Can the Kansas City Chiefs Make It To Their Third Super Bowl In Four Years?
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Patrick Mahomes
With a 27-24 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 17, the Kansas City Chiefs clinched their fifth straight season of at least 12 wins. MVP front-runner Patrick Mahomes had another field day against the Chiefs’ AFC West rivals, tossing 328 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 27-24 victory.
Kansas City improved to 13-3 on the season, officially clinching a better record than the 2021 squad that finished 12-5. But Mahomes and the Chiefs simply aren’t here to celebrate regular season wins. They’ve played in two of the last three Super Bowls — winning it all in the 2019 season — and each of the last four AFC Championship Games.
The Chiefs have never played a road playoff game since Mahomes became the team’s starting quarterback in 2018. That streak is in jeopardy this year, and if the Chiefs have to play in January away from home, the path to a Super Bowl becomes that much tougher.
Kansas Sports Betting launched in the state back in September. So for the first time ever, fans in the Wheat State will have the chance to place wagers on the Chiefs during the NFL postseason. Some of the top available promos/offers for new customers include a risk-free bet worth up to $1,000 from BetMGM, $200 in free bets from DraftKings if you wager $5, and a $1,000 risk-free bet from FanDuel.
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Who are Kansas City Chiefs’ Biggest Threats In The AFC?
The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals both beat Kansas City earlier this season, and it’s not difficult to make a case that they’re more well-rounded and better prepared for a Super Bowl run than the Chiefs. The Bills came into this season as the main Super Bowl favorites. They’ve won each of their last two regular season games at Arrowhead.
If they didn’t lose the overtime coin toss against Kansas City in last year’s Divisional Round, perhaps it’s the Bills who go on to win the Super Bowl. Buffalo has by far the best defense in the AFC, and their rushing game — led by dual-threat quarterback Josh Allen — is considerably better than Kansas City’s.
Given the Chiefs’ struggles against high-powered offenses this season, as well as Allen’s success against Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, it’s safe to say that Buffalo is the No. 1 team in the AFC that Kansas City would rather avoid in January. Joe Burrow, of course, has a perfect 3-0 record against Mahomes and the Chiefs. This included a thrilling comeback in last season’s AFC Championship Game, where Cincinnati erased a 21-3 deficit to win 27-24 in overtime.
Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has found ways to slow down Mahomes and the Kansas City passing game by constantly dropping eight into coverage. And so far, the 2018 league MVP hasn’t been able to fully solve that puzzle. After the Bills, the Bengals are surely the next team in the AFC that the Chiefs don’t want to play. Kansas City may have a bit more talent on paper, but the Bengals have been their Kryptonite.
The Baltimore Ravens are 1-3 against Mahomes, having won the most recent meeting in Week 2 of last season. With a stingy defense and a prolific rushing game, Baltimore could absolutely upset Kansas City in the playoffs. But Baltimore’s offense has struggled tremendously without Lamar Jackson, who remains sidelined with a knee injury. If Jackson is close-ish to 100 percent for a potential playoff meeting with Kansas City, the Chiefs will need to bring their A-game on both sides of the ball.
Kansas City Has Its Flaws, But They Have The Pieces To Return To Super Bowl
The Chiefs have never had a lights-out defense in the Mahomes era, yet they still have two AFC banners and a Lombardi Trophy to look back on. No, they don’t have an All-Pro level running back nor a top-level defense like Buffalo and Cincinnati. But this is a battle-tested group that always saves its best football for January. The Chiefs weren’t the best NFL team at any point last season, and yet they were this close to a third straight Super Bowl appearance.
Kansas City still has the best quarterback in the game, as well as a Hall of Fame head coach in Andy Reid. This team knows what it takes to go all the way, so one should bet against Kansas City at their own caution. They are absolutely more than capable of going on a Super Bowl run again. The track record under Mahomes and Reid is all the optimism Chiefs fans need.
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Siddharth Kr Singh
(32 Articles Published)