The Kansas City Chiefs have been a force to reckon with this NFL season. While the players’ individual stats aren’t topping the charts, the team has echoed the aim for a three-peat. Currently, the Red Army is 5-0, as the only unbeaten team in the AFC division.
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Some of the formidable opponents that they have won against include Jackson-led Ravens, the Bengals and Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers. With a balance in the defensive and the offensive unit, there are multiple reasons for the Chiefs dominance this year. Let us explore some of them:
1. The Chiefs and their on-field psychological impact: Undeniably, over the years, Patrick Mahomes and his team have turned the tide in the NFL arena. The Chiefs have not only made it to the playoffs every time since 2017, but also won 3 SB championships.
This has created a presiding role across the league, just like Patriots’ Tom Brady-era. The best example is the Ravens’ AFC Championship game against the Chiefs last season. Instead of relying on their usual game plan, the team abandoned the run game and failed to make passes.
Lamar Jackson was intercepted once and the Purple Murder lost 17-10. This year’s season opener saw the reflection of this game in the Ravens’ plan, with the offense still trying to work out the passing game more than the running techniques.
2. The team culture in the Chiefs’ squad: The NFL today is cutthroat and players are arguably looking for opportunities to capitalize on their skills. This is unlike the present-day Chiefs’ culture. Many core players, including Mahomes and Travis Kelce, have reiterated the “Chiefs forever” mentality.
This showcases the efforts the management has made to develop the togetherness attitude among players. The clashes against the Burrow-led Bengals serve as a perfect example. Back in the 2022 Conference Championship, the Bengals defeated the Chiefs 27-24.
This was despite the Chiefs quarterback sidelining Burrow, covering 275 yards and making 3 TDs. Fast forward to this season, Mahomes had a dismal performance against the Cincinnati team with just 151 yards. Yet, the Chiefs managed to win at 26-25, with the special team contributing majorly. Kicker Harrison Butker bagged 8 points for the team.
All in all, the Chiefs, as one of the fans pointed out, are a team at an organizational level. From the ownership and management to the players and the coaches, the Chiefs breed a positive culture based on uplifting each other.
3. The Mahomes effect: Hardly anyone can disagree with the impression Mahomes has left in the league already. While the MVP trophies and the stats over the years vouch for his prowess on the field, his leadership skills are what makes the Chiefs a powerful team this year as well.
In the 2024 season until now, the QB has bagged 6 TDs for 1,235 yards and five victories for the team. Looking at the performance, even the 8x Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick couldn’t hold back from complimenting Mahomes’ attitude, which resembled a champion.
4. Andy Reid’s playbook discipline: Apart from Mahomes, HC Andy Reid has been a centerpiece to the KC Chiefs’ winning strategy over the years. This year is no different and we got to see a classic “playbook discipline” in the games the team has played so far.
While Travis Kelce’s underhand lateral was a little out of the book, the rest of the plays followed the usual space, position and score-focused technique. Over the years, Reid has displayed his control at different moments of the game, especially the defense.
While he is considered an offensive genius by many, the defensive techniques like “Corndog” have usually worked out well in his favor as far as execution is concerned.
These are some of the reasons that have been highlighted frequently this season. Of course, the Chiefs defense, run game and other factors, including defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo have also played a big part in the 5-0 run the team enjoying for now.
