Despite Rough Start Chiefs Continue Winning Streak
Written by: Madison Farrell Cover Photo: Kansas City Star
After being in three of the past four Super Bowls, including winning the most recent one against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Kansas City Chiefs looked like a likely candidate for Super Bowl LVIII (2024) . They still had their talent-packed roster including the unmatched duo of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, and a stacked coaching staff, including three time Super Bowl Champion Andy Reid.
Despite all the positives, the start of the NFL season was a little rough for the Kansas City team. Their first game of the season was against the Detroit Lions and did not go as expected. The Lions dominated most of the game and the Chiefs drop percentage tripled their last season's average which resulted in a 21-20 loss for the Chiefs. Their next game had little improvement.
Despite beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-9, the Chiefs offense was still lackluster. The Chiefs had two turnovers and had an astounding 12 penalties for a total of 94 yards lost. The defense was able to make up for some offensive mistakes by holding the Jaguar offense to just 4.2 yards per play and shutting down their valuable running game. Even though the result of the game was a win, the Chiefs still had a lot of work to do. They were finally able to live up to their Super Bowl winning reputation at their next game against the Chicago Bears.
The pressure was on the Chiefs to improve their performance against the Bears and the whole nation was watching with 24.3 million viewers, the highest of any game that week. While most of those viewers might have been watching for the Taylor Swift appearance, they stayed to watch the Chiefs totally dominate on the field, especially Travis Kelce. Kelce ended the game with seven catches for 69 yards and a touchdown, Mahomes had 272 yards and threw three touchdown passes, and Jerick McKinnon snagged two touchdown passes as well. Overall, this game was a great revival for the Chiefs offense with a score of 41-10 over the Bears, maybe all they needed was a touch of Swiftie.
The Chiefs' winning streak continued into week four with a nail-biting fourth quarter that resulted in a 23-20 victory over the New York Jets. The early loss of legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a tough hit for the Jets’ roster, but backup Zach Wilson was able to prove his worth by not letting the Chiefs off easy. While the win wasn’t a blow-out by any means the Chiefs were still able to keep their streak alive and make it into week five with a 3-1 record. The Chiefs will play the Minnesota Vikings (1-3) this Sunday, October 8th, a win would prove that their rough start to the season is finally behind them.
*All stats according to ESPN October 4, 2023
