Are the Chiefs unbeatable? Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Co are 9-0... but today is their toughest test yet

As NFL enters week 11, the Kansas City Chiefs are entering unfamiliar territory. No, not their presumption arsenic the No 1 seeds successful the AFC oregon arsenic the bookies’ favorites to triumph different Lombardi Trophy. But alternatively their quality to execute a feat that has eluded immoderate of the champion teams to person played the game.

Once a squad has gone 9-0 it is clip to enactment speech of the postseason temporarily connected clasp – that is simply a foregone decision (even the Eagles’ capitulation past play from 10-1 to 11-6 didn’t outgo them a play-off berth) – and crook attraction to a rarer NFL feat: the unbeaten season.

I’m sure, fixed the choice, the Chiefs would similar a 3rd Super Bowl successful a row, but what if it tin beryllium done without losing a azygous game?

But earlier we look to the future, it is worthy noting that the information the Chiefs person gone unbeaten truthful acold is thing of a surprise. On paper, and successful world successful immoderate games, including Sunday’s two-point triumph over the Denver Broncos, this has seemed possibly the slightest convincing discourtesy that Patrick Mahomes has had since becoming the starting quarterback.

Travis Kelce’s struggles astatine the commencement of the play were good documented. And portion immoderate would reason they were unfairly magnified owing to his relationship with Taylor Swift, helium has managed lone 499 receiving yards successful 9 games, with lone 1 100-yard game, putting him connected gait to miss retired connected a 1,000-yard play again. His 8.3 yards per drawback is comfortably the 35-year-old’s lowest people successful his career.

That said, past twelvemonth helium finished with lone 984 yards arsenic helium led the Chiefs’ receivers and they inactive won the Super Bowl. In the past 3 games helium has shown signs of being backmost to his ascendant best, and arsenic agelong arsenic the Chiefs’ starring receiver successful six of the past 10 seasons remains healthy, 1 mightiness argue, they volition beryllium OK. 

But the issues person gone deeper, with injuries ensuring that their prima backmost has been handed attacking weapons that look to person been small much than a rotating formed of second-rate moving backs and receivers.

It shouldn’t person been similar this, of course. The discourtesy was expected to person been bolstered by the accomplishment of wide receiver Hollywood Brown. But the 27-year-old erstwhile first-rounder has not played a drawback each play aft being placed connected IR successful September. 

And helium was brought successful to complement Rashee Rice, who finished his rookie play with 938 receiving yards. Rice’s sophomore twelvemonth ended successful week 4, erstwhile helium was deed by Mahomes arsenic the brace tried to tackle the Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton aft an interception.

Their chap wideout Skyy Moore, taken successful the 2nd circular of the 2022 Draft, has missed the full play with injury. The standout receiving enactment present is the 32-year-old Deandre Hopkins, who arrived earlier the commercialized deadline, but adds acquisition alternatively than youthful zest to the offense. Even then, portion his endowment cannot beryllium questioned, helium has not played a play-off crippled successful 5 years.

Meanwhile, their RB1 is simply a 29-year-old who ran for 411 yards past play (a full helium has already outstripped successful six games with the Chiefs) and who has not had a 1,000-yard play since his 2017 rookie year; but Kareem Hunt is showing the benefits of playing down Mahomes – helium scares defenses into implicit readying for his structured and off-the-cuff plays, giving moving backs a accidental to succeed.

Of people this twelvemonth that relation was meant to beryllium filled by Isiah Pacheco getting a accidental to physique connected his breakout 2023. But helium has played lone 1 crippled this play due to the fact that of injury, though is thought to person an extracurricular accidental of returning to the tract this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

Such a catalogue of wounded woes suggests the taxable of an unbeaten play shouldn’t inactive beryllium connected the agenda, but it speaks volumes to the talents of Mahomes and violative coordinator Matt Nagy that they person got the occupation done. 

Mahomes has thrown passes to 16 antithetic receivers (and had 1 reception himself). Jared Goff of the NFC’s apical team, the 8-1 Detroit Lions, has thrown to 11; adjacent Jalen Hurts of the 7-2 Philadelphia, who has missed AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert astatine times this season, has thrown to lone 13 antithetic men. 

Perhaps this has helped: determination is nary evident limb for opposing defenses to strategy against and unopen down. It’s conscionable Mahomes and his schoolyard smarts.

They person of people been helped by a defence that has conceded the joint-fourth fewest points done week 10, and a peculiar teams portion that has stood gangly erstwhile needed - connected Sunday their triumph implicit the Broncos came acknowledgment to a precocious blocked tract extremity attempt.

That triumph was the benignant of crippled that tin constituent to the fallibility oregon infallibility of a side, depending connected which statement you privation to advance: they needed luck to win/they won erstwhile not astatine their best, delete arsenic applicable. But a triumph is simply a win. 

The antagonistic arguments are each undermined by the information that the Chiefs person made it done their archetypal 9 games undefeated. Yes, they person lone occasionally been convincing but, an NFL triumph file is not a question of ‘How?’, simply ‘How many?’ It is besides worthy noting that the latest that their archetypal decision of a play has travel with Mahomes arsenic starter has been week six.

The Chiefs and Broncos conscionable again connected the last play of the regular season, erstwhile the Mile High aerial volition beryllium heavy with thoughts of revenge. But volition the Chiefs beryllium playing for that unbeaten season? The 2 weeks earlier past they look the Texans and Steelers successful what could beryllium classed arsenic ‘trap’ games, particularly if the No 1 effect is already lock. 

But yet overmuch volition hinge connected events successful upstate New York connected Sunday. Recent past suggests that the Chiefs and Bills could good conscionable again successful the caller twelvemonth with thing tangible much astatine stake. In their nascent rivalry betwixt the sides led by Mahomes and Josh Allen, the Bills person mostly had the precocious manus successful the regular season, portion Kansas City person got the occupation done successful the playoffs - not slightest successful the memorable overtime triumph 3 seasons ago.

Sunday’s effect is improbable to service arsenic a usher for what mightiness hap successful January, but a triumph would enactment Andy Reid, Mahomes et al 1 measurement person to yet different introduction successful the NFL grounds books

Not since the 2007 play has a squad gone undefeated done the regular season. However, that twelvemonth ended with the New England Patriots’ daze decision by the New York Giants successful Super Bowl XLII. And you person to spell backmost to 1972 to find the lone clip a team’s unbeaten streak ended with a Lombardi Trophy: that was Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins. They stay the lone NFL squad to implicit an undefeated season.

The past clip the NFL’s past undefeated squad went connected to triumph the Super Bowl was Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts successful 2006-07. Their archetypal decision came successful their tenth game. Maybe losing to the Bills connected Sunday wouldn’t beryllium truthful atrocious for Kansas City.