The Kansas City Chiefs gave the Denver Broncos plenty of chances to spoil their perfect start to the season.
But the Broncos couldn’t take advantage.
On Sunday, the Chiefs blocked a 35-yard field-goal attempt by Denver kicker Wil Lutz as time ran out, securing a 16-14 win and becoming just the fifth Super Bowl champion to start the next season 9-0.
“When you’re playing the champs,” said Broncos defensive tackle Malcolm Roach after the game, “you’ve got to take it, because they always believe they can win at the end of the day. They just made one more play than us.”
It’s that strong belief in themselves that seems to be helping Kansas City stay undefeated.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes admitted he hasn’t been playing at his best. The Chiefs have lost their top two wide receivers, their starting running back, and one of their best cornerbacks due to injury. Despite these challenges, they’ve managed to stay unbeaten, with four of their nine wins coming in games that were decided on the final play.
The Chiefs have now won an NFL-record nine straight games when they’ve trailed at any point in the second half.
How else can you explain it other than a deep belief in themselves?
“There’s not much you can say. The game told the story, and for it to end like that — I haven’t been around a lot of those walk-off blocks,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, referring to linebacker Leo Chenal’s block on Lutz’s potential game-winning kick.
“I’m going to enjoy it,” Reid added, “but I’m also going to get to work fixing the other things that we need to fix before we go to Buffalo. You enjoy every one of these the best you possibly can because it’s tough in this league. The parity is ridiculous.”
Now, the Chiefs are looking ahead to Buffalo.
Kansas City has already faced a tough schedule that included games against Baltimore, Cincinnati, and a Super Bowl rematch with San Francisco. They still have upcoming games at Pittsburgh and Houston. However, their game against the Bills on Sunday could be their biggest test of the season.
The Chiefs are the only team in the NFL with a perfect record, while the Bills (8-2) are one of five teams with only one or two losses.
“Buffalo’s playing great football,” Mahomes said. “They’ve been playing great football for a while now, and we understand what it takes to go into an environment like that. You have to give it everything you have to get a win. We know they’ll be fired up and trying to beat us, so we’ll have to play better and execute at a higher level to win.”
