Chiefs defense continues to overcome mistakes as playoff march moves on
Everyone seems to keep waiting for the problems that have plagued the Kansas City Chiefs all season to be their downfall.
The dropped passes. The turnovers. The penalties.
But one thing has yet to fail them: their defense. It showed up again in Sunday night’s 27-24 victory in Buffalo, which sent the Chiefs to their sixth consecutive AFC championship game. It kept the Bills out of the end zone in the closing minutes and, when Tyler Bass missed a potential tying field goal wide right, Kansas City was on to the next round in Baltimore.
“The defense really picked it up that second half, and really put it down, even to the last drive where they had to kick that field goal,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday.
“I thought that was big. They said: ‘ Enough is enough. We can’t let them score.’”
The defense has said that a lot this season.
The Chiefs have held their opponent to 24 points or fewer in 18 of 19 games, the best defensive run since the famed “Legion of Boom” in Seattle during the 2013 season.
That group, led by Bobby Wagner, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman, led the league in points, yards and just about every other relevant defensive statistic, and proceeded to stuff the Broncos in the Super Bowl.
“For three quarters offensively, we were moving the ball up and down the field, but we got shut down in the fourth quarter,” said Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has never lost in the divisional round. “I went over to the defense and told them: ‘ Y’all shut it down and we’ll win this football game. We’ll get to the AFC championship game.’”
The Chiefs still had issues Sunday night — Mecole Hardman fumbled a ball out of the end zone for a late touchback, which could have cost them dearly. But with their defense playing so well, and just two wins away from another Super Bowl ring, perhaps they simply can overcome the problems that have followed Kansas City throughout the season.
“Nothing comes easy, man,” said defensive tackle Chris Jones, who could be headed to free agency and would love a third ring before that happens. “It took a lot of commitment from a lot of guys in order to be successful.”