Is there any merit to claims of KC Chiefs’ doubters?

When it comes to most analysts and fans of the National Football League, the past month has proven that the Kansas City Chiefs are back. Patrick Mahomes and the offense have come to life when needed, as illustrated by the five touchdown passes thrown by Mahomes in a dominating win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The defense has also captured multiple victories for the Chiefs in a month where they’ve leaped from worst to first in the AFC West as well.

Before the season, the Chiefs were the pick du jour for bettors and analysts to make a Super Bowl appearance for a third consecutive season. After a miserable start that found the Chiefs sitting at the bottom of their own division, they’ve now won four straight and have solidified their standing in the AFC playoff picture. Just like that, it looked as if the Chiefs were “back.”

For some, however, the Chiefs didn’t just go through a simple slump. There are doubters who remain unconvinced that the Chiefs are any more dangerous than they were before. Despite their record, some remain unconvinced of their ability to win when it matters most.

Is there any real merit to the claims that doubters of the K.C. Chiefs have had this season?

Even though the Chiefs have won four games, there are potential asterisks with each. For example, the Chiefs recently rolled over the Las Vegas Raiders in a divisional showdown by a final of 41-14. While the Chiefs took care of business, doubters would point to the ongoing drama and turmoil stemming from Jon Gruden’s exit from the team. It also didn’t help to have two former first round picks—wide receiver Henry Ruggs III and cornerback Damon Arnette—also released in that same stint in a very distracting manner.

What about the win over the Green Bay Packers? The Pack didn’t have Aaron Rodgers under center due to him being placed on the COVID reserve list just before the game. The same can be said of Amari Cooper landing on the list for the Dallas Cowboys, who were also missing left tackle Tyron Smith, their two best edge rushers in Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory , and even wideout CeeDee Lamb during the Week 11 game against the Chiefs.

Basically if a doubter wanted to poke a hole in any win for the Chiefs this year, they would be able to do so. Some of them have come against subpar competition. The bigger wins were all missing key players for the offense. These are all fatalist takes, choosing the negative spin just because they can, but it’s there nonetheless.

Some fans have decided to ignore it all outright, much of it under the banner of “Everyone has injuries so I’m not even entertaining such an argument.” However if the roles were reversed, would Chiefs fans not cry foul over the Raiders beating the Packers without Aaron Rodgers? Or if the Chiefs were missing more players in key games, would that not be a key focus for fans?

It’s hard to say honestly without being in those scenarios, but it’s worth a conversation to at least ask if the doubters have anything solid in their arguments. Is there any merit to their claims? Should the Chiefs have any doubters at all? Or is it silly to doubt the Chiefs since they were always supposed to be this good all along?