The Kansas City Chiefs were really making some headway in the NFL power rankings across the nation, but then they went full-on Chiefs on Thursday night. If Kansas City wins that game, it is likely looked upon as an early Super Bowl contender. Instead, people just see the same old Chiefs, a team good enough to beat anyone but flawed enough to construct new ways to lose.
Of course, the Chiefs are not dead and buried by any stretch. Plenty of teams lose a bad game early in the season and still roll to the playoffs. Kansas City is 1-1 and right in the mix, a game behind Denver in the AFC West and tied with a legion of teams at 1-1 overall. Now, the Chiefs must summon the courage to go play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football. Green Bay has not lose a home game since 2013, which only means it is due, right? (Or, it means the Packers are really, really good and Aaron Rodgers is potentially not of this species).
The season remains early, and the Chiefs could absolutely win this week. Kansas City has recently shown a penchant for winning in games nobody gives it a chance in, so this would certainly be a fitting moment. After that debacle on primetime television last week, we will find out a lot about the guts inside this group. Can they rise up and rebounds, or do they shrink with the lights turned even brighter?
NFL.com – 6
"Guessing the secondary’s pregame ritual is to ferociously rub their hands with baby oil. How many would-be interceptions did the Chiefs drop Thursday night, anyway? Four? Five? More? Alex Smith and the passing game seriously regressed following Kansas City’s impressive Week 1 performance in Houston. Kind of like Hootie & the Blowfish’s second album. That happens when you can’t pass block. Not Hootie — Jah Reid and company, I mean."
Yahoo Sports – 9
"If you forget the obvious, the Chiefs should feel pretty good after two weeks. The front seven has looked good, rookie cornerback Marcus Peters looks like a future Pro Bowler, the running game is strong again and the passing game has some weapons. They’ll never get last Thursday night’s game back, but if they can put it behind them there are a lot of reasons for optimism."
CBS Sports – 9
"You can’t turn the ball over like they did against Denver and expect to win. Now comes a tough test at Green Bay with 1-2 staring them in the face."
Washington Post – 9
"The Chiefs will really regret their mistake-filled performance in the loss to the Broncos if they end up falling one win shy of a playoff spot or a division title. But there’s nothing they can do about it now and it’s clear they’re capable of being a top contender if they curb the ill-timed turnovers."