5 NFL teams that must win in Week 11

4. Kansas City Chiefs

The return of Patrick Mahomes should have been a cause for celebration for the Kansas City Chiefs, but it turned into a living nightmare. This was due not to rust from Mahomes, who picked up where he left off in his return from a dislocated knee cap, throwing for 446 yards and three touchdowns for Kansas City.

The problem was the Chiefs’ defense, which was absolutely demolished by Titans running back Derrick Henry, who ran for 188 yards and two touchdowns. To make matters worse, after Mahomes gave the Chiefs a late lead the defense coughed it up, letting Ryan Tannehill march down the field and toss the go-ahead touchdown to Adam Humphries.

The defeat dropped the Chiefs to 6-4, which puts them just a half-game up on the resurgent Oakland Raiders in the AFC West. Kansas City does have a head-to-head win over Oakland earlier in the season, but they can’t afford to blow games like they did on Sunday if they hope to maintain that division lead.

Next up for the Chiefs is a trip to Mexico City to take on an inconsistent but dangerous Los Angeles Chargers team, which had a few extra days to prepare for this game after losing to the Raiders last Thursday. Philip Rivers played some of the worst football of his career in that game, tossing three interceptions (and could easily have had a few more if not for penalties wiping out picks).

The Chargers should be juiced for this game knowing a win would somehow put them a game out of first place, and it would be a devastating loss for the Chiefs. Considering the massive expectations the Chiefs had entering the season, a 6-5 record at the bye would be a cause for immediate concern in Kansas City.