In a season plagued by injuries, offensive line struggles, and nail-bitingly close games, the Kansas City Chiefs have willed their way to the AFC's top seed with a 15-1 record heading into the final game of the regular season.
Securing the No. 1 spot means the Chiefs can rest their starters for the final regular season game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday — quarterback Carson Wentz will be starting in place of Patrick Mahomes for the first time this season.
The Chiefs will have a first-round bye in the playoffs and enjoy home field advantage throughout ensuring the Chiefs will remain at Arrowhead — in contrast to last year's brutal gauntlet through Buffalo and Baltimore.
As a result, the Kansas City Chiefs will only need to win two games, both at home, to get back to the Super Bowl and possibly win their third straight championship, a historic feat.
Matt McMullen, the Chiefs' senior team reporter, says the team is hitting its stride at the right moment.
"You want to be playing your best football this time of year," McMullen says. "In all three phases, we're seeing this team coming together at the perfect time."
Hayley Lewis, a Chiefs writer for Bleacher Report, says there were times this season where she worried about the Chiefs' offensive struggles.
"There were times where I thought, maybe this isn't the year," Lewis says. "You don't doubt the Chiefs, because time and time again, they've proven us wrong."
Lewis says a major part of the team's success has been its defense. The Chiefs have been the second-best scoring defense in the league this season, and allowed an average of only 17.6 points per game from opposing teams.
"(Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) is one of the best defensive minds we've ever seen in this game," Lewis says. "His playbook is so deep."
McMullen also notes that key players are returning from injury just as the playoffs start. Wide receiver Hollywood Brown has been working his way into the team's lineup after a preseason injury sidelined him for almost the entire regular season.
Running back Isaiah Pacheco has also increased his playing time after breaking his fibula in week two.
"This team going to be the healthiest they've been all year," McMullen says. "And that's all you can ask for when you get ready for a playoff run."
While not every game this season has been pretty, McMullen says the difference has been the Chiefs' man under center.
"Patrick Mahomes is the best player in football," McMullen says. "It's because of his ability to win and to finish games and clutch moments."
It's hard to argue with the results. Individual stats don't matter in the playoffs, where a single loss sends a team home. And with three Super Bowl rings in the last five years, nobody in the NFL today is better at finding ways to win than Patrick Mahomes.
Now, Kansas City must wait for the playoffs to see if Mahomes and the Chiefs can do it again. McMullen and Lewis aren't betting against them.
- Matt McMullen, Chiefs Senior Team Reporter
- Hayley Lewis, Bleacher Report Chiefs Writer
