Chiefs Are One Of Two Non-Playoff Teams To Be Undefeated
· Yahoo Sports
The NFL is fast running out of undefeated teams, and the Kansas City Chiefs are one of them. They didn’t make the playoffs last year, and the only other team they have in common in that way is the Minnesota Vikings, according to a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
According to NBC Sports research, it’s the first time since 2013 that multiple teams that failed to make the playoffs in the prior season have gone undefeated. The last time it happened was in 2012-2013, when the Chiefs went 2-13 and the New Orleans Saints went 7-9, then both turned up undefeated at 4-0.
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The two teams are on slightly different trajectories, however, as the Chiefs went 6-11 in an unexpected down year. The Vikings, meanchile, went 9-8 last year and finished with five straight wins, according to Florio.
The Vikings are an underrated 4-0 team that also has a remarkable story that’s nearly as amazing as that of the Chiefs. They currently have the longest active winning streak in the NFL at nine in a row, which is a franchise record. They’ll try to break it on the road on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
The Chiefs version of their worst-to-first story is all about the return of quarterback Patrick Mahomes after knee surgery. The Chiefs were initially skeptical that Mahomes could return in Week 1, but he did just that and played superbly as Kansas City trounced the Denver Broncos by a score of 31-10.
But this is a new version of the Chiefs we’re seeing. Running back Kenneth Walker III has added a new dimension to their offense, and he has over 500 yards in just four games.
Walker is just one of several offseason moves that’s worked to perfection so far. The spotlight on Mahomes and Walker has obscured the success of the Chiefs draft strategy, as they drafted heavily for defense and have integrated cornerback Mansoor Delane, edge rusher R Mason Thomas and nose tackle Peter Woods into their defensive concepts.
The early bye week raises some interesting questions in how all this plays out. Normally it’s a disadvantage, but in this case it gives Kansas City an opportunity to fix some flaws and rest some injured players. It may cost them down the road in terms of injuries, but right now it’s a perfect pause before they try and continue their undefeated season.