Chiefs head into offseason with core intact, plenty of holes
Now, the Chiefs will have to take a much different tact if they want to make their third consecutive Super Bowl. While their core group is signed for the next several years, the Chiefs have a raft of important contributors that are due to hit free agency. Ad“Like all teams, we'll get busy here going down the road,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday. “Every year is different because of your cap situation and what you have and what you need,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. WELCOME BACKThe Chiefs should get some help from guys that were injured or opted out of this past season.
Chiefs lose composure and see red amid a sea of yellow
The Chiefs only committed three penalties in the second half to finish the game with 11 for 120 yards. Reid burned two timeouts, after two short Bucs gains, thinking the Chiefs might get the ball back. Brady came into the game with six Super Bowls titles, in part because he wins most of those mind games. Amid that sea of yellow, the Chiefs were seeing red. “Only referees can call the penalties, and penalties affect the game 1000 percent," defensive lineman Chris Jones said.
Brady, Mahomes prepare for 5th matchup after splitting 1st 4
(AP Photo/Matt Ludtke, File)There was a regular-season shootout and a playoff masterpiece the first season that Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady met on a football field. Brady came out ahead in those two meetings, but Mahomes has gotten the edge the past two times they met. Mahomes added a 20-yard TD pass to Hill in the third quarter to make it a 17-point game. Mahomes threw for 462 yards and three TDs, with Hill leading the way with 13 catches for 269 yards. Mahomes injured his hand on the second drive of the game yet finished with 283 yards passing and a TD.
Big offenses, overlooked defenses in AFC title game
The Kansas City Chiefs won their first NFL title since 1970 when they beat San Francisco in last year's Super Bowl. What we get Sunday is a matchup of dynamic offenses and overlooked defenses, the top two teams in the conference. Kansas City (15-2) has the confidence of a reigning champion and a charisma few NFL teams can match. That could provide an edge over Bills rookie Tyler Bass — except that Bass has been very reliable all season. Buffalo punter Corey Bojorquez and Kansas City rookie Johnny Townsend were two of the most dependable in the AFC.
Top cornerbacks standing out on NFL's Super Bowl hopefuls
Nearly every team still vying for the Super Bowl has an elite cornerback often capable of shutting down an opponent's top receiver all by himself. The NFC playoff bracket has three of the conference's four Pro Bowl cornerbacks: Green Bay's Jaire Alexander, Los Angeles' Jalen Ramsey and New Orleans' Marshon Lattimore. Staley's scheme has employed Ramsey in multiple roles throughout the season, and his job often changes from play to play. Oddly enough, the remaining playoff team perceived to have the least dominant cornerbacks is defending champion Kansas City, the favorite to make it back to the Super Bowl. “Some of the best cornerbacks happen to play on the best teams, that’s all I can say,” Bills safety Micah Hyde said.
Barkley, 49ers hit with potentially season-ending injuries
Start with running back, where Giants star Saquon Barkley is believed to have torn the ACL in his right knee early in their loss at Chicago. The 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo tried to play through a right ankle injury before Nick Mullens took over for the second half. Tevin Coleman also left San Francisco's win over the Jets with a late knee injury. Along with Lock and Sutton, the Broncos lost defensive end Dre'Mont Jones to a knee injury in their defeat at Pittsburgh. Washington guard Brandon Scherff, who left early in Arizona with a knee injury, was among the offensive linemen hurt around the NFL on Sunday.
Chiefs begin title defense with 34-20 victory over Texans
That run includes a come-from-behind 51-31 victory over the Texans in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Texans' Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score, but he also was under relentless pressure and was intercepted once. The elusive Johnson finished it off by scampering 19 yards to the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for a TD later in the quarter to make the final score a bit more respectable. The teams then stood together in a line that stretched from one end zone to the other for a moment of silence before the coin toss.
Mahomes, Chiefs hold off Chargers 24-17 in Mexico City
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, left, can't make the catch as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward, right, defends, during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, in Mexico City. The Chiefs held Los Angeles to eight points in the second half, and Sorensen grabbed Rivers underthrown pass to Austin Ekeler at the goal line to secure the Chiefs 10th win over Los Angeles in 11 meetings. The game was particularly special to Chargers cornerback Michael Davis, the son of a U.S. immigrant from Mexico City. But the Chargers trailed 10-9 at halftime despite outgaining Kansas City 312-109 and making five drives into Chiefs territory. After Williams scored on the Chiefs opening drive of the second half, Mahomes hit Kelce with a picture-perfect 23-yard TD throw on the next drive.