The Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t have drawn up a cleaner opening to the AFC West race.
They’re 2-0 after an overtime win over the Colts to close Sunday’s slate, and that matters even more because the rest of the division has already started to show its cracks. Kansas City may have entered the season as the betting favorite to win the AFC West, but there were real questions hanging over this team. Two games later, those doubts haven’t disappeared completely, but the Chiefs have done exactly what a division favorite is supposed to do: win.
And right now, the path behind them looks messy.
The Raiders are also 2-0, but that record comes with an asterisk in the bigger divisional picture. Their wins have come against the Dolphins, another rebuilding team, and the Chargers. If Kansas City takes care of business against Las Vegas in Week 4, that early edge gets even bigger.
Denver is hanging around at 1-1 after bouncing back from its Week 1 loss to the Chiefs with a win over the Jaguars in Denver. But Kansas City already owns the head-to-head advantage, and the Broncos’ upcoming stretch is anything but friendly.
They get the Rams at home next week, then go on the road to face the 49ers, travel to play the Chargers in Los Angeles, and host the Seahawks. Woof.
Then there’s Los Angeles, where the early-season storyline has gone off the rails fast. The Chargers spent the offseason with plenty of buzz around them: Year 3 of Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles, Justin Herbert getting his star offensive tackles back, and Mike McDaniel arriving on the staff as offensive coordinator. It was supposed to be the year everything clicked.
Instead, the Chargers are 0-2 after losses to the Cardinals and Raiders, and both defeats have been ugly. On Sunday, they fumbled the ball six times and never looked like a team that had answers. For a group that was supposed to take a step forward in Harbaugh’s third season, that’s a rough opening.
It gets even tougher from here. The Chargers are headed to Buffalo to face the red-hot Bills, then they’ll go on the road again to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
After that, they host the Broncos and then come to Kansas City. By then, the Chiefs could have a real chance to put Los Angeles in a deep hole.
It’s still early, and the NFL season is a long one. But through two weeks, Kansas City is where it wants to be, while the rest of the AFC West is already scrambling to catch up.
In Other News...
Patrick Mahomes Had Chiefs Fans Doing A Double Take Before Kickoff
Patrick Mahomes gave Chiefs fans a quick moment of confusion before kickoff when a video clip showed him taking a sip from a small bottle. From a distance, some viewers assumed it was something far stronger, but the scene was really just a reminder of how ordinary and specific pregame routines can look when caught on camera.
The liquid turned out to be pickle juice, a hydration method Kansas City has used for years to help prevent cramps. It is the kind of detail that usually stays in the background until a clip starts circulating, and in Mahomes' case it briefly turned into a much bigger talking point than a sideline sip should have been. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Overtime Drama Came Down To What Officials Saw On Replay
The overtime sequence that had Chiefs players ready to celebrate briefly looked like the kind of break that can swing a game in a heartbeat. Indianapolis receiver Laquon Treadwell appeared to lose the ball, and Kansas City thought it had come away with the turnover before replay stepped in to take another look.
Officials ultimately ruled Treadwell was down by contact before the ball came loose, wiping out the fumble and keeping the Colts alive on the drive. Indianapolis went on to tie the game with a field goal, leaving Kansas City to absorb a reversal that changed the feel of overtime in an instant. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans Turned Collinsworths Mahomes Commentary Into Another National Debate
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs left Sunday night with another early-season win, but the broadcast chatter from Week 2 lingered well after the overtime finish. During the game against the Colts, Cris Collinsworth noted on air that Mahomes had thrown a pass so hard that cornerback Sauce Gardner could not come away with the interception, a remark that quickly got the attention of viewers following along from Kansas City.
For Chiefs fans, it was the kind of commentary that can turn a routine national broadcast into a fresh debate over how Mahomes is described in real time. The issue was less about the result, since Kansas City moved to 2-0, and more about the familiar tension that follows the Chiefs when every highlight, miss and near-miss gets filtered through the larger Mahomes conversation. [Read more 🡒]