(WGR 550) - So much for me thinking the Kansas City Chiefs were no longer the gold standard in the AFC or the NFL.
I started to believe that last season when the Buffalo Bills won at Arrowhead Stadium in the regular season, and had them beat in the playoffs. I was convinced even further when the Cincinnati Bengals knocked the Chiefs off in Kansas City for a berth in Super Bowl LVI just weeks after defeating Patrick Mahomes and company in the regular season.
Then the Chiefs decided to trade their game-breaking wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
The Chiefs' time all by themselves in the top tier was over. They now had the Bills and Bengals to deal with, and were going to be no better than the third-best team in the conference.
Yeah, not so much.
I thought the Chiefs were going to lose to the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game a couple of weeks ago. Then I fully anticipated the Philadelphia Eagles preventing Kansas City from getting a second Vince Lombardi Trophy in four years.
Now I'm left worrying about Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid putting together a Tom Brady/Bill Belichick reign over the conference.
Mahomes' stat line won't jump off the page from the win over the Eagles, but he was in total control as they mounted a comeback from a 10-point halftime deficit. Mahomes took Philadelphia out of what they like to do by consistently making plays. It wasn't explosive plays, but just smart, take what they are giving-type of throws.
Out of the 21 completions for the now two-time Super Bowl MVP, only one went for 20-plus yards.
Mahomes got the ball out fast, which is one reason why the defense that had more sacks than any other this season had zero in the final game of the season. Mahomes had no turnovers and against one of the top secondaries in the NFL, if not the best.
I don't remember a bad decision, or any pass that was close to being intercepted by the Eagles defense. He was 13-of-14 during that second half comeback.
Reid, once again, showed why he is one of the best offensive minds in the game of football.
While Reid has a cheat code with Mahomes under center, he does an outstanding job of making Mahomes' job easy. It seemed like Kansas City had open targets all over the field all night long. Reid had the same formation and play call on back-to-back touchdown passes in the second half, and no one was near the receiver on either catch.
I was hoping a Chiefs win would have meant the 64-year-old Reid would have decided to go out on top, joining a select group of head coaches with multiple Super Bowl rings. However, it appears Reid is planning to come back next season.
With Mahomes as his quarterback, why would he want to stop coaching?
Beyond Mahomes and Reid, credit should also go to the Chiefs' front office.
A number of players who were added in the offseason or during the season made key plays in the victory. JuJu Smith-Schuster was signed as a free agent, while Kadarius Toney was a pickup before the NFL Trade Deadline. Fellow receiver Skyy Moore, along with running back Isiah Pacheco, came to the group in last April's NFL Draft.
The Chiefs just keep stocking up on weapons for their elite level quarterback. Hopefully the Bills have taken notice and will do the same thing for Josh Allen this offseason.
