The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cleveland Browns 21-7 on Sunday, to improve to 13-1. They sit atop the AFC with the best record in football; they are an unstoppable juggernaut, if you just look at their record.
But nobody is just looking at their record. Injuries, a lack of depth, a weak offensive line, and an uncharacteristically flat offense have all combined to make this one of the least impressive one-loss teams in memory. But wins are all that matters. When the playoffs start, the most important thing for the Chiefs will be that they have the best quarterback in football, who has found a way to win when it counts, even when it requires a little demon magic along the way. Everyone has been waiting for this football team to finally implode, but it hasn't happened yet, and they still have Patrick Mahomes.
Ah, well, about that: In the fourth quarter against Cleveland, Mahomes hurt his ankle after being tackled by multiple Browns players, and left the game. He appeared to be in a lot of pain as he limped off the field. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain, though immediate X-rays were negative. Head coach Andy Reid told reporters after the game that Mahomes "probably could've gone back in" to Sunday's game, but there was no need with the two-touchdown lead. "It's not broken, but it's sore," Reid said about the ankle. "He'll get started on the rehab part of it as we go, and then we'll just have to see how he does."
It's impressive that Mahomes made it this far without an injury, given how many hits he's been taking. He's been getting beat up throughout this season, the worst of his pro career, and yet no one has been able to take advantage. The team is 10-0 in one-score games, and has needed a number of fourth-quarter comebacks to keep its record sparkling. They needed a toe out of bounds to beat the Ravens, a bad call to beat the Bengals, a blocked field goal to beat the Broncos, and a doinked field goal to beat the Chargers in their second meetup. The Buffalo Bills, the one team that actually beat them, did so primarily by having the ball last. None of it has exactly been thrilling football, but the Chiefs have constantly made it happen, no matter what goes wrong and how lackluster they seem.
It's tempting to look at Mahomes's injury as an omen that maybe things are finally starting to turn against this uninspiring but blessed team. Sure, maybe an absent or ailing Mahomes is the thing that will finally doom the Chiefs, but do you really want to bet on that? If this season has taught us anything so far, it's that as things start to look more dire for the Chiefs on and off the field, their path to victory still feels assured.
The Chiefs would be wise to sit Mahomes, regardless of how he feels, for at least a week in order to prepare for another playoff run. Playing any of the next three games without him would be the biggest challenge this team has faced all year, but it's one they've navigated before. And when Mahomes comes back, as a lesser version of himself or not, someone's going to have to actually do the hard work of beating this team. For now, prepare yourself to watch helplessly while Mahomes, limping and stiff, plays like shit through the first half of a playoff game, only to lead the Chiefs on a 70-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, setting up a field goal that gives them a 12-9 victory.
