Can Patrick Mahomes Finish 17–0? Who Are the Teams Next in Line for the Chiefs?

Patrick Mahomes & Co. entered this season under immense pressure. They successfully defended their title, going back to back, but now comes the significant milestone that no one has ever achieved. And that’s to secure a historic three-peat. So far, the defending champions have impressed the NFL world with an undefeated streak. But can they remain unbeaten until the end of the regular season?

Based on their upcoming schedule, it wouldn’t be surprising. What’s so impressive about the Chiefs being 8-0 is the fact that almost all of their difficult fixtures fell in their opening 8.

From the Ravens to the 49ers to the Bucs to the arch-rivals Raiders, the Chiefs faced all these tough opponents in their first eight outings and emerged victorious too. This is a great achievement because the road ahead on paper seems much easier for them.

Patrick Mahomes & Co.’s next 9 matchups are against the Broncos, Bills, Panthers, Raiders, Chargers, Browns, Texans, Steelers, and the Broncos. If one has to pick the two toughest fixtures from this lot, it would be the Chiefs-Bills matchup and the perennially entertaining Raiders-Chiefs fixture.

Apart from these two and based on their current form, every other team seems beatable for the Chiefs, barring CJ Stroud’s Texans, of course.

Chiefs remaining opponents

Broncos
Bills
Panthers
Raiders
Chargers
Browns
Texans
Steelers
Broncos

WILL THEY FINISH 17-0?  pic.twitter.com/qOU8I47w4F

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 5, 2024

Amongst the two tough fixtures, the Bills versus the Chiefs match is expected to be a close encounter, as it has been over the last few years. In the previous five seasons, the Bills have taken on the Chiefs seven times with Mahomes & Co. enjoying a slender 4-3 record.

While the Raiders have often been the punching bag for the Chiefs over the years, last season’s Christmas win showed that the team also has the pedigree in them to pull off a surprise win over their divisional rivals.

So can the Chiefs go 17-0 this season? The way close calls and officiating have been going in the Chiefs’ favor, Mahomes & Co. edging out the tough fixtures narrowly wouldn’t be surprising.

This would make the Chiefs the most recent team since the Patriots in 2007 to remain undefeated for the entire season. The question, however, remains: Is not losing a single game a good record to have?

Patrick Mahomes & Co. can either make history or end up like the Patriots

Back in 2007, the New England Patriots made history as Tom Brady led the team to finish the regular season unbeaten. Unfortunately for the Patriots, their unbeaten status was thwarted by the Giants as they lost 14-17 in the Super Bowl.

Over the years, many have been left surprised by this upset as the 2007 Patriots are widely regarded as one of the greatest teams in the league’s history. While it’s hard to find a reason behind the loss, a common theme around success has always been failure. Failures force someone, and even a team, to do better and be better, but the Patriots barely did that throughout the season. The same could be said about the KC Chiefs.

They have remained unbeaten so far, but their wins haven’t been that convincing, if at all. Mahomes is struggling each game, with the two-time MVP throwing a total of nine picks this year. That’s not like Mahomes at all. His receiver room has been in shambles too, some sidelined with injury. Can they keep winning with such a receiving room in the playoffs against tough teams? Maybe one game, but the Super Bowl win seems far-fetched.

For the optics and history books, the Chiefs going 17-0 and then winning the Super Bowl would be a dream come true. But even if they lose a couple of matches and still win the Trophy, that’s also fine. After all, what’s the point of staying unbeaten in the regular season if you lose the only game that matters?