Chiefs moving on quickly after AFC West title win | KCSN Daily 12.19
Plus Week 16 stat preview, KCSN podcasts, quotes and more Chiefs news.
Welcome back to a brand new week of KCSN Daily, where we deliver the best Kansas City Chiefs content to your inbox.
The Chiefs won their seventh consecutive AFC West division title after defeating the Houston Texans 30-24 in overtime in Week 15. Winning the division is always the first checkpoint for this team, but from the top of the organization on down, they have bigger goals in mind.
“Every one of them is special, and you certainly enjoy clinching this early, but as I said, there's a lot of football ahead of us,” Chiefs CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt said following the game. “We've got to make sure we stay focused starting with the Seahawks on Saturday. We need to bear down these last three weeks, hopefully get some home-field advantage in the playoffs because that's important. Then the other thing that really stands out about this year is the number of young players. We heard Coach talk a little bit about their contributions. It's difficult when you have as many rookies as we do to get them to play at a high level on a week-to-week basis. I think Coach Reid and his staff have done a tremendous job this year.”
Even with a roster littered with young players, the winning culture seems to stick and trinkle down in Kansas City. Those players have adopted a mindset that is conducive to success.
“I told the guys my hat goes off to them,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said. “That was a way to fight through it. There's a certain — you know, you set a certain level, and all these new guys come in, and they're going, ‘Hey, man, we've got to win this thing.’ There’s additional pressure on that. Just to get through it, you can see that was a positive thing, and you can sail from there. You got that done, and now you just go do your thing, go play.”
With three games left in the regular season left to play and the AFC West in hand, the Chiefs still have a lot left they hope to achieve. It starts with week-to-week improvement and defending Arrowhead Stadium when the Seattle Seahawks come to town on Christmas Eve.
“Obviously we know we have a lot to work on, to clean up at least with the turnovers and the penalties, but you have to celebrate,” Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes said. “We still won the AFC West, and you have to enjoy that. I told the guys to do that. Enjoy it for the plane ride home tonight. We've got a short week this next week, so enjoy it and we'll get right back to it.”
KCSN Live Postgame Show:
KCSN’s BJ Kissel, Kent Swanson, and more go live following the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Houston Texans to break it all down.
Read about the Chiefs beating the Texans 30-24 in OT and claiming their seventh consecutive AFC West title.
Stats to know ahead of Week 16 vs. Seahawks:
Series history: The Chiefs have a history of dominance against the Seahawks with 33 wins to 19 losses. They only have a better winning percentage (.635) against six teams in the NFL. It’s even more impressive considering that Seattle was in the AFC West from 1977-2001.
Third down dominance should continue: The Chiefs are the No. 1 ranked third down offense in the NFL, converting 51.2% of the time. The Seahawks are the No. 28 ranked third down defense in the NFL, allowing conversions 45% of the time. Third down success shouldn’t be hard for Patrick Mahomes and the offense to come by this week.
Yards will be plentiful: Seattle has allowed 5,304 total yards this season. Kansas City has allowed 4,460 yards this season. Both of these defenses haven’t been particularly great at stopping their opponents from moving the ball and that probably won’t change in Week 16.
KCSN Update:
KCSN’s BJ Kissel gets the Kansas City Chiefs stock report from ESPN's Matt Miller following the Chiefs' win over the Houston Texans to secure their seventh-straight AFC West title.
Quotable:
“You know what, being a kicker is little like being a batter, and sometimes you get in a slump. He's a great one, and he'll get through it, and then he'll come out of it even better than what he was. You got to keep kicking, and that's what we're going to do with him.” - Andy Reid on Harrison Butker
“No. We were coming into the huddle, and, obviously, we were running the four-minute ball and stacking the box. So, it was a little tough. Pat (Mahomes), he looked at me and said, ‘Two hands on the ball. Let's go.’ I said, ‘I'm about to score.’ JuJu (Smith-Schuster) looked at me. He said, ‘I got your block, bro. Find me when you get out there.’ It worked out exactly like that. I made it to the second level, and I literally ran off of JuJu's block and was able to score. It's just crazy it worked out like that, man. It's crazy.” - Jerick McKinnon on his game-winning score
Quick Hits:
From NFL Next Gen Stats: People will try to downplay Patrick Mahomes’ Week 15 performance because of the opponent. The fact of the matter is that he was absolutely surgical throughout that game, but especially so in the end of the game.
From Travis Kelce: Shannon Sharpe is now No. 5 on the NFL’s all-time receiving list behind Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. The two shared a very cool interaction on social media after the game.
From Tommy Townsend: Former Chiefs P Dustin Colquitt came out of the woodwork to comment on the team’s struggling kicking game. He claimed that the holding done by Tommy Townsend is in part to blame for some of Butker’s missed kicks. Townsend took to Twitter to respond.
Important dates ahead:
Saturday, Dec. 24 at Noon CT - Week 16: Chiefs vs. Seahawks - GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium - Kansas City, Missouri
You make a lifetime of difference for a child or teen.
Boys & Girls Clubs is looking for dedicated men and women nvest in the lives of youth through coaching. Did you know by participating in sports, children learn the value of teamwork, responsibility, good sportsmanship, and self-esteem? By becoming a volunteer coach, you aelping to power the dreams—and successful futures—of Kansas City’s kids! The Clubs are currently seeking baseball coaches. Click here to sign up today! All equipment will be provided. No prior coaching experience is needed.