From the FanPosts -- JD
If you felt like the AFC Championship game was out OF the Buffalo Bills' reach after the Kansas City Chiefs started their second-quarter comeback on Sunday evening, there was a good reason for that.
Once Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs come back from a two-possession deficit to take the lead (as they did against Buffalo), they rarely lose.
In Mahomes’ 53 starts (regular season and postseason), he is 44-9. In games in which the Chiefs had a two-possession deficit (nine points or greater) and came back to take or regain the lead, the Mahomes-led Chiefs are 10-2. The only two games Mahomes and the Chiefs have lost after overcoming a two-possession deficit were against the 2018 New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams -- the two teams that met in the Super Bowl that season. Both were high-scoring shootouts; the pre-Steve Spagnuolo defense allowed powerful offenses their second chances.
But since Spagnuolo took over as Kansas City's defensive coordinator -- and as long as Mahomes is on the field -- opposing teams don’t get a second chance. In the past two seasons, Mahomes is 9-0 when the Chiefs have overcome a two-possession deficit..
In 2018, there were lots of games where the Chiefs maintained momentum throughout the game; the rest of the NFL was trying to figure out Kansas City's new quarterback.
- @ Denver Broncos (won 27-23)
- @ New England Patriots (lost 43-40)
- @ Los Angeles Rams (lost 54-51)
The following year, there was a meme showing a medical team with the caption, "Ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for Chiefs football."
- @ Oakland Raiders (won 28-10)
- @ Detroit Lions (won 34-30)
- vs. Houston Texans (Divisional round; won 51-31 )
- vs. Tennessee Titans (AFC Championship; won 35-24)
- vs. San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowl; won 31-20)
That 2019 playoff win against the Texans may become the most memorable comeback of Mahomes’ career. The Chiefs trailed by 24 in the first half, but led 28-24 at halftime.
Then in 2020, every team was giving Kansas City its best shot.
- @ Los Angeles Chargers (won 23-20)
- vs. Carolina Panthers (won 33-31)
- @ Miami Dolphins (won 33-27)
- vs. Buffalo Bills (AFC Championship; won 38-24)
So if Kansas City is down by two possessions against Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl -- and then regains the lead -- there’s a good chance their momentum (and team chemistry) will carry them to a win. Whether it’s a close game or they need to make a comeback, the Chiefs rise to the occasion.
And then there's this:
Patrick Mahomes is 23-5 (.821) when the Chiefs score first and 21-4 (.840) when they DON'T.
— Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) January 26, 2021
NFL averages since 2018 are .608 and .392 respectively.
How is this dude even real?
Critics may complain that the Chiefs play to the level of their opponents -- or are "bored" and need adversity to spark something in a game. Maybe there’s some of truth in these criticisms; it's true that in 2020, the team outscored opponents by seven points -- compared to nine in 2019. Or maybe it's that the Chiefs simply don’t spark until the second quarter.
But here's the bottom line: the Chiefs win close games. That bodes well for them in Tampa -- and should they win, it will bode well for next season, too. They'll be attempting to make history by doing what no team has ever done: win three consecutive Super Bowls.