Charlie Riedel / Associated Press
The NFL is a results-oriented business. And when the final shot rang out at the end of Sunday’s thriller between Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns, the Super Bowl champions escaped with a 22-17 victory that propelled them into the AFC Championship Game for the third consecutive season.
But while the Chiefs have already won 11 of 12 and are the first team in AFC history to host the conference title dispute over three consecutive seasons, the game ended up following an unsettlingly similar script. Going back to the time of a 35-9 drowning of the unfortunate New York Jets in Week 8, the Chiefs have not defeated a team by more than six points since November 1.
They may have had the best record of the regular season in the league, 14-2. They can be the Super Bowl champions. And depending on the health of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, they are likely to be favored by Las Vegas betting creators next week.
But going into a confrontation with a Buffalo Bills team that is so hot in terms of wins and losses, Kansas City doesn’t look like the role of an unstoppable steamroller. It seems like a word that hasn’t been associated with the franchise for a long time: vulnerable.
It didn’t look like that would be the case in the first half of Sunday, however.
Playing against a Cleveland defender who fought hard at times, Kansas City moved the ball at will. The Chiefs accumulated almost 300 attack yards in the first half. The racing game was working. Mahomes and the passing attack were sharp. The defense played well and got a great turn near the end of the second half. One extra point lost was all that went wrong, and the Chiefs raised 16 in the interval.
Jeff Roberson / Associated Press
When safety tyrann Mathieu defeated Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield, deep in the Browns’ territory in the first series of the second half, it looked like the rout had started.
But the next Kansas City trip culminated in another missed shot by Harrison Butker. The Browns then drove the entire length of the field, marching 77 yards in eight moves to close the score for 19-10.
The Chiefs managed to increase the lead to 12 in the next possession, but came at a price: the injury that will dominate the conversation in next week’s game for the next few days.
While trying to avoid passing passes, Mahomes (who had already suffered what appeared to be a toe injury in the first half) was thrown to the ground after a throw. He hit his head, became visibly wobbly afterwards, and was escorted off the field and into the locker room.
He would not return.
Now, before someone starts panicking prematurely, the head coach Andy Reid sounded optimistic after the game Mahomes will be back next Sunday against Buffalo.
“He was hit in the back of the head and it kind of took his breath away,” said Reid. “… He’s doing really well now, which is very positive, he spent all the business he needed to get through, so let’s see where he goes from here … I just talked to him. He’s fine. Let’s see as he is tomorrow, but now he is feeling well. “
It is also important to note that the Chiefs have gathered around their fallen caller.
Reserve defender Chad Henne made an ugly interception, but also made a handful of plays with his arm – including a fourth down throw to Tyreek Hill that ended the game. The Kansas City defense suffered a lot in the second half, but played late when necessary.
Mathieu talked about the latter while talking to CBS Sports after the game.
Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press
“We are a team,” he said. “We are a heartbeat. We play for each other, and that is all. I think that whenever one of our teammates falls, we always feel the need to climb a step and take care of what we need to take care of.”
Assuming for a moment that Reid is correct and Mahomes is able to go against Buffalo again next week, no one is saying to hit the big red panic button.
It was a game in which the Chiefs accumulated 438 attack yards, even with Mahomes out almost mid-afternoon. Travis Kelce and Hill had more than 100 receiving yards. Kansas City had 123 running yards and an average of 5.1 yards per pop, allowing only 308 yards of total attack on the Browns.
The AFC title game may also show the potential return of debutant runner Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who cut Bills 161 yards on 26 loads during a Chiefs nine point win in Week 6.
But, as has been the case for the past two months, the Chiefs have been unable to keep the Browns out until the end. Most of the allowed 308 yards came after the break.
Next week’s opponent is not a one-dimensional team with a defense that couldn’t cover a bed with a sheet. The only team in the league that averaged more yards per game during the regular season was the Chiefs. Buffalo was actually More prolific than Mahomes and Kansas City in the scoring department, averaging 31.3 points per game to 29.6.
Jeffrey T. Barnes / Associated Press
And while Bills’ defense is not to be confused with the Chicago Bears of 1985 soon, it was a respectable 14th in allowed yards and 16th in allowed points. No matter how fantastic the defense was in Saturday’s victory over the Baltimore Ravens by two goals – a game in which Buffalo’s defense overcame Baltimore’s attack.
The mantra of any NFL team in the playoffs consists of three words: survive and move forward. The Chiefs did exactly that Sunday, overcoming a bit of adversity in the process. And until someone drops them, they remain the king of the hill in the NFL.
But momentum is also very important in this league and it is difficult to start when the game of each week is difficult.
If the Chiefs had eliminated a frankly defeated team from the Browns on Sunday, they could have regained the title of the AFC’s hottest team before their biggest game of the season. Instead, they pulled another close and added at least one big question by turning them over in the process.
And while Kansas City fans have every reason to be relieved after Sunday’s crash, there are also reasons to be concerned.
This would be the worst time of the season to finally cut a too Close.