National NFL pundits have mixed feelings about Chiefs after win in Mexico City
The Chiefs completed a season road sweep of their AFC West rivals with a 24-17 win over the Chargers in Mexico City on Monday night.
The victory, in what was the Chargers’ home game, helped the Chiefs maintain a half-game lead over the Raiders for the division lead. The Chiefs have a 7-4 record and have won two of their last three games.
However, the Chiefs have a 3-4 record over their last seven games. The victory Monday night left some NFL pundits praising the Chiefs, while others doubt they’re a serious Super Bowl contender.
Here is what’s being said:
Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com offered five takeaways from the game. Here is an excerpt of one: “Monday night’s win keeps the Chiefs a half-game ahead of the Oakland Raiders (6-4) atop the division and sends the Chargers to playoff purgatory in the AFC. Kansas City heads into its Week 12 bye with a tenuous hold on the division. By the time the Chiefs return for their all-important (and flexed!) game against Oakland, the Raiders could be tied for the division lead at 7-4. K.C. currently owns the tiebreaker thanks to a Week 2 win in Oakland, but a loss to the reborn Raiders in Week 13 could change the complexion of the division.”
Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd said the Chiefs are no threat to the Patriots.
“That game shouldn’t have been 24-17,” he said. “You are plus-three on turnovers. Philip Rivers, old unathletic, inaccurate Philip Rivers (had) four picks, and 18 seconds to go, the Chargers have a chance in the red zone to tie the game. That game shouldn’t have even been close. ... My question: ‘What’s wrong with Kansas City?’ They are the latest flashy, fun, crazy and you wake up and you’re like this is what they are ... just a little better than the Raiders. The identity of the Chiefs is too Patrick Mahomes.”
Jake May of Sports Illustrated wrote about Philip Rivers’ struggles, but spent some time on the Chiefs. Here is a snippet from his story: “It was not the most explosive or highlight-riddled game for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, especially with Tyreek Hill exiting early with a hamstring issue. ... On the flipside, Frank Clark served as the primary Rivers irritant, logging three quarterback hits, a sack and a tipped-ball-turned-first-career interception for (Derrick) Nnadi. Charvarius Ward knocked away three Rivers passes as (Tyrann) Mathieu, (Daniel) Sorensen and Rashad Fenton reeled in the other three interceptions, and the Kansas City defense bent but didn’t break inside its own 25. The goat (in a bad way) last week against the Titans, this was an important bounce-back from a defensive unit that will need to be sharp come December and January with the Raiders suddenly lurking on their bumper at 6-4.
ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said the Chiefs made the biggest play of the game when it mattered:
Mark Maske of the Washington Post wrote an analysis piece on the game. Here is part of what he wrote: “Mahomes usually makes the game look easy. But the league’s reigning MVP uncharacteristically struggled in his second game back in the lineup since missing two games with a dislocated right kneecap. His 182 passing yards were his career low in a game in which he finished. He threw a first-half interception, only his second of the season.
“But he did throw a third-quarter touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce as part of a 19-for-32 passing performance. And he added a career-high 59 rushing yards.”
Greg Jennings of “First Things First” still isn’t a believer in the Chiefs defese:
