The NFL season has already thinned the ranks of the unbeaten, but the Kansas City Chiefs are still standing - and they’re in a pretty unusual spot. They’re one of just two undefeated teams that did not make the playoffs last year, joining the Minnesota Vikings in that category.
According to a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, this is the first time since 2013 that multiple teams who missed the playoffs the previous season have opened undefeated. The last time it happened was in 2012-2013, when the Chiefs went 2-13 and the New Orleans Saints went 7-9, then both started the next year 4-0.
The two clubs got there in very different ways. Kansas City is coming off a 6-11 season, a surprising step back. Minnesota, meanwhile, finished 9-8 last year and closed with five straight wins, according to Florio.
The Vikings’ start has its own momentum behind it. They’re 4-0 and carrying the NFL’s longest active winning streak at nine games, a franchise record. Their next test comes Sunday on the road against the New Orleans Saints.
Kansas City’s run has been shaped by Patrick Mahomes returning from knee surgery. The Chiefs were unsure he’d be ready for Week 1, but he got back on the field anyway and delivered in a 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos.
There’s more to this version of the Chiefs than just Mahomes, though. Running back Kenneth Walker III has given the offense a new layer, piling up more than 500 yards in only four games.
That’s only part of the story. Several offseason moves have already paid off, and the team’s draft work on defense has started to show up too. Cornerback Mansoor Delane, edge rusher R Mason Thomas and nose tackle Peter Woods have all been folded into the defensive scheme.
The early bye week now gives Kansas City a chance to breathe, patch up some issues and get healthier. It can be a tricky break this early in the season, but for the Chiefs it arrives at the right time as they try to keep the undefeated run alive.
In Other News...
Chiefs Teammates Share A Bond Bigger Than Football
Trey Smith and Kenneth Walker III have become much more than teammates in Kansas City. Both lived through serious blood clot conditions that put their football futures in doubt and forced them to confront something far bigger than the game, and now they are using their platform to help other people understand how sudden and dangerous those medical issues can be.
Their work has taken them into public awareness efforts aimed at getting the message out that blood clots can affect anyone, including young elite athletes. Through the National Blood Clot Alliances "Stop The Clot, Spread The Word" campaign, the Chiefs players are helping turn personal adversity into education, a reminder that the most important victories sometimes happen away from the field. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Are Riding Kenneth Walker Harder Than Fans Might Realize
Kansas City has leaned on Kenneth Walker III to open the season, and the workload has been as heavy as the eye test suggests. The Chiefs are trying to make sense of offensive line issues while also easing rookie Emmett Johnson into the mix, a balancing act that has made Walker the centerpiece of the ground game as the team heads toward its bye week.
DeMarco Murray knows the territory better than most, which gives this start a little extra context inside the building. Murray once ripped off a similarly fast opening to a season during his own playing days, so the Chiefs staff has some perspective on what it means to ride a back this hard early, even if the larger question now is how long they can keep doing it without asking too much of one player. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans Are Split Over How Kenneth Walkers Viral Highlight Was Shared
Kenneth Walker has given Chiefs fans plenty to talk about this season, and one of his more memorable bursts came on a 21-yard run in a recent game that showed off the same tackle-breaking ability he has displayed all year. The run fit the larger picture around Walker, who has made defenders miss repeatedly and has become a player worth watching whenever Kansas City gets into space and lets him work.
The conversation shifted online after a viral, AI-generated image of the play began circulating and drew immediate scrutiny from fans. What might have been a simple highlight post instead turned into another example of how quickly sports imagery can become a debate about accuracy, authenticity and how much room AI should be given in the way games are presented. [Read more 🡒]