The Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL’s most competitive team

The Kansas City Chiefs lost in a blowout four years ago. However, since then, the Chiefs have been the most competitive team in the NFL.

On October 2, 2016, the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers by a final score of 43-14. The Chiefs trailed 22-0 going into the second quarter and were down 36-0 going into the final quarter before mustering a couple of touchdowns. The Chiefs went on to lose by 29 points on Sunday Night Football.

You might be wondering why this is being brought up about a team that is currently the reigning Super Bowl champions and own a 3-0 record this year with a new franchise-best 12 straight wins. That is because this game took place exactly four years ago. It has been four years since Kansas City has suffered a blowout loss.

Ever since the blowout loss, the Chiefs have gone 51-19, including postseason games. Among those 19 losses, 18 of them were within seven points. Their only two-possession loss was against the Dallas Cowboys in 2017, an 11-point loss on the road.

In those 19 losses, the Chiefs lost by an average of 4.4 points per game.

More specifically, the Chiefs are 27-7 when Patrick Mahomes starts for the Chiefs in the regular season. If you include postseason games, the Chiefs are 31-8 when Mahomes is under center. The Chiefs have not suffered a loss worse than seven points when Mahomes starts for the Chiefs.

If you’re a Chiefs fan, it is likely you remember that game four years ago. It was on primetime, something every NFL fan looks forward to when their team is playing. For Chiefs fans, that excitement got shot quickly from the opening kickoff. Although the Chiefs haven’t won all of their primetime games since then, fans have not had to go through the feeling of a blowout loss for four years.

Ever since Kansas City’s blowout loss in Week 4 of the 2016 season, only the New England Patriots have a better record than the Chiefs. Despite that, the Patriots have had five games where they lost by more than one possession, whereas the Chiefs have just one.

The Chiefs deserve a lot of credit—from general manager Brett Veach, to Andy Reid and his coaching staff, to the personnel the team has put together over the past four years. In that span, the Chiefs have proven to be the most competitive team in the NFL.