The Los Angeles Chargers would love to be in the position the Kansas City Chiefs are in right now.
The Chiefs, who have won the Super Bowl twice in a row, have already secured a spot in the playoffs for the 10th year in a row, which is the second-longest streak in NFL history. They are also close to winning another AFC West title. Two of their next three games are at home, starting with a Sunday night game against Los Angeles.
Despite their success, the Chiefs are not happy with their current play.
In back-to-back weeks, the Chiefs won games against Carolina and Las Vegas in the final plays, but quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his teammates (11-1) felt like they had lost. They have said they still haven’t played their best football, and with only five games left in the regular season, they know they need to improve quickly.
“I think when you clinch a playoff spot — that’s your first goal is to get into the playoffs and give yourself a chance to go for that Super Bowl,” said Mahomes, who has been critical of his own play throughout the season. “We know we have a long way to go. We have to continue to work to get better to continue to be a better team going into the playoffs.”
While five games might not seem like a lot of time, it’s more than the Chiefs had last season.
It could be argued that the team didn’t reach their lowest point until Christmas Day when they lost to the Raiders at home. But the Chiefs bounced back from that and went on to win the Super Bowl, not losing again until a game against Buffalo a few weeks ago.
“We’re happy to clinch a playoff berth,” Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton said, “but we have a long way to go to reach the end goal.”
The Chargers (8-4) are also in a good position, even though they still have work to do.
They moved up to the No. 5 seed in the playoffs after their win over the Falcons and the Ravens’ loss to the Eagles. This puts them in a good spot under coach Jim Harbaugh in his first season. They have also won five of their last six games, with their only loss being to Baltimore.
“Oh yeah, we look at the standings, for sure,” Harbaugh acknowledged. “They are very important. We’re fighting for our playoff lives.”
The Chargers would greatly benefit from ending their six-game losing streak against the Chiefs on Sunday night.
“It’d be great if somebody else doesn’t win, but you can’t count on that. It’s something you don’t count on,” Harbaugh said. “You have to win the games yourselves. That’s what you have to do. Can’t really spend any energy hoping a team messes up.”
