The script is in: Only stat we need to prove a Chiefs conspiracy theory

Once again, the Kansas City Chiefs pulled out a narrow victory in miraculous fashion. The Chiefs improved to a 12-1 record and clinched the AFC West division title for the ninth consecutive season after squeaking out a 19-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

The Chiefs offense continued to struggle in the red zone, scoring just one touchdown in three trips. Instead, they relied on four field goals from their third-string kicker to come out on top in the final seconds of another low-scoring affair.

The Chargers kicked a 37-yard field goal to take a 17-16 lead with 4:35 remaining, but the Chiefs drained the clock with a slow-paced drive on their ensuing possession. Kansas City gained 47 yards over 14 plays to crawl into range for a game-winning 31-yard field goal attempt. Chiefs kicker Matthew Wright blasted the chip shot off the left upright, but it took a favorable bounce and went through the uprights as time expired.

Chiefs’ lucky streak has reached record-setting heights

Wright became the third kicker to make a game-winning field goal as time expired for the Chiefs this season. No other team in NFL history has had more than one kicker accomplish that feat in a single season, per OptaSTATS.

Before Wright, starting kicker Harrison Butker drilled a game-winning 51-yard field goal against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 and backup kicker Spencer Shrader nailed a game-winning 31-yard field goal against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12. 

The Chiefs have won 10 one-score games this season, many of which were decided by mere inches. Kansas City’s good fortune began with Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely’s toe landing out of bounds in Week 1. Since then, there have been a slew of controversial penalties, non-calls, coaching blunders and thrilling endings. Kansas City won on a blocked field goal attempt as time expired in Week 10, a botched snap by the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13, and now a field goal bounced off the uprights in Week 14.

Kansas City is ranked No. 11 in margin of victory (4.3 points) and No. 10 in point differential (56 points) through 13 games this season. Those are relatively pedestrian numbers by their standards, but they’ve lost 

Twenty-five teams have a point differential under 75 points through Week 14, and 24 of them have lost at least five games this season. The Chiefs, who have a point differential of just 56 points, are the lone exception.

While it may seem like dumb luck, there is a reason why the Chiefs have ended up on the winning side of these games. Most games in the NFL are lost, not won. Mental errors, poor coaching and a lack of discipline often make the difference in a game. On Sunday, the mistake came from Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker, whose final kickoff landed short of the landing zone and gave the Chiefs the ball at their 40-yard line for the game-winning possession. 

The Chiefs aren’t the high-powered team they were a few years ago, but they’ve taken a conservative approach on offense and allowed more talented opponents to beat themselves with sloppy mistakes. Then, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has made plays when it matters most.