After nine weeks of regular season play, only the Kansas City Chiefs have a perfect record … straight-up anyway.
In a season most would admit has not been the most dominating by Andy Reid’s two-time defending Super Bowl Champions, the Chiefs continue to win more with guile than clear edges over their opponents. Last Monday night was another example of the Chiefs ability to do what is necessary to get the win, downing the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime.
The Chiefs opened the season with a victory over the Baltimore Ravens when a would-be tying or winning touchdown pass by Lamar Jackson was overturned on replay when his receiver, tight end Isaiah Likely, was shown to have his toe out-of-bounds. The next week, against the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium, a late pass interference call gave the Chiefs life and they turned that into a winning end of the game field goal to eke out a one-point win.
Only once this season has Kansas City won by more than 10 points, that was at home against a New Orleans Saints team that is currently on a seven-game losing streak. In a Monday night matchup, the Chiefs beat the Saints, 26-13.
The unblemished success of Kansas City this year is mostly credited to their stout defense. While Patrick Mahomes continues to be revered as the top quarterback in the game, his stats this year are pedestrian compared to past seasons. In Monday’s overtime win over the Buccaneers, Mahomes completed his first game this year without throwing an interception and his quarterback rating is below 90.
It seems the only thing the Chiefs know how to do is win, which is a pretty good attribute for a team looking to become the first in history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.