Kansas City Chiefs: Chargers, Seahawks present biggest challenges on schedule
By Matt Conner
A look at the rest of the schedule for the Kansas City Chiefs should make fans feel good, but it’s not without its challenges. We’ve ranked the opponents.
The Kansas City Chiefs are in the driver’s seat at this point.
The AFC conference belongs to Andy Reid and company, if they want it, as they sit with a one-game lead over any and all competitors in the conference. A closer look at the standings shows the Chiefs up top after 12 weeks at 9-2 with the New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers all a game behind at 8-3. The Patriots would hold the edge over K.C. if they tied, which is why it’s important for the Chiefs to finish strong over the last five games of the season.
So far, the Chiefs have shown themselves to be a different team with Patrick Mahomes at the helm. Last year, the Chiefs started and ended strong but endured an inexplicable lull that included 5 losses in 6 games, including outright embarrassing efforts against the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants (you could also include the defensive effort against the New York Jets in there, too). This year, the Chiefs have taken care of business against the very teams you’d expect while simultaneously flexing strong in serious road wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Even in their losses, the Chiefs have put up astounding numbers on offense. Their two losses came in primetime against the Patriots and L.A. Rams by three points each. The Chiefs racked up over 90 points between both games, but serious defensive issues kept the Chiefs from running the table on their schedule. Both shootouts came down to the final seconds on the road against two teams expected to compete for a Super Bowl appearance.
In short, the Chiefs have to be taken very, very seriously as a Super Bowl contender by any and all teams, even those who have taken them down so far. Playing at Arrowhead would be a major boost for the postseason, but the Chiefs will need to finish strong to do just that. With five games left against four opponents, we thought we’d rank the remaining contests on the schedule to see what hurdles are in the way. Are they serious? Could the Chiefs falter? Let’s take a look.