Coming off their bye week, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs are headed west for a Week 11 matchup in opposition to the Denver Broncos. With eight regular-season video games remaining, Kansas Metropolis finds itself in unfamiliar territory.
After profitable 9 consecutive AFC West titles, the 5-4 Chiefs are in third place behind the 8-2 Broncos and the 7-3 Los Angeles Chargers.
That’s precisely the place head coach Andy Reid doesn’t need to be.
“The primary purpose we’ve that Coach Reid places up is profitable the division,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes reminded reporters earlier than Wednesday’s follow. “We perceive that it’s all the time a problem. It’s important to go up in opposition to some actually good soccer groups which might be scouting you all yr lengthy. So, we’ve been actually good at that over these previous few years — and we’ve obtained to proceed to get higher and higher. We now have loads of division video games in entrance of us, so if we are able to go on the market and deal with enterprise — and do what I believe we are able to do — we are able to discover a technique to win this division. All the pieces is out in entrance of us. We now have to go on the market with the suitable mindset.”
Within the AFC West — a division that despatched three groups to the postseason in 2024 — video games between these rivals are all the time essential.
“It’s necessary that you just spend time on that,” famous Reid. “The factor about our division right here is it’s a robust division. Our AFC West is tremendously sturdy. We’re all making an attempt to shoot for a similar factor. They’re all good groups — and so they’re nicely coached.”
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Mahomes understands the significance of this week’s contest, by which a victory would go away the Chiefs largely accountable for their very own future.
“Clearly, in case you lose this recreation,” Mahomes admitted, “with them having the tiebreaker, that may be like 4 video games forward of us. It’d be powerful to return and get that one, however all you are able to do is simply deal with this week. That’s all you possibly can actually fear about. We nonetheless play loads of nice soccer groups, however I really feel like if we play our greatest we are able to beat anyone. So we’ve to only proceed to get higher and higher, be extra constant all through video games — and week-to-week — and that begins with follow in the present day.”
Whereas the Chiefs would nonetheless be a robust contender for a playoff berth with out profitable the division, the apparent benefit of getting into the postseason as AFC West Champions just isn’t misplaced on the quarterback.
“You get the house recreation at Arrowhead, which I believe is large,” he noticed. “We’ve confirmed that we are able to go on the highway and win, however simply with the ability to play at Arrowhead is a bonus with the noise and the environment.”
Given their heightened expectations, Chiefs followers could now not be enthusiastic about getting “AFC West Champion” attire. However a division title continues to be significant to a squad that has superior to 5 of the final six Tremendous Bowls.
“It form of checks that first field for you — to point out that you just’ve completed one thing within the yr,” declared Mahomes. “Now, let’s construct on to the following purpose. It’s been one thing that’s been necessary to us, so we’ll nonetheless have that mindset of discovering a technique to win it this yr.”
Mahomes and Reid are usually not shocked that Denver poses a serious menace to the workforce’s streak — regardless that it’s an 8-2 workforce that leads the league in punts.
“They discover a technique to win,” famous Reid. “We’ve been by means of that. The way in which that this league is correct now, you’ve obtained to have the ability to do this. The parity on this factor is fairly loopy — particularly within the AFC West.”
Mahomes respects the problem that’s now earlier than the Chiefs.
“It’s a very good soccer workforce,” he stated. “There’s no manner round it. So we’ve to go on the market and play our greatest soccer — and I don’t suppose we’ve finished that but.”
