Chiefs’ chase for perfection is over, but pursuit of a 3rd straight Super Bowl title continues

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs coach Andy Reid made it perfectly clear what he thought about the end to his team’s pursuit of perfection.

“I don’t really care about all that crap,” Reid said Monday, less than 24 hours after the Bills beat Kansas City 30-21 in the latest down-to-the-wire showdown of AFC rivals, which also ended the Chiefs’ 15-game winning streak going back to last season.

“I just try to go forward,” Reid said, “and I try to exhaust what team we’re playing, and I present that to the players that way, and I expect them to do the same. So I don’t really hear a lot of talk from them, or that they care too much about that.”

The reality is that the Chiefs (9-1) merely dropped to … first place in the AFC. As in, they still have the best record and control their own fate for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and lone first-round bye. All that changed was the margins — they are now just a half-game ahead of Buffalo (9-2) and do not have the tiebreaker over one of their regular postseason opponents.

As for the pursuit of perfect, well, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes sounded similar to Reid after the defeat.

“I’m not going to say we were relaxed. But at the same time, I feel like we were just coming away with these wins at the end of games,” Mahomes said. “And I think it’s going to spark us to have more urgency, especially with the offense.

“The hope is this is a spark for us, that we can play better football throughout the rest of the season and into the postseason.”

There’s reason to believe the Chiefs will do that, and two of them are likely to return this week. The first reason is Isiah Pacheco, their all-energy running back, who has been sidelined since Week 2 with an ankle injury. The second reason is Charles Omenihu, who has yet to play this season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL sustained in last season’s playoffs.

Both returned to practice last week. Both could see the field as soon as Sunday at Carolina.

“You got to dig in, man. These should hurt. You spend a lot of time in preparation for these games. You’ve got to reach inside, as coaches and players,” Reid said. “You can’t just say, ‘Everything is going to be OK.’ That’s not how this works. You have to dig in and check the ego at the door and do some self-evaluation there.”

What’s working

The Chiefs passing game continues to trend upward, even if Mahomes threw two picks against Buffalo, as DeAndre Hopkins gets more involved in the offense. Mahomes simply needs the time to find someone open downfield against deep shell coverages.

What needs help

Ahem, Mahomes needs time to find someone open downfield. The offensive line struggled against the Bills, and the left tackle position continued to be a particularly big problem against Von Miller and Co.

Stock up

Chamarri Conner had seven tackles and an interception in another nice performance in the defensive backfield, though even his day was far from perfect. The key for him is consistency from play to play as he fills in for the injured Jaylen Watson.

Stock down

While the defensive line buttoned up the Buffalo run game, it was unable to sack Bills quarterback Josh Allen. And its inability to get to the quarterback has been a season-long issue. They have 19 sacks, better only than three teams in the NFL.

Injuries

DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah hurt his hand at the end of the Buffalo game but continued to play. He may be losing snaps regardless to Omenihu should the veteran pass rusher be ready to go this week in Carolina.

Key number

30 — That’s the number of points it took to finally beat Kansas City. It was the most allowed by the Super Bowl champions since a 41-31 victory over Tampa Bay on Oct. 2, 2022.

Next steps

The Chiefs visit the Panthers on Sunday. They are 11-point favorites to win on the road, according to BetMGM.

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