The Kansas City Chiefs are set to participate in their sixth Super Bowl this weekend as they take on the NFC’s top seed in the San Francisco 49ers.
How did they get here? Patrick Mahomes remains the trigger man for this budding dynasty, but this run to the season finale looks a little different than years past.
Kansas City Chiefs 2023 Season
The Chiefs have looked like a dynasty at various points during the Mahomes era. They opened the 2023 season by winning six consecutive games after an opening-night loss to the Detroit Lions.
But, like seemingly every team this regular season, the Chiefs ran into extended struggles. They dropped five of their next eight games, which dropped them out of their comfort zone as the AFC’s top seed and avoiding having to play a road playoff game.
Due to a loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, the Chiefs lost the head-to-head tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed. After 18 weeks, it was clear that a run to a fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons would look different than in the past. Kansas City was going to have to go on the road and weren’t considered the favorites.
Included in their 2023 regular-season résumé were unacceptable losses that simply didn’t occur in years prior. After the blazing 6-1 start, the Chiefs went into Denver and were out-classed by a Broncos team that entered the game with a 2-5 record.
Kansas City also fell flat on Christmas Day (Week 16) with a 20-14 loss to another divisional opponent, the Las Vegas Raiders.
Despite facing a team with a porous defense, the Chiefs were held off the board for the first 21 minutes. Once they broke the seal courtesy of an Isiah Pacheco touchdown, the thought was that they would separate themselves from inferior competition, much like what we’ve seen in the past. Not only did that not happen, the Raiders scored a pair of defensive touchdowns in seven seconds.
As bad as this loss was, the Chiefs were able to show some form to close the regular season. In the following week against the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City proved that their young offensive talent was ready for the big stage.
In the game, WR Rashee Rice caught 5 of 6 targets for 127 yards. Pacheco, meanwhile, totaled 25 touches for 165 yards and a score.
There were certainly bumps in the road, but by the end of the regular season, it seemed that Kansas City’s swoon was a thing of the past and that this was a dynastic team that would be a tough out in the playoffs.
Mahomes was great as usual with over 4,000 passing yards for a sixth straight season and career-highs in completion percentage (67.2%) and rushing yards (389). However, the profile of this team was different than in years past.
KEEP READING: Patrick Mahomes Says Week 16 Loss to Raiders Turned Season Around
This year, the Chiefs’ defense was top 10 in third-down conversion rate, red-zone touchdown conversion rate, as well as goal-to-go TD conversion rate. Additionally, they were top five in pressure rate and yards per play.
This has been anything but a flawless season for Kansas City. Their -11 turnover differential ranked 28th during the regular season and is the worst by a team to make the Super Bowl in the 2000s. Nevertheless, they’re peaking at the right time, which has their fan base excited about potential back-to-back Super Bowl victories.
As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!