Can Any AFC Team Challenge KC?

As we approach the midway point of the 2024 season, the Kansas City Chiefs remain undefeated. If the past two NFL seasons have taught us anything, the Chiefs play considerably better in the playoffs than in the regular season. Considering these two facts, the AFC might be in big trouble. Especially after last week’s Deandre Hopkins trade, it seems more and more that the Chiefs will have an easy path through the AFC playoffs, directly to their 5th Super Bowl appearance in the past 6 years. With that said, here are the few teams, who might have a shot at stopping Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs:

Tier 3 - DEN & LAC:

To be fair, neither team is nearly as good as the Chiefs. However, matchups between division rivals tend to be chaotic and upsets aren’t rare. The teams see each other very often and as a result, know each other better. The mind games intensify between division rivals. Over the past few years, despite being significantly better than all 3 of their division rivals, the Chiefs have had a hard time with them. In 2023, out of their 6 divisional matchups, Kansas City lost 2 and were held to under 20 points 4 times. That was when all 3 division rivals were bad teams, now that the Broncos and Chargers have improved, they present an even larger threat. Led by their promising rookie quarterback, Bo Nix, the Broncos have won 5 of their past 6 games. This hot streak has Denver lined up as the top WildCard seed in the AFC. Denver’s only loss in that period came against Coach Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh has brought new hope to the Los Angeles Chargers. For the past few years, it has felt as if the Chargers were one piece away from being a very good team. So far in his first season, Chargers’ new head coach, Jim Harbaugh looks like he might be that missing part of the puzzle. The Chargers are 4W-3L and are right in the middle of contention for the AFC WildCard spots. Los Angeles faced Kansas City in week 4 and their defense did a terrific job against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense. They held Mahomes to under 250 yards and only 1 touchdown while sacking him 3 times along with a pick. Unfortunately, Samaje Perine scored a late touchdown to give the Chiefs a 1-score win. Nonetheless, the Chargers showed that they can match the Chiefs blow-for-blow. If either Denver or Los Angeles makes the playoffs as a WildCard team and gets matched up against Kansas City, an upset would be a legitimate possibility. 

Tier 2 - HOU & BAL:

Both the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens entered the season with great rosters and high expectations. Both can make a run at an AFC title.

After CJ Stroud took the Texans to the divisional round in his rookie season, Houston bolstered their roster. This past offseason, the Texans added Stefon Diggs, Joe Mixon, and Danielle Hunter. While Diggs is out with an ACL tear, Mixon and Hunter have been making positive impacts. In 5 games played this season, Mixon has been incredible, putting up 618 scrimmage yards and 6 touchdowns. If he can stay healthy, at age 28, he can have the best season of his career. Meanwhile, Danielle Hunter has been a problem in opposing backfields. Hunter’s presence has taken attention away from Houston’s other star pass rusher, Will Anderson. When you stop one, you’re beaten by the other. Between Hunter and Anderson, the duo has put up 13 sacks and 18 tackles for loss. Houston has been incredible on both sides of the ball.

After the Baltimore Ravens’ promising 2023 season ended disappointingly, they went out and signed Derrick Henry. Henry’s physical running style is the perfect centerpiece to Lamar Jackson’s elusive style. The results have shown and Baltimore’s backfield has been unstoppable. Despite the back’s old age, both Henry and Jackson are having career years on the ground. Through 8 games, Henry has 1,012 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns and is on pace to set career highs in both. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson has 501 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground to compliment his 2,099 yards and 17 touchdowns through the air. Between the two of them, Baltimore leads the league in rushing yards with a lead of 274 yards. In accordance, Baltimore’s offense is ranked 1st in the league in both yards and points.

However, both teams have looked sloppy at times. Baltimore has lost two games to bad teams and Houston has had a hard time against good teams. As NFL fans know very well, if a team has a weakness, the Kansas City Chiefs will exploit it in the playoffs. If they’re hot at the right time, they’ll have a chance of beating the Chiefs in the Divisional Round or Conference Championