Arrowhead Pride
Let’s see where Kansas City is listed in this week’s rankings.
Before the 1972 Miami Dolphins won Super Bowl VII — which concluded their 17-0 season — sportswriters had already noticed the team’s regular-season opponents had a combined record of only 0.396. That was said to be the easiest schedule of any pro team in more than two decades. More than 50 years later, a reference to the Dolphins’ amazing season is often accompanied by a remark about the team’s weak schedule.
If the Kansas City Chiefs win their third consecutive Super Bowl in February, will the sportswriters of 2076 say, “Yes, but they nearly lost four games!”
By the way... the ‘72 Dolphins had six games they won by a single score — along with three more they won by a combined score of 91-0.
Here’s this week’s sampling:
(down from 3)
The Chiefs’ offense has made some steady improvements since their Week 6 bye. Against the Panthers on Sunday, they played a turnover-free game, scoring on their first five possessions, and Patrick Mahomes led the winning drive in crunch time. But the defense has tapered off in the other direction over that same span, nearly bottoming out — by Kansas City’s standards, at least — in a victory that almost felt like a loss. Panthers QB Bryce Young enjoyed surprising success, and he made the Chiefs pay when they played man defense against him. Carolina scored six times, including via a 70-yard march that bled more than half the third quarter, and K.C. blew a 14-point lead. That’s not what we’ve come to expect from this D, and it’s a worrying sign that this unit has allowed opponents to drive for the decisive or tying score three times in the past four games — and it would have been four times had Leo Chenal not blocked a potential winning field-goal try by the Broncos in Week 10. This trend must change fast.
— Eric Edholm
(unchanged from 2)
Offense ranking: 5
Defense ranking: 12
Special teams ranking: 25
The Chiefs have been more efficient than dynamic on offense. They convert on third downs (52.7%) better than any other NFL team but rank 23rd in pass plays of 20 yards or more (28). Kansas City is ninth in scoring defense (19.8 points per game) but has had trouble getting opposing offenses off the field at key times. While the special teams rank isn’t very good, the Chiefs won a game against the Broncos with a walk-off blocked field goal. They’ve won two other games with walk-off field goals.
— Adam Teicher
(down from 3)
The Chiefs can become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. The Green Bay Packers won three straight titles from 1966 to 1968, but only two of those were Super Bowls because that game didn’t start until 1967. Kansas City fans might not survive the road to...
