The Chiefs welcome the Jets to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday with both teams desperate for a win
The Kansas City Chiefs started the season with five straight wins, nearly matching their total from all of last season, when their run of three consecutive Super Bowl appearances came crashing down with a forgettable six-win campaign.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs started the season with five straight wins, nearly matching their total from all of last season, when their run of three consecutive Super Bowl appearances came crashing down with a forgettable six-win campaign.
Given such a debacle, it's not surprising the past two weeks have given some Kansas City folks an uneasy feeling.
The Chiefs were waylaid in Seattle by the defending Super Bowl champions in a game that was never close, then went to Denver and blew an 11-point fourth-quarter lead in a 28-24 loss last Sunday that gifted the Broncos the top spot in the AFC West.
“We've still right there, 5-2, and we've won a lot of football games. Everything is out in front of us,” countered Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has been playing at a high level less than 11 months after tearing ligaments in his left knee.
"We just have to be better than we were last week and try to win a game," Mahomes said.
The Chiefs would have a hard time finding a better get-right opponent than the Jets on Sunday.
New York (2-6) has lost three straight, each a one-possession affair, and has struggled to stop anybody. And to make matters worse, star wide receiver Garrett Wilson was in the concussion protocol this week, offsetting the good news of the potential return of running back Breece Hall from a quadriceps injury that has sidelined him for the past five games.
“We know exactly who this team is, we know exactly what they’re about,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “They’ve created a sustainable winning situation over there. That’s a lot of credit to the players, the coaching staff and the organization.”
In short, the Chiefs represent the blueprint for what the Jets have spent years trying to achieve.
“Your record is your record regardless of what your roster is,” Glenn said, "and that’s the way that I look at it. We just have to keep fighting and keep having that hunger to try to finish these games. A lot of that comes with what we’ve talked about, of having that killer instinct. When we’re up, of being able to take a team out. When we’re down, being able to fight our way in to be able to get ourselves back into position. When you look at it, we’ve done that.”
The Chiefs have spent the past week searching for that same killer instinct.
After beating the Broncos in their season opener, the Chiefs had an opportunity last week to take control of the AFC West before reaching the midway point of the season. But their problems in short-yardage situations, another miss by kicker Harrison Butker, and tackling woes on the defensive side of the ball ultimately doomed Kansas City to a frustrating defeat.