Can the Kansas City Chiefs stay undefeated for a full season?

The Kansas City Chiefs are 5-0 this season, winning all of their toughest games right off the bat. As their schedule gets easier, can the Chiefs go 16-0?

With the first five games of their 2018 schedule now complete, the Kansas City Chiefs find themselves sitting atop the AFC with a 5-0 record.

When the regular season schedule first came out last April we all expected the first six games to be the toughest part of the regular season. And that is still the case. These first six games definitely are the most difficult stretch on the Chiefs schedule.

The Chiefs have exceeded everyone’s expectations by winning all of these early tough games so far. Three wins have been on the road in hostile environments. Mile High Stadium and Heinz Field are two of the toughest places to play, and the Chiefs came out victorious. Mahomes threw 6 TDs against the Steelers, then after “the scramble” that beat the 49ers, Mahomes ground out a comeback win in Denver where the crowd noise was high (but not nearly as intimidating as Arrowhead). Then the Chiefs overpowered a conference bully in the Jacksonville Jaguars, beating them by 16 points.

Now Kansas City is preparing for the final game of this tough opening stretch.

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Call me crazy, but if the Chiefs win this next game against the Patriots to go 6-0, not only would that be a mind-blowing position to be in after facing such a murderer’s row of opponents, but K.C. would also have a firm grasp of home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Even more, they might even go 16-0.

I know some of you are probably yelling at your computer screen: “YEAH, RIGHT! THE CHIEFS WON’T GO 16-0! WHAT ARE YA, CRAZY? AND IT’S TOO EARLY TO BE TALKING ABOUT HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE!”

Normally, I would agree. We’ve seen too many NFL teams over the years get off to great starts, then stumble and fall to a third seed, a wildcard, or completely miss the playoffs. This happened to the Chiefs just last year. KC started 5-0, then lost 6 of the next 7 games.

But that was a different season with a different quarterback.

This year is different for two reasons: first of all, no other team in the AFC looks like a dominant force that will take the top playoff seed away from the Chiefs.

Then there is Patrick Mahomes, who has blown up everyone’s expectations about 2018. If the Chiefs win Sunday Night, every national pundit will proclaim KC to be a real Super Bowl contender, even with their dismal defense, because having Mahomes running the show, the Chiefs offense is not going to stumble for any long stretches like they did last year.

If they do come out undefeated after six games, their last 10 games will feel like a downhill run. Have you looked at their schedule lately? I know I sound like an overly excited homer, but let me ask you one question: when you look at the remaining games on the schedule—who can beat the Chiefs?

Although a couple of games look tough, all of them look like possible wins to me.

What I’m saying is 16-0 is possible. Sure, it’s not likely. That’s only happened once in NFL history, but if the entire offense remains healthy and the defense can somehow continue to improve as they did against the Jaguars, anything is possible!

Yeah, I know. This is the NFL. Every team has talented players and they’re getting paid to win, too. But if they beat the Patriots, and the hardest part of their schedule is behind them, I think the Chiefs have a shot to go undefeated.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the remaining opponents on their schedule and see if a 16-0 record is possible or a crazy fantasy.

New England Patriots (current record: 3-2)
If I had to pick one game on the schedule where the Chiefs are most likely to lose, I would pick this one for a couple of reasons. Head coach Bill Belichick has had three extra days to prepare for the Chiefs. His players get extra days to recover from the last game. And the game is in Foxboro. There is also the revenge factor lingering from their embarrassing loss to the Chiefs last year.

On the other hand, because the Chiefs have proven they can win a road game against the Patriots, and this game seems winnable. With Mahomes, the Chiefs now have a chance to beat Tom Brady in a shootout.

Note: if they do lose, the Chiefs would still be in a good position to finish with a better record than the Patriots. The Chiefs could lose this game and still end up with home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Chiefs can win this game.

Cincinnati Bengals (current record: 4-1)
This looked like an easy win before the season started. Now we know the Bengals are no pushover as they sit atop their division.

