The Kansas City Chiefs have been on their bye in Week 10, meaning they needed some help from their fellow AFC teams on Sunday when it comes to the playoff race. After all, the Chiefs currently occupy the conference's No. 8 spot and would be left on the outside looking in if the postseason began today.
The good news is that head coach Andy Reid & Co. received some help on Sunday, which won't go unnoticed among Chiefs Kingdom. At the same time, other teams didn't do their part, meaning Kansas City will have some work to do once it returns to action.
Sunday's Week 10 Results Help, Hurt Chiefs' Outlook
The Good
The Houston Texans gave the Chiefs a hand in the form of a 36-29 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The game was trending in the Jaguars' favor until the Texans scored 26 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to seal the comeback victory.
The 5-4 Jags still hold the tiebreaker over the Chiefs due to the former's Week 5 win, but it's encouraging to see them seemingly lose momentum as the season progresses.
Bringing us to even better news, with the Buffalo Bills having an obvious hangover after beating the Chiefs, leading to their getting blown off the field by the Miami Dolphins. These two losses are great for Kansas City's hopes of making a late-season run and help push the Bills further back in the division race behind the surprisingly dominant New England Patriots.
For the Chiefs, this is where the good news ends, with the playoff road growing tougher for the remaining contenders. Key wins at the top of the conference and for a certain contender behind the Chiefs all paint a bleak picture as Kansas City comes out of its bye week.
The Bad
Among the negatives were two divisional wins that kept both the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers ahead of the Chiefs in the AFC West. It is truly concerning at this point, as time starts to become a huge factor in whether or not the Chiefs are going to be able to make a playoff push.
Denver won ugly on Thursday Night Football to push their record to 8-2 and keep a firm two-game lead on the West. This has been a theme for a franchise that has mirrored last year's Chiefs team in a lot of ways, winning close games and finding ways to claim victory in the game's final moments. The Broncos aren't alone at 8-2, with the Indianapolis Colts and Patriots both winning as well to match that record.
This isn't where the bad news stops with the Chargers beating the Pittsburgh Steelers soundly to push their record to 7-3. Having won the first game of the season against the Chiefs, Los Angeles is not only a game up on their rival but holds the tiebreaker as well.
Add in the fact that the Baltimore Ravens have suddenly been brought back to life at 4-5, and the road back into the playoffs isn't going to be easy. Baltimore will play the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals (x2) in four of their next five games. It is impossible to believe that this stretch isn't going to breathe life back into their chase to get back into playoff positioning.
Chiefs Can't Be Counted Out
All of this paints a picture of urgency for the Chiefs, who are in an unfamiliar position of no longer being atop the conference.
Still, there are clear advantages to being able to embrace an underdog mentality. Reid and Mahomes thrive when their backs are against the wall, which should give Kansas City fans some hope. As frustrating as things might be right now, there are still nearly two months of games ahead to put the slow start long behind them before potentially challenging for another Super Bowl title.