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It’s not much fun looking up the rankings when the Kansas City Chiefs have just turned in a 15-point loss to a team they had beaten in 16 consecutive games. But once in a while, there’s still a bright spot. Just like Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr noted this week, “Life is all about how you look at things.”
Here’s this week’s sampling:
NFL.com: 4
(down from 1)
The Chiefs have not known life as anything but a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the playoffs under Patrick Mahomes, but if they want to maintain their hopes of securing a top seed this year, they might be looking at a must-win game this Sunday in Frankfurt, where they’ll to face the Dolphins, one of three other 6-2 AFC teams currently. The fact is, the Chiefs were beaten soundly by a team they’d defeated in 16 straight previous matchups, and Mahomes didn’t mount anything close to a comeback after falling behind early Sunday. Stricken with the flu, he didn’t play well, although a few huge drops and a suddenly shaky offensive line didn’t help.
— Eric Edholm
ESPN: 3
(down from 1)
Team QBR: 73.8 (3rd)
This could end up being the worst statistical season of Patrick Mahomes’ career. He’s tied for the league lead with eight interceptions — which is on pace for 17 interceptions, and that would easily surpass the worst of his career (13). With 15 touchdown passes, Mahomes is on pace for a touchdown-to-interception ratio of less than 2-to-1, which would also be a career worst. Mahomes has always been above that mark, in some seasons well beyond it.
— Adam Teicher
The Athletic: 4
(down from 1)
Something scary (for them): Anything happening to Patrick Mahomes
Kansas City fans know what it’s like to hold their breath over news of their quarterback’s health. More than at any time since the Chiefs’ run began, Kansas City seems completely carried by its quarterback this season. With Mahomes suffering from the flu and posting the second-lowest passer rating of his career (59.2) Sunday, the Chiefs lost to the Broncos for the first time in 17 meetings.
— Josh Kendall
Sports Illustrated: 2
(down from 1)
Life is all about how you look at things. On one hand, the brilliance of Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes for so long has made the conversation regarding complementary receivers seem a little redundant. On the other, on a day when the Broncos played Kelce well, sacked Mahomes three times and forced him out of the pocket as a non-designed runner a few more times, it feels like the most important issue in the NFL as we press into the trade deadline. I’d expect the Chiefs to stand pat and place an incredible amount of pressure on the staff to speed the development of Skyy Moore and Rashee Rice, but there are days when that doesn’t feel like the best idea.
— Conor Orr
Pro Football Talk: 5
(down from 1)
Will the Chiefs develop any viable option in the passing game after Travis Kelce?
— Mike Florio
CBSSports.com: 6
(down from 1)
What happened to the offense against the Broncos? It had to be more than just Patrick Mahomes being sick. They can’t play that way against Miami — or else.
— Pete Prisco
Fox Sports: 3
(down from 2)
The Chiefs’ defense has carried them this season, but the offense may be a real problem. Granted, Patrick Mahomes was fighting the flu this weekend, but Kansas City’s lack of juice at wide receiver has been glaring to this point of the season. Odds are, Mahomes and Co. will figure things out, but this was a down performance for the defending champions.
— David Helman
Yahoo! Sports: 2
(down from 1)
The Chiefs will be fine. That streak against the Broncos was bound to end eventually, and a five-turnover day was the path for it to happen. If there’s a concern it’s that the offense has not been great yet. The good news is the defense has improved a lot, which will be really important if the offense catches up.
— Frank Schwab
The Sporting News: 4
(down from 1)
It was eventual that Patrick Mahomes would lose to a losing team and also lose to the Broncos. He got it out of his system with a turnover mess in Denver that set up their first loss since Week 1. Perhaps they were also caught looking ahead to the track meet with the team now right behind them in Germany next week.
— Vinnie Iyer
USA Today: 3
(down from 1)
At 6-2 and leading their division, are they the AFC’s best team? Maybe, but they had several significant streaks end Sunday, including their first loss to Denver since Peyton Manning was the Broncos’ quarterback. Kansas City also allowed more than 21 points for the first time this season, and QB Patrick Mahomes failed to generate a TD for the first time in nearly two years.
— Nate Davis
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