KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The injuries and adversity that Kansas City had to overcome on its way to earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs and a first-round bye could be exactly what propels the Chiefs to an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title.
Not just because they’ve been forced to develop mental resilience, either.
But because the result was a roster that is simply better.
Every time the Chiefs lost someone to injury, they managed to find a capable replacement. And when whoever was hurt was able to return, the Chiefs were left with a deeper and more talented position group that they will carry into the postseason.
Start with wide receiver. The Chiefs lost Marquise Brown to a shoulder injury on the first play of the preseason, then Rashee Rice to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Almost out of desperation, they traded with the Titans for three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins. And now that Brown is back on the field, he and Hopkins give Kansas City a formidable one-two punch.
Then consider running back. When Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula in Week 2, the Chiefs signed erstwhile star Kareem Hunt, who was recovering from offseason sports hernia surgery. Hunt became a stalwart in the backfield until Pacheco returned 2 1/2 months later, and now those two give Kansas City a dangerous thunder-and-lightning tandem.
“We’ve built up to the perfect spot. We’ve gotten better and better,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “When you have that many weapons out there, it’s hard for the defense to account for.”
It’s not just wide receiver and running back, either, though those are the two most obvious positions.
The Chiefs struggled mightily to protect Mahomes’ blind side this season, cycling through rookie Kingsley Suamataia and second-year pro Wanya Morris. They ultimately signed former Pro Bowl left tackle D.J. Humphries, and while he hurt his hamstring in his season debut, he is healthy now and gives Kansas City some depth at a crucial position.
In the secondary, the Chiefs lost cornerback Jaylen Watson to a fractured ankle that at first looked as if it would be a season-ender. To provide some depth, they reached out to veteran Steven Nelson and signed him out of retirement, and now he could be a part of the mix even with Watson returning to practice – and potentially able to return for the postseason.
The trick now is to make sure all those pieces are sharp whenever the Chiefs play again.
Coach Andy Reid chose to risk rust rather than injury in his team’s regular-season finale, ultimately sitting Mahomes and a bevy of starters in a 38-0 loss in Denver. That means many of them will have gone at least 24 days between games when they step on the field at Arrowhead Stadium next week for the divisional round of the playoffs.
The Chiefs will play the lowest remaining seed after the wild-card weekend, which would mean Denver if it can win at Buffalo. If the No. 7 seed Broncos lose and sixth-seeded Pittsburgh wins at Baltimore, the Steelers would be headed to Kansas City.
If the Bills and Ravens both win, the Chiefs would face the winner of the Texans-Chargers game.
“The primary thing is to make sure we stay sharp at all areas,” Reid said. “We want to stay sharp mentally and physically, and that’s our responsibility to do that. How we manage the time – I make sure I do that practice-wise, and then the guys go out and work on that, keeping themselves in the right timing, the right way.”
It’s been a busy bye week for coaches and front-office staff. Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy interviewed for the Jets head job, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been linked openings with the Jets, Raiders and Jaguars. Meanwhile, the Jets and Titans have expressed interest in longtime front office ace Mike Borgonzi for their general manager position.
The Chiefs went 7-2 against playoff teams this season, and one of those losses – the regular-season finale against Denver – is due a massive asterisk given who they played in the game. The Ravens also went 7-2 against eventual playoff teams, though one of those losses was to Kansas City in Week 1.
The Chiefs had five players picked to the Pro Bowl, including their entire interior offensive line: left guard Joe Thuney, center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith. Defensive tackle Chris Jones and tight end Travis Kelce also were picked.
More curious was those who were left off the team: All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, who was designated as a first alternate, along with star linebacker Nick Bolton and top defensive end George Karlaftis.
