This an extremely bold take to end the week: The Kansas City Chiefs are going to be just fine following their 24-20 loss against the Buffalo Bills.
The lesson from that game is that Buffalo is the team to beat in the NFL, which seems to be rather obvious at this point. The Bills are the top dogs, but the Chiefs aren’t too far behind them. Losing that game at home stinks out loud, but it’s an early-season loss against the best team in the NFL — and a team they’ll have to fight through in the playoffs to make it to the Super Bowl.
All is going to be fine for Kansas City as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center. He is still that guy that set the league on fire as soon as he started. He is still a bonafide killer that should leave every defense terrified. There’s been a bit of an adjustment as they try to replace Tyreek Hill’s production, but this offense is still to be feared. The Chiefs rank sixth in yards per play (5.9) on offense this season even without the game-breaking ability of Hill. Mahomes and Travis Kelce have still put together a phenomenal offense so far.
The Chiefs’ defense isn’t performing as well, but having No. 15 under center erases a lot of margin for error and this team as a whole is off to a 4-2 start. The defense is a little top-heavy with guys like defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed leading the way, but this team is very much resting their success each week on the golden arm of Mahomes. Have you seen the guy play? There are worse strategies out there to try and employ.
Kansas City still leads the AFC West, and it’s a division that looks much less threatening than the clash of titans that was expected prior to the season. The Las Vegas Raiders can’t figure out how to play a complete game, the Los Angeles Chargers have been up and down, and the Denver Broncos are the biggest underachievers of the 2022 NFL season.
When the Chiefs lost to the Colts earlier this season, they still outgained them by 56 yards, but poor special teams play eventually did them in. That’s what it takes for some of the lesser teams in the league to beat the Chiefs. It takes them shooting themselves in the foot. That’s not a sustainable strategy for beating a team with one of the best quarterbacks we’ve ever seen at the helm. It took a team as dangerous and well-constructed as the Bills in order for Mahomes to be a home underdog for the first time in his damn career.
This team is fine. They have Mahomes. They have Andy Reid. They still have playmakers at key positions. It’s Super Bowl or bust for this team until further notice — and if you disagree with that, you can meet me at the logo.