For the first time in years, Kansas City Chiefs’ path to AFC West title is no cakewalk
The last time the Chiefs played a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium that started in daylight, they improved to 6-1 by beating the Chargers in late October.
Nobody else in the AFC West was better than .500 at the time, and clear sailing loomed toward another division title.
After Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills, that stranglehold has loosened.
The Chiefs’ fourth loss in six games, coupled with another Denver Broncos victory Sunday, has reduced the Chiefs’ lead to one game with four remaining. The Chiefs stand 8-5, matching their most losses in a season since 2017. The Broncos are 7-6.
It seems like the Chiefs are moving toward a backs-against-the-wall position, a role they haven’t played in several years. And they know they’ve created this situation themselves.
“The margin for error is that much slimmer now,” Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon said. “We have to find a way.”
The Chiefs have won seven straight division titles, and competition this late in the season hasn’t been common since Patrick Mahomes become their starting quarterback in 2018. Last year, the Chiefs won the division by four games. In 2020, they won it by six; in 2019, they won it by five.
Also, they always seemed to play some of their best football in December. But they’re 0-2 this month.
On Sunday, the Chiefs never led. They fell behind by double digits in the first half for the third straight game. But unlike last weekend’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Chiefs battled back to tie Sunday’s game at 17 and then seemed to have the momentum.
But they couldn’t forge ahead. Their best opportunity was wrecked by a penalty when an offsides flag on wide receiver Kadarius Toney negated a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce, which covered 25 yards. Kelce then threw a lateral pass to Toney, who finished the final 24 yards with 1:25 remaining.
But because of the penalty, the play didn’t count. And the Chiefs couldn’t recover. That moment — an official’s call — consumed much of the postgame discussion in the Chiefs’ locker room.
But the problems the Chiefs experienced against the Bills were the sort that have plagued them all season. Turnovers ended two possessions. Penalties, aside from the one called on Toney, stalled drives. Passes were dropped. The Bills punted away their first drive but got touchdowns on their next two to bury the Chiefs in a hole.
Frustration is mounting.
“There are thing we can get better at,” Chiefs safety Justin Reid said. “We have to keep sticking together. This team has tenacity. We all want to win. We all believe in each other. We just have to find one or two more plays to get the win.”
That seems to have been the case since that victory over the Chargers. Losses to the Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Packers and Bills have changed the tone of this season and knocked the Chiefs from the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Through Sunday’s games, they’re the No. 3 seed, two games in the loss column behind the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins.
All four of the Chiefs’ remaining regular-season games are against teams that would miss in the playoffs if the season ended today. And the Chiefs still have a 98% chance of reaching the postseason, according to The New York Times’ playoff simulator.
To Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay, there’s only one reaction to the team’s recent woes.
“You just have to suck it up and keep moving on,” Gay said. “Stay positive as much as possible, keep everyone else positive and uplifted.”