Chiefs playoff talk: Don’t assume anything

The last two months have been some of the most exciting for Kansas City Chiefs fans in recent memory. After a 1-5 start where the team look destined to finish with a top-10 draft pick, they’ve somehow managed to win eight straight games and improbably are only one game back of the Denver Broncos for taking over the division lead.

I don’t think anybody could have expected this kind of turnaround, especially when Jamaal Charles was lost for the season in Week 5.  Entering Week 16 against a Cleveland Browns team that is in the midst of another disappointing and drama-filled season, the Chiefs have a very good chance in making it into the playoffs in some capacity.

Notice the key word there: chance.  The way a lot of fans and media have been talking lately you would think the Chiefs were already in the playoffs and the only thing to play for was getting a better seed.  As someone who has lived through a lot of losing in the past 20 years you’d think we’d be more careful about talking about the future when there’s still work to do in the present.  Even when the odds seem really good, there’s still a lot that can happen that can cause the playoff dream to crumble right before our eyes.

I know I’m taking the “glass half-empty” approach to this situation, but when you look at the match-ups the next two weeks for the Chiefs and the other potential AFC playoff teams the road is a bit more bumpy than you’d like it to be:

KC: vs. Browns, vs. Raiders

PIT: at Ravens, at Browns

NYJ: vs. Patriots, at Bills

DEN: vs. Bengals, vs. Chargers

Next: Moving forward...