If the Kansas City Chiefs are feeling the weight of their middling record, Creed Humphrey isn’t showing it. In fact, the team's star center is leaning in the opposite direction, with a clear display of calm confidence despite K.C.'s 5-5 record. Chiefs Kingdom can only hope that belief is well-founded with the 8-2 Indianapolis Colts coming to town in Week 12.
The Chiefs are still smarting from a humbling loss at the hands of the Denver Broncos last Sunday, but Humphrey says the vibe inside Arrowhead is anything but defeated. “We’re just ready to get back to work right now. Spirits are high. Everybody’s ready to roll," said Humphrey in a recent interview on The Insiders with Mike Garafolo and Judy Battista from NFL Network.
Doubters will point to Humphrey's comments and say the team is deluded. That's entirely possible. The Chiefs could be pretenders after years of contending, and this coming week will go a long way toward determining whether the Chiefs have just been unlucky or just not that good. That said, Humphrey's confidence feels well-founded, given that the team knows better than any other what it takes to win consistently in the National Football League.
The Chiefs' star center insists that everyone in Arrowhead is ready for and confident in the road ahead.
“I think that right now the team is as good as we want it to be," said Humphrey. "It’s just about executing—executing in critical situations and being consistent with it. There’s a ton of talent in the building, and everybody just loves ball. Everybody loves showing up to work. So for us, it’s just being consistent.”
That "consistent" theme is being preached by everyone in and out of Arrowhead following a loss to the Broncos that pushed them two spots outside of the AFC playoff picture—in the No. 9 overall seed. The Chiefs have shot themselves in the foot in every aspect of the game, from special teams miscues and odd playcalling to careless penalties or confusing interceptions.
Humphrey's also clear that it's not as easy as just saying the right things. The visiting Colts are going to be a serious challenge to the Chiefs' ability to course correct.
“They’re a talented team. They’ve got a ton of talent, especially on the defense. They’re really talented up front. They’re playing really good ball, playing really good team ball, too. They present a good challenge for us, and we’re excited to get to work through it this week and Sunday.”
To hear Humphrey tell it, the Chiefs relish the challenge in front of them. That's good because it's a doozy. Only time will tell if Humphrey's words are a proper diagnosis of the problem or the latest delusional comments from a team that's just not nearly as good as they thought they would be.