One stat that proves the Kansas City Chiefs are the most clutch team the NFL has ever seen
The Kansas City Chiefs seem to like to keep their games interesting. You would think a team that has been so dominant for as long as the Chiefs have that they would win more games in blowout fashion. However, that has not been the case, especially over the past year. After Kansas City's 22-17 victory […]
The Kansas City Chiefs seem to like to keep their games interesting.
You would think a team that has been so dominant for as long as the Chiefs have that they would win more games in blowout fashion. However, that has not been the case, especially over the past year.
After Kansas City's 22-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, OptaSTATS posted on X that the Chiefs have won their last 9 games by a combined total of just 54 points, which includes last year's playoffs. That is the smallest combined margin of victory by any team during a 9-0 stretch in NFL history.
The stat dates back to the Chiefs' Week 17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023. Every game that K.C. has played in since then has been decided by eight points or less, with the exception of its 26-7 win over the Miami Dolphins during last year's postseason wild-card game.
The Chiefs are 3-0 to start the 2024 season, but are just a few plays away from being 0-3. There are a few different takeaways you draw from that. One could be that the Chiefs have simply had luck on their side and that their sloppy play and mounting injuries will catch up to them.
Another thought is the popular outcry from opposing fanbases that the league and the referees favor the Chiefs. With superstars such as Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and Kelce's relationship with music icon Taylor Swift, surely the NFL wants K.C. to dominate the league, right? Sorry, but, no. Anyone who has actually watched the Chiefs play this season knows that they've had plenty of bad calls go against them.
Finally, we arrive at the most logical reason why the Chiefs continuously win close games – because they're good at it. Almost every time Mahomes has the ball on the final drive, he leads the offense down the field for a game-winning score. Opposing defenses are terrified of how to play him when the game's on the line and Mahomes can make them pay with both his arm and his legs.
The Chiefs' defense is no stranger to closing out games for the team as well. Steve Spagnuolo is one of the best defensive coordinators of all-time and has made a career of excellent situational play calling. Just like it did on Sunday night against Atlanta, K.C.'s defense puts the hammer down on third and fourth down, rather it's against the run or affecting the quarterback with a sack or an errand throw.
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