However, this is a home game for the Chiefs. The Bengals rank 25th in total defense right now, and offensively, Andy Dalton is having a decent season, but his ability to keep up with Mahomes is questionable. The Chiefs should win this one.

Denver Broncos (current record: 2-3)
A few weeks ago, the second game against the Broncos looked tough. Now, it looks like an easy win. Case Keenum has been awful, and the Chiefs have proven they can overpower the Broncos defense when it comes to crunch time.

Cleveland Browns (current record: 2-2-1)
Everyone already penciled a W next to this game last spring, but Baker Mayfield and company are making things interesting. The Chiefs should win this game though, even in Cleveland. The Browns still have a long ways to go to put it all together and contend for the playoffs.

Arizona Cardinals (current record: 1-4)
There is no excuse for the Chiefs to lose this home game—even if Chad Henne plays quarterback.

Los Angeles Rams (current record: 5-0)
Today I jokingly told a Rams fan, “The Chiefs and Rams are going play two games this year and both will be on a neutral field.” All kidding aside, this potential Super Bowl preview looks like the toughest game left on the Chiefs schedule after the Patriots. I’m not sure if playing this game in Mexico City is a plus or minus, but I suppose it’s better than playing in Los Angeles, even though the Rams will likely have a lot of fans at this neutral site anyway because of their close proximity to Mexico.

This is going to be an entertaining game for sure. However, I feel less intimidated by it than I do the Patriots. Personally, I like Andy Reid’s chances against Rams head coach Sean McVay more than I do against Belichick. Plus, the Rams defense has been giving up a lot of points lately.

Oakland Raiders (current record: 1-4)
The Chiefs get to play the hapless Raiders twice. I know the Raiders get paid too and will do their best to beat the Chiefs. Maybe Coach John Gruden will have his team in better shape by December? Even if he does, the Chiefs should win both games.

Baltimore Ravens (current record: 3-2)
The Ravens look like they have reassembled a tough defensive unit to compliment Joe Flacco’s offense. I still like the Chiefs chances at home. Flacco has won the big game before, but can he outshoot Mahomes at this point? He may not need to with that Ravens defense. However, the Chiefs can beat these guys.

Los Angeles Chargers (current record: 3-2)
The Chiefs biggest win so far is arguably that first game in L.A. The Chargers are two games behind the Chiefs now and will have to come to a cold Arrowhead in December to try and beat the Chiefs for the first time since 2013. Philip Rivers is having a nice season, but we all know when it comes time to play the Chiefs, he mysteriously turns into an INT machine. I like the Chiefs on this one.

Seattle Seahawks (current record: 2-3)
This is not going to be an easy road game, despite this Seahawks team now missing most of their past Super Bowl roster. Mahomes has already proven he can handle loud, hostile environments, so Seattle fans won’t rattle him. This game is over two months away, so a lot can change. Right now, it looks like the Chiefs can win this one.

Conclusion

Alright, so we have gone through the remaining schedule for the Chiefs, and 16-0 looks possible but not an easy achievement. Anybody can beat anybody in this league on any given Sunday. Remember in 2011 when the Green Bay Packers went 15-1? They almost had a perfect season, until the 7-9 Chiefs ruined it for them.

But like I said before, anything is possible! Nobody in the AFC looks invincible. The closest team to invincibility appears to be the Rams, but they have issues, too. And we get to play them in primetime, (and we know how much “Showtime” loves primetime).

If one of these teams does indeed break the Chiefs winning streak, that will not be the end of the world. The way things look right now, a 13-3 record will probably get the Chiefs home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and 14-2 is pretty much a lock to get the #1 seed in the playoffs.

So if the Chiefs lose to the Patriots or the Ravens or the Rams, look on the bright side: they will probably get a rematch in January or February.

With Mahomes, I like their chances.

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How do you feel about the Chiefs going forward? Could they go undefeated? Do you see more than three losses here? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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