Defending champion Chiefs sending early message to rest of AFC
Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs made a strong impression four weeks into the season.
It wasn’t the greatest of performances and given the circumstances for the Monday night clash with the New England Patriots, no doubt Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was more than happy to come away with a win. The meeting of the previous two Super Bowl champions was delayed one due to the fact that Patriots’ quarterback Cam Newton and Chiefs’ backup quarterback Jordan Ta’amu both tested positive for COVID-19.
When it was all said and done, the current NFL title holders made it 13 consecutive victories (including playoffs) with a 26-10 triumph over Bill Belichick’s team.
The Chiefs defense came up big against New England’s backup quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham, picking off three of their passes (1 returned for a touchdown by Tyrann Mathieu) and coming up with a total of four takeaways at the expense of Newton’s fill-ins. During the club’s current winning streak, the Chiefs have allowed only 214 points (16.5 points per game) and 21 offensive touchdowns.
But here’s a look at the bigger picture. Reid’s team is not only 4-0 and in first place in the division but is perfect within the conference. It’s worth noting that the Chiefs have already vanquished the other three reigning division champions in the AFC in the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens and Patriots.
The club also has a road win within the AFC West a come-from-behind overtime victory over the Chargers in Los Angeles. That’s a terrific start for a team looking to become the first defending Super Bowl champion to repeat since New England turned the trick in 2003 (XXXVIII) and ’04 (XXXIX).
Of course, this season has already been different than any other in NFL annals due to a pandemic that has really made its presence felt in recent weeks. In terms of strictly football, the Chiefs are already proving that they can any different ways.
That’s quite the departure from 2018 and the first half of 2019 when the club struggled mightily on defense. And there is still some work to be done on this side of the ball as only four teams in the league are giving up more yards per game on the ground (161.0).
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No team clinched a division title and playoff berth after four weeks. But the Chiefs’ solid start combined with who they have knocked off to date is not to be ignored. There are some big tests ahead in the coming weeks with visits to Buffalo and Tampa. But Patrick Mahomes and company look like a very confident bunch and it will be quite interesting to see how this team evolves.