Kansas City's Turnaround Is Getting Closer To Complete

Remember when everyone was writing off the Kansas City Chiefs after their 3-4 start?

Yeah, that feels like a long time ago.

As we close in on the AFC Championship Game, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs sit as seven-point favorites against the Bengals and one win away from their third-straight Super Bowl birth. It's a massive turnaround from that early-season slump, and once again proves that the best teams will find a way to get back on track.

If you thought Mahomes and the Chiefs were done, they've made it very clear they're not going anywhere.

The Turnaround

Look, I get it. We saw what we saw right? Mahomes didn't look like himself, and the Chiefs' defense looked like they were regularly throwing just nine guys out there on the field. It was reasonable to question what was going on. During that 3-4 start, Kansas City was just 2-5 ATS and ended up going 2-7 ATS to start the year. It all seemed to come to a boiling point with their 27-3 shellacking at Tennessee.

After that though, everything started to click. The Chiefs rallied off eight-straight wins, covering in six, and their defense did a complete 180. Going 9-1 SU to finish this year, Kansas City gave up just 16.1 points per game, including holding four teams to under ten points.

Mahomes finished fourth in total passing yards (4,839), tied for fourth in passing TDs (37), was still a top-ten rated QB (98.5), and just last week out-dueled Josh Allen in one of the greatest NFL playoff games ever played.

Now, it doesn't mean that this weekend against the Bengals should be seen as a cakewalk. The Chiefs may be the better team, but Cincy is playing with a confidence that might be immeasurable at this point. Plus, the Bengals already beat the Chiefs back in Week 17, when Joe Burrow lit up the Kansas City defense for 446 yards and four touchdowns, overcoming a 14-0 deficit for a 34-31 win (covering +3.5).

At least on paper, it has the makings of another classic. Now...we wait.