KC Chiefs have NFL’s only win with significant turnover differential

Nov 13, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) gestures on the line of scrimmage against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) gestures on the line of scrimmage against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

No other team in the ’22 season has been able to overcome a -3 turnover differential, except for the Chiefs in Week 10.

Everyone watching the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in their win over the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars knew that their margin was something special. From the very beginning, the Chiefs made plenty of mistakes but none of them seemed to affect their ability to bounce right back against Trevor Lawrence and company, and it wasn’t too long into the game that things felt out of reach completely.

As it turns out, that’s rare in the National Football League.

The Jags deserve credit for being able to force the Chiefs into a few miscues on Sunday. According to NFL maxims, the Chiefs should have lost, or at least they should have been on the ropes, given the fact that they turned the ball over three times. As we all know, that was definitely not the case on Sunday in their 27-17 win.

According to NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano, the Chiefs are the only team in the NFL to win a game despite being down in turnover differential by three or more in 2022. Besides the Jags, other teams have been able to celebrate a victory after such a performance to the tune of 22-0 in the standings for those teams. However, the Jags are still sitting with the sting of a loss.

What makes that even more amazing for the Chiefs is that the Jags also started the game with an onside kick that gave them the ball back as well, almost like a fourth turnover. And yes, the Chiefs still won.

The Chiefs have to know that every week won’t be so kind as to allow them to make so many mistakes and still put a team away as they did against Jacksonville. But the Chiefs are also learning how much margin they do have with a roster as deep and talented as they have. And apparently, the NFL is learning that not all maxims apply when some teams are as good as they are.

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