Kansas City after two weeks has assists from a toenail and a fourth-and-16 pass interference but the Chiefs have also executed timely plays and capitalized on opponent mistakes. Regardless, they’re 2-0 and lead the league in most valuable wins.
And that’s maddening to everyone without an 816 area code.
The Chiefs’ victories came against Baltimore and Cincinnati, critical head-to-head tiebreakers that could enter the picture as the AFC sorts out its playoff race later this season. That fact is frustrating more than the Ravens and Bengals. Jason Fitz from Yahoo! Sports said on Monday’s edition of Inside Coverage that he just doesn’t know how any team is supposed to beat Kansas City.
“The Bengals, who weren’t particularly clean in this game, either, lost to a Chiefs team that gave us a half-ass Kansas City effort and even through that, the Chiefs get the one-point win,” Fitz said of Kansas City’s 26-25 walk-off victory. “I just don’t know how you beat a team that always finds a way to win.”
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw two interceptions and compiled only 151 passing yards, the second-lowest figure of his career. Plus, Travis Kelce had one catch for 5 yards, the Chiefs were 1-for-8 on third downs and had just 286 total yards.
But Mahomes is exceptional in one-score games. Sunday’s win marked his sixth straight victory with a final-score margin of eight points or less, a stretch that includes a Week 17 win over the Bengals last year, the Chiefs’ three postseason victories and their 2-0 record this season. Overall, Mahomes is 45-21 (.682) in such starts, including playoffs.
“It looks ugly and they still win,” Fitz said. “It’s absolutely unthinkable how good he is in one-score games.
“So, what the hell do you do when, like 13 seconds is enough for a fan base to realize they’re not going to the Super Bowl while Mahomes just marches down the field? It happens over and over. At some point, it’s not luck; it’s identity. It’s not, ‘Oh my God, the world is fixing these outcomes.’ It’s just, ‘Oh my God, there’s a culture here that finds a way to win.’ Good teams find a way to win and the Chiefs just do it.”
They’ll certainly be tested over the next month. The Chiefs are in Atlanta for Sunday Night Football in Week 3, then get the Chargers (2-0) on the road, New Orleans (2-0) at home and road trips to San Francisco (1-1) and Las Vegas (1-1). They also get a Week 6 bye week in that stretch, but perhaps one of those teams can produce a winning recipe against Kansas City.