Arrowhead Pride
NFL Week 11 grades: Allen’s ‘A-‘ effort powers Bills, Chargers flunk | CBS Sports
C Chiefs
Whenever the Chiefs need a win, they always seem to find a way to get it, but they finally ran out of magic. For one, the defense had problems against Denver, especially during a second half where the Broncos scored on four of their five possessions. Usually, Patrick Mahomes makes up for any defensive shortcomings, but the Broncos were ready for everything he threw at them. The Chiefs offense had two chances to put this game away in the fourth quarter, but went three-and-out on its final two possessions while totaling just 2 yards. The ugliest part for the Chiefs is that they’re now 0-5 on the year in one-score games. These are games the Chiefs would find a way to win the past, but this year, they keep coming up short. The Chiefs (5-5) can still make the playoffs, but it feels like their nine-year reign atop the AFC West is over.
And, as he’d later reveal, one thing in particular ate at him most after the Chiefs’ defeat Sunday against their divisional rivals.
“Just having an opportunity at the end of the game,” Mahomes said later at his postgame news conference, “and not coming through.”Mahomes entered the week highlighting the importance of this matchup. He knew how critical this game was if the Chiefs wanted to extend a string of nine AFC West titles. He also acknowledged, after the team’s last loss to the Buffalo Bills, that he needed to be better at sticking to his progressions and not getting away from his reads too soon.
It’s why, with raw honesty during his media session, Mahomes shared he was most frustrated with one thing after Sunday’s loss-from-ahead setback against the Broncos:
Himself.
“We haven’t been consistent enough to win football games,” Mahomes said, “but it starts with me.”
Could the Chiefs miss the playoffs? What went wrong in Week 11 | ESPN
Are the Chiefs broken?
Deep breath … no. In fact, I don’t think there’s a huge difference on a play-by-play basis between this season’s Chiefs at 5-5 and last season’s team, which went 15-1 before sitting starters against the Broncos after clinching the AFC’s top seed. The measures we use to project underlying performance don’t see a dramatic gap between the two teams.
Leaving the second Broncos game aside, the 2024 Chiefs won by an average of 6.1 points per game. Through 10 weeks, these 2025 Chiefs actually have a better point differential, winning by an average of 7.3 points per contest. They’ve lost the close ones, but their five victories have come by an average of 19 points, including substantial wins over the Lions and Ravens.
The Pythagorean expectation formula would project the...
