Winning Ugly: The Undefeated Chiefs Have Found Success and They May Not Change

The Kansas City Chiefs aren't blowing teams away, but they remain the only undefeated team left in the NFL. That'll do.

Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (29) celebrates with wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs are 7-0 for the third time in the franchise’s history and the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, a feat that the team didn't accomplish in any of their Super Bowl-winning seasons. This is the second time head coach Andy Reid has led the Chiefs to a 7-0 start, the previous time being in 2013, his first season in Kansas City. The reality of that start was generally discussed through the lens of KC's weak schedule, as the Chiefs were the worst team in the NFL before Reid took over. It was an impressive feat nonetheless. This season has been anything but a cupcake schedule to start the season, and the Chiefs keep winning anyway.

Beginning the season beating the Baltimore Ravens, last year’s No. 1 seed in the AFC, was a good start. Then there was an ugly win over the Cincinnati Bengals, another team that was supposed to compete in the AFC this season. The first road game was in Atlanta against the Falcons, a team that is currently in first place in the NFC South. That was followed by a win on the road in Los Angeles against the Chargers, a team that was supposed to challenge the Chiefs for the AFC West. The Chiefs had their first double-digit win of the season on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints in early October before the bye week. Then it was on the road for a Super Bowl rematch with the San Francisco 49ers, where the Chiefs won by double-digits and controlled most of the game. Then, of course, the win over the Las Vegas Raiders on the road this past weekend. 

There are still tough games ahead during the second half of the season, highlighted by a road game in Buffalo against the Bills. The three-game stretch between December 15 and December 25 will be brutal for the players. They’ll travel to Cleveland to face the Browns, host the Houston Texans, and hit the road again for a Christmas Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nothing will come easy for this team, but don’t be surprised if they keep winning. 

Despite the 7-0 record and coming off back-to-back Super Bowl championships, there’s still some chatter nationally that the Chiefs still have not looked like "the Chiefs" and haven’t hit their stride yet this season. This is both good and bad.

The good news is that there is room for improvement and the team can continue to get better each week. The bad news? This is who they are at this point. Going back to the beginning of the 2023 season, the Chiefs have shown us a decent sample size of what to expect: the offense will not be as explosive as it was in previous seasons and they will commit some silly turnovers, all while the defense will play well enough to keep them in games. Another piece of good news that pairs with the bad news: that formula has won the team a Super Bowl and has the Chiefs undefeated going into Week 9 of the NFL season. It isn’t going to be pretty, but if the result ends in a win, does it really matter?

There are some built-in excuses for this season, specifically with injuries that have decimated the Chiefs' wide receiver position with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Rashee Rice both landing on IR early in the year. This offense was supposed to have that high-flying, explosive feel to them with the additions of Brown and rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy. This offense can still take it to another level and stretch the field with Worthy, but it would certainly be more effective with all of their weapons healthy. Adding wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins should help down the home stretch as well.

Many teams have been ravaged by injuries to their wide receiver rooms, including the Chiefs' next opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The difference between the Chiefs and these other teams is that the Chiefs have not lost a game. They just keep winning despite the blows that keep coming. It’s a testament to this team, the depth that’s been built, and the tight-knit feeling that has been embraced in that locker room. That isn’t something felt by every team around the league.

It’s still too early in the season to talk about the Chiefs going for perfection. Even if the Chiefs win every game through Christmas, Reid would likely sit his starters in their final game on the road against the Denver Broncos, which could put the winning streak in jeopardy. Despite the lack of an explosive offense to this point in the season, the team continues winning, and that’s all that matters. Lean into having a strong defense, a reliable running game, and keep winning games. As a fan, it might keep you on the edge of your seat until the final whistle blows, but if the end result is the same, then there should continue to be plenty of celebrating within Chiefs Kingdom for the foreseeable future.

Read More: Chiefs vs. Buccaneers Injury Report: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Danna, Nazeeh Johnson, Jared Wiley Updates