The Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) are the main story for our NFL Recap Week 14. The Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers 19-17 when quarterback Patrick Mahomes marched them down the field for a last-second field goal.
The Chiefs’ win and Buffalo’s shootout loss to Los Angeles’ other franchise, the Rams, gave Kansas City a two-game lead in the conference just about rendering their head-to-head loss to Buffalo meaningless.
Maybe the Chiefs Aren’t Getting by on Reputation
There are two ways to look at the Chiefs’ 12-1 record and the number of close games they’ve pulled out throughout the season:
- They’ve been lucky, getting calls champions get, and squeaking by based on who they are.
- They’ve won three of the last five Super Bowls because they perform under pressure when other teams don’t.
Amid the eye-rolling about the team in general and talk of Travis Kelce’s career being in its last throes, the Chiefs staggered through the first three-quarters of the season. Now, they’re getting serious for a third consecutive Super Bowl run at the right time.
At 35 and dating Taylor Swift, this might indeed be Kelce’s NFL eras tour as he follows his brother into retirement and goes the multimedia entertainment route. But his potential retirement is not the Chiefs’ swan song.
At a certain point, it goes beyond a combination of getting wink and nod favor from officials because of who they are and supernatural luck. Perhaps they win because they keep their heads, there is a strategic plan designed to win close games, and their players execute those plans.
The Bills’ Loss in LA Relegates Them to Wild Card Weekend
As exciting as the Rams-Bills game was with Los Angeles prevailing 44-42, it torpedoed Buffalo’s chance at catching the Chiefs. This is important because identical records and Buffalo’s win over Kansas City would have given them the top seed in the AFC, a first-round playoff bye, and a clear path to the Super Bowl amid the hope that someone would pick off the Chiefs before Championship Sunday.
Buffalo fighting back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter is notable. But Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford lighting up the sky for 342 yards and three touchdowns makes it clearer why Buffalo sought to shore up their secondary by signing veteran defensive back Micah Hyde to the practice squad to get in shape for the end of the season and playoffs.
Josh Allen accounted for six touchdowns, three passing, and three rushing. But again, in a micro and macro sense, what has befallen the Bills every year since their rise to the conference’s upper echelon in 2020 reared its head again in LA. They win the small battles, but lose the big ones by running into a wall they can’t get over or through.
Until they beat the Chiefs in the playoffs, there’s no reason to believe they can. And Week 14’s results establish that they’ll need to do it on the road. Again.
-
Tags:
Leave a Comment