In news that will not be shocking to just about anyone, the Kansas City Chiefs are rounding into form at exactly the right time. The Chiefs destroyed the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 on Christmas Day, improving to 15-1 on the season and locking up the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the process.
The Chiefs have now won six games in a row since dropping their only game of the season against the Buffalo Bills. Now, Kansas City can rest up and get ready for the playoffs as it chases the first three-peat in the Super Bowl era.
After Wednesday’s game, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes delivered a confident message about the Chiefs’ title chase going forward, according to Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star.
“This isn’t the end. This is the beginning,” Mahomes said, per McDowell.
The Chiefs offense is starting to stack quality performances together after being a frustrating unit for most of the season. The last two games have been two of Kansas City’s best of the year on that side of the ball, as the Chiefs consistently moved the ball against two very good defenses in the Houston Texans and the Steelers.
Mahomes had one of his best days of 2024 on Sunday, finishing 29-for-38 with 320 yards and three touchdowns on the road against a Steelers defense that has given plenty of offenses problems this season.
Chiefs finding offensive identity as playoffs near
There has been a lot of discussion about the shortcomings of the Chiefs offense this season, but that unit is starting to click at the right time. Kansas City still has not eclipsed 30 points in a game this year, but they were very efficient in wins over the Texans and Steelers in the last few days.
The biggest thing that has changed for the Chiefs is the way that they are using some of their more talented players. That revelation starts up front, where the Chiefs moved stout left guard Joe Thuney out to left tackle. Left tackle has been the main concern for the Chiefs this season, and Andy Reid has cycled through numerous options at that spot so far this year. Thuney has been solid since bumping outside, which has allowed Patrick Mahomes to work from cleaner pockets in the passing game.
The Chiefs have also started to get Travis Kelce more involved in the passing game, but they have found some more helpful uses for some outside receivers as well. Rookie speedster Xavier Worthy has started to make an impact on a variety of screens, RPOs and routes out of the backfield that allow him to work in space after the catch, and he has had two of his best games this season as a result.
The Chiefs also got Marquise “Hollywood” Brown back from injury for that Texans game, and he gives the offense some extra juice that it just didn’t have prior to him returning. All of those factors make the Chiefs one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL in the playoffs.
