 last weekend.
Patrick Mahomes is now sitting atop the MVP odds board as the clear favourite and even though most would like to argue, he is deserving of this position at this point in the season.
Mahomes has had four straight games of 250+ passing yards, throwing eleven touchdowns and just one interception during that span. He is sitting fourth in the rankings for most passing yards this season with 1,800 and has a total of fourteen touchdowns and two interceptions.
Despite all the arm-talent in the world, it is the scrambling ability of the Chiefs quarterback that has stood out so far this season, with Mahomes rushing for 35.7 yards per game. If he were to keep up this pace across the season, that figure would be the highest of his career by quite a margin. Last season Mahomes rushed for 307 yards in total, this year that total is already at 250 yards heading into week eight.
He has also matched his single season rushing touchdown record after just seven games, running in four scores on the ground. It has gotten to the point where these runs are not just the typical Mahomes scramble to get out of pass rush trouble, it is a clear part of the Chiefs gameplan to take down opponents.
The return of Rashee Rice last week marked a huge moment in the Chiefs’ season, as they were without a clear wide receiver one for the opening six games. Rice caught seven of ten targets vs the Raiders, scoring two touchdowns in the process. Rice’s return will also free up Travis Kelce to be more active in the blocking game and chunk plays such as his 44-yard reception last week will become a more regular occurrence, as defenses begin to shift their focus towards the elusive Rice.
The other side of the ball for the Chiefs has been superb across the season so far too. Steve Spagnuolo has guided his defensive unit to allowing the fifth least yards per game so far this season, with only 280 yards allowed to opponents on average through seven games. The team also ranks third in points allowed per game, with that figure being at an excellent 17.7. These figures were improved by the shutout of the Raiders last week, but the week prior the Chiefs limited the number three scoring offense in the league to just 17 points, so this team can do it no matter who the opponent is.
Often when a team has performed so well on defense through less than ten games, it can be down to causing a large number of turnovers and this statistic is often not sustainable across a long regular season and playoffs. The Chiefs do not fall into this category of potentially misleading defensive ability, ranking in the bottom half of the league for takeaways with seven. Looking at the offensive side of the ball, the team has not fumbled once all year with the only giveaways coming from Mahomes’ two interceptions – this is the lowest amount of giveaways any team in the NFL has provided this season.
The Kansas City Chiefs play hard-hitting, well-disciplined football each and every week, that is why they are on a 4-1 run and that is why they do not look like slowing down any time soon. As I write this, they are sitting outside the playoff spots having gone 4-3 on the season, but I am certain that this will not be the case come January. This team is once again the force to be reckoned with in the AFC. The Marcus Mariota led Commanders are 12.5 point underdogs going into Monday Night Football this week, and with the head of steam that the Chiefs are building up, Washington would do very well to cover that spread.