SANTA CLARA, Calif. — There’s a funny thing about greatness. We can’t always define it. But we recognize it when we see it.
And then there are times when we’re so conditioned to believe that greatness looks like THIS or THAT, we don’t even recognize when it manifests itself in a different form.
Take the latest iteration of the Kansas City Chiefs, for instance. At 6-0, they remain the NFL’s only undefeated team. They’re not the offensive juggernaut we’ve come to expect from Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes-led squads. There are fewer oooohs and aaaahs on a given Sunday. And it might look different from in the past. But there’s still something special that distinguishes this 2024 team from the rest of the pack and has Kansas City positioned for additional historic accomplishments.
The Chiefs met their old rivals the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, and after a seesaw first three quarters, they did what they have always done in the history of this series: delivered the game-changing and game-defining plays in the clutch to emerge victorious.
The final score was 28-18, which seems to suggest a fairly comfortable margin of victory. But Sunday’s showdown featured plenty of harrowing moments for the two-time reigning Super Bowl champions, and not until the fourth quarter when Mahomes shrugged off a pair of interceptions and directed a pair of authoritative scoring drives did Kansas City even seem assured of victory.
There’s certainly nothing frameable about the final box score, especially when it came to the Chiefs’ biggest names. Mahomes: 16-for-27, 154 yards, zero passing touchdowns, two interceptions. Travis Kelce: four catches, 17 yards, zero touchdowns. Kareem Hunt did record two rushing touchdowns. But the sledding proved tough as he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry (22 attempts for 78 yards). Tight end Noah Gray led Kansas City in receiving with four catches for 66 yards.
But as a team, the Chiefs combined to rush for 184 yards and four touchdowns. They converted eight of 14 third downs, dwarfing San Francisco’s 2-for-11 showing. The Chiefs scored on four of their five trips inside the red zone, something that has proved challenging for them this season, and dominated time of possession 35:04 to 24:56. And their defense recorded three takeaways, including a fourth-quarter interception in the end zone to snuff out a would-be 49ers scoring drive.
Just like in their 25-22 Super Bowl overtime win over the 49ers, the Chiefs needed late-game heroics to secure Sunday’s victory. And when it mattered most, they answered the call, because that’s what great teams and great players do.
“They’re a tough team,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said. “They know how to win in a lot of different ways. We were hoping for more opportunities to get to (Mahomes) in the second half, but you have to stop the run to do that and we weren’t doing it.”
A punishing rushing attack and pedestrian passing attack haven’t been signature attributes of Kansas City’s three-ringed dynasty under Mahomes and Reid. For the last six seasons, the quarterback and coach have teamed up to deliver some of the most prolific offensive displays the league has seen, often ranking first in total yards, passing yards and/or points and routinely in the top five.
But the Chiefs spoiled their fans, fantasy football owners and casual NFL observers into thinking they should always have the ability to deliver such fireworks. Because they shipped off Tyreek Hill and plugged in guys like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and others and kept on rolling, surely they should be able to do so again even if top projected wideouts Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown suffered season-ending injuries. And Mahomes’ throwing more interceptions (eight) than touchdowns (six) must mean his game, and the Chiefs’ overall greatness, have declined and that he and his teammates are no longer feared around the NFL. Right?
Think again.
Statistically, it might appear the Chiefs (who rank an uncharacteristic 15th offensively) are receiving average quarterback play and average offensive production while leaning on a defense that has morphed from suspect to average to dominant.
But as they showed Sunday in Santa Clara and in the weeks prior, Reid and Mahomes remain just as crafty as in previous years. Reid is simply attacking teams differently, directing game plans that have delivered 149-, 128-, 101-, 139- and 184-yard rushing performances in the last five weeks. He changed his stripes because injuries have required him to do so, and the results have come.
Mahomes remains just as capable of tormenting defenses. But an attentive eye will recognize he’s not sitting back and rifling the ball downfield with the same frequency because of some dulled instincts or feel for the game. More often than not, he’s forced to give up the ball more quickly because of a combination of declined offensive tackle play and diminished game-breaking talent at receiver. These days, it’s common for pass rushers to meet Mahomes at his drop-back point before routes can even develop downfield.
But Mahomes still gets his. He’s almost in that Tom Brady mode of accepting what the defense gives him until his foes slip up and offer an opening. Again and again, he did this on money downs Sunday against a very good 49ers defensive front.
Third-and-6? With the pocket collapsing around him, Mahomes would squirt through a crevice and then find Kelce for 7 yards. Third-and-8, he’d scramble away from a defender and find Gray for 9 yards. And we don’t talk about Mahomes as a scrambler like Lamar Jackson, but defenders certainly have a healthy respect for 15’s legs. He burned defenders for a 33-yard run when they expected him to settle for a 7-yard first-down pickup. And although he’s not one to seek out contact, Mahomes displayed his determination on the fourth-and-1 touchdown run on which he lowered his shoulder and steamrolled 49ers safety Malik Mustapha at the goal line.
MAHOMES TO THE HOUSE 🏠 pic.twitter.com/NMbeTudyyu
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 20, 2024
The fire certainly burns just as fiercely within the quarterback.
The patient approach Kansas City displayed through three quarters Sunday paid off late in the game. The commitment to the run despite modest returns led to a breakthrough. Those 2- and 3-yard runs from Hunt turned into 4- and 5-yard bursts, and San Francisco’s defenders wore down while surrendering 14 fourth-quarter points.
As has been the case for much of the first five games of the season, nothing came easily Sunday for the Chiefs, but their continuous ability to shape-shift paved the way for yet another victory. And though they’d love to light up the scoreboard with dazzling aerial displays, Kansas City’s coaches and players know the W’s matter far more than style points.
“It’s not just about me, it’s not just about the stats and the light show and stuff like that. It’s about playing team football,” Mahomes said. “And I believe that if we continue to work, we’ll get better offensively, throwing the ball down the field. But until then, it’s nice to know that we have a great running game. We’ve got a great defense. We’re able to execute whenever the time comes to win football games.”
So, high-flying passing attack or no, don’t fall into the trap of discounting the continued greatness displayed by the Chiefs coaches and players.
There’s always a challenge that comes with remaining on top. The road becomes more arduous as age, health and unpredictability decline. Yet it’s a challenge Reid embraces, especially in rivalries like Chiefs-Niners.
“You’re going against good coaches, good players, a good football team that have a history together,” Reid said. “Kyle (Shanahan) does a great job with his staff. You love that part — the competition part. As far as the run game, passing game, we do what we need to do — what’s working — and try to mix it up a little bit to keep them off-balance, although that’s tough with that group.”
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Like Mahomes, Reid hopes that as the marathon that is the NFL season continues, the Chiefs can inch closer toward full strength, whether that be via injury recoveries or roster additions. And that come playoff time, the Chiefs will regain the level of dominance they have previously displayed.
Until that happens, however, the grit and versatility that have carried the Chiefs thus far appear likely to remain in effect.
Ignore statistics and focus on results. Because in their current form, the Chiefs are showing us that greatness isn’t always pretty, jaw-dropping or even dominant. Sometimes, it’s resilient, unflinching and adaptable. Though they might lack their fireworks of the past, these Chiefs do possess those crucial traits, and that’s why they remain imperfectly perfect as the NFL season approaches its midpoint.
And why it remains foolish to bet against them.
(Photo of Patrick Mahomes: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
