3 AFC teams who can usurp Chiefs for a Super Bowl run
The Kansas City Chiefs' wave of forward momentum hit a brick wall on Sunday when the Denver Broncos, roughly eight years removed from their last victory over the Chiefs, put together a thorough 24-9 victory.
We can blame the Patrick Mahomes flu game. We can blame the limited receiving corps. We can blame the defense for not keeping Russell Wilson in check. We can credit Russell Wilson for a three-TD performance, and maybe even Sean Payton for starting to put a couple of pieces together.
In the end, however, this is a blip on the radar. Stuff happens over the course of a 17-game season. The Chiefs cannot panic. Mahomes was sick, after all. This is a bad loss, but it doesn't knock Kansas City out of poll position in the AFC. If one were to pick an AFC champ right now, it should still be the Chiefs.
That said, Sunday was proof of Kansas City's vulnerabilities. Even with the consensus best QB in football, and even with a top-shelf defense, Kansas City is not without exploitable flaws. Here are a few AFC teams who might be able to challenge the Chiefs for a Super Bowl spot down the road.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
Don't look now, but Joe Burrow might be back.
The Cincinnati Bengals' historically expensive QB completed an efficient 28-of-32 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's win over the San Francisco 49ers. With a QB rating of 134.2, it was arguably Burrow's best game of the season after weeks of trudging through mud in his recovery from a nagging calf injury.
It has been easy to write the Bengals off in accordance with Burrow's performance this season, but frankly, it was always wise to wait. Cincy has been quite good at rebounding from slow starts during the Burrow era, and one has to imagine Burrow — probably the consensus second or third-best QB in the league — didn't suddenly forget how to throw after signing his contract.
The Dolphins even have an elite run game to back up the Tua-Tyreek MVP campaign. Raheeem Mostert has the second-most touchdowns in the NFL this season (12). De'Von Achane is tied for fourth (7) and he hasn't played since Week 5. McDaniel has the entire group humming, and it's difficult to count out the possibility of Miami even winning a straight shootout. That's how good the group is.
If the Bengals kick into high gear down the stretch, Kansas City should absolutely keep them circled on the schedule. Cincinnati will visit Arrowhead in Week 16, which could serve as a nice playoffs preview. Burrow will have to establish a measure of consistency in the weeks to come, but the smart bet is that once the calf issue fades, so will Burrow's problems.