3 causes for concern for the Chiefs in close win over Broncos
By Mark Powell
The Kansas City Chiefs were able to hold on against a surprisingly tough test from the Denver Broncos in Week 14. Despite the win, there are still reasons to worry.
The Chiefs were near-10 point favorites on the road against division rival Denver. Yet, that big crooked number didn’t mean anything come the fourth quarter.
Kansas City came surprisingly close to blowing a 27-point lead, as Denver stormed back to make it a six-point game. Even with an injured Russell Wilson, who was forced to leave the game late due to what looked to be a head injury, Brett Rypien kept on fighting for a Broncos team with very little to play for.
The end result was a six-point win for KC, and their 14th straight over the Broncos. Denver was eliminated from playoff contention.
Yet, the Chiefs will have to play far better to defeat the AFC’s elite.
Chiefs cause for concern: Turnovers
Patrick Mahomes completed 31 passes (jokes) on Sunday afternoon, with three of those coming to the other team.
As great as Mahomes can be sometimes, he also has a tendency to put the ball up for grabs, especially when he’s relied upon for too heavy of a workload. Mahomes now has as many turnovers as Josh Allen on the season, and if you’ll kindly remember the narrative around Allen a few weeks ago in Buffalo…it wasn’t great.
Both Allen and Mahomes are elite signal-callers, but that can lead to overconfidence. With a 27-point lead in Denver, it’s not surprising Mahomes made some spectacular throws. It also shouldn’t be shocking that his three interceptions were instrumental in the Broncos comeback attempt.
That won’t fly against the Bills, Bengals or worse.