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Kansas City Chiefs must take advantage of surprising AFC struggles

By Farzin Vousoughian

KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 23: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs is introduced during pre-game ceremonies prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ersat Arrowhead Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 23: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs is introduced during pre-game ceremonies prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ersat Arrowhead Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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The Chiefs are off to a 3-0 start while some powerhouse teams in the AFC are, surprisingly, off to bad starts.

If you’re a Kansas City Chiefs fan, which a majority of the visitors on this page are, you have to be pleased with the start of the season. Beyond starting 3-0, the Chiefs have received a lot of help within the division and conference.

On Sunday, the Chiefs not only picked up a 38-27 win over the San Francisco 49ers, the rest of the AFC West fell as well. With the Los Angeles Chargers falling to 1-2 and the Oakland Raiders still winless, the Denver Broncos suffered a loss for the first time this season. This puts the Chiefs alone on top of the division.

Outside of the AFC West, the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers, two teams who are always expected to lead the AFC, have struggled a lot through the first three weeks. The Patriots have dropped two straight games with a 1-2 record while the Steelers picked up their first win of the season Monday night and own a 1-1-1 record.

Although both the Patriots and Steelers are off to bad starts, there is no doubt that the two teams are expected to improve and make up for the grueling starts.

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For now, the Chiefs are one of two undefeated teams in the AFC, with the Miami Dolphins being the other team.

The Chiefs started 2017 with a 5-0 start and were the last team to suffer a loss. However, the Chiefs ended up with a No. 4 seed in the AFC, despite being on top of the AFC during the first half of 2017.

Given that the Chiefs are one of two teams atop the conference right now, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and this high-powered offense cannot afford to give away one of the top two seeds this time. The Chiefs were the last team in the NFL to lose a game in 2010, 2013 and 2017, but could not maintain one of the top two seeds in the AFC in any of those seasons.

This year feels different due to the record-breaking performance by Patrick Mahomes. But we have seen some major inconsistencies with the Chiefs so far this year. More specifically in the second quarter against the Steelers in Week 2 and in the second half against the 49ers this past week. These glaring holes have also been exploited by the Colts and Titans in recent playoff games.

Fortunately, none of the inconsistencies in the regular season this year has hurt the Chiefs on the final scoreboard. But if the inconsistencies continue, their luck could run out.

It may be just three weeks. It may sound early to say that the Chiefs control their own destiny in getting a first-round bye for the playoffs later this year. But once the Chiefs and Broncos game on Monday Night Football concludes, we will already be one-fourth into the NFL season.

Kansas City is off to a good start while a lot of the AFC favorites haven’t done well to kick off 2018. The Chiefs must take advantage of that by continuing to play at a high level and not allowing any teams catch up to them at the end of the season.

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