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.
2. Baltimore Ravens
It has been a strange season for the Baltimore Ravens, who sit comfortably atop the AFC North at 6-2 despite several close games and a generally average offense. Todd Monken's new high-voltage system hasn't entirely found its rhythm. Lamar Jackson, his MVP performance against the Lions in Week 7 excluded, has been more or less okay by his usual (very high) standards.
And yet... the Ravens are 6-2, first place in their division, with a dominant defense and an offense barely scratching the surface of its potential. Baltimore is known to be in the market for RB help ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline (although Gus Edwards might have silenced that noise with three TDs on Sunday). Jackson publicly called out his receivers at one point. Any additions to the offense could go a long way toward cementing the Ravens as a legitimate contender.
With Baltimore, it all eventually boils down to faith in Jackson. He's one of the most electric playmakers the game has seen in a while. At the peak of his powers, few QBs can match his capacity for explosive gains and improvisational flourishes. Mahomes is on the shortlist, of course. There is definite appeal in a classic postseason duel between our two most exciting quarterbacks.
Factor in John Harbaugh's track record of postseason success, and the Ravens feel like a defnite team to watch here. Baltimore has flown mostly under the radar despite the team's obvious success — under extremely tough scheduling circumstances, no less — but it feels like the Ravens are still working through the kinks right now. As the team gets more consistent, and perhaps better around the margins in a couple of days, the Chiefs should very much consider them a threat.
1. Miami Dolphins
We arrive at the real heavy-hitter.
The Miami Dolphins have shown a few dents in the armor lately, but at the end of the day, is there a team better prepared to match Kansas City stride-for-stride on the offensive end? No. No there is not.
Maybe that's not the best way to beat the Chiefs. Kansas City knows how to win a shootout. The key to beating the Chiefs is disrupting Mahomes' rhythm and controlling time of possession. Miami's defense has, shall we say, room left to grow. But, Jalen Ramsey returned on Sunday and the early returns are expectedly positive. If the Dolphins can string together enough stops, Miami's offense has the ability to slice up even the best defenses — and yes, the Chiefs are one of the best defenses.
Mike McDaniel versus Andy Reid has the potential to be a real passing of the torch moment (it could also end similarly to Obi-Wan slicing Anakin's legs off at the base of a volcano, but alas). McDaniel has meticulously constructed the NFL's most explosive offense. It's a machine. Tua Tagovailoa and each receiver operate with an intrinsic sense of time and space. The ball is consistently delivered on time to the exact right spot. Then, of course, there is the natural benefit of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle torching defenders after the catch with game-breaking speed.
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 Wekk 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.
Kansas City definitely profiles as the favorite in every matchup here, but Miami has the highest collective ceiling and the most innovative head coach to combat Andy Reid's masterful offensive orchestration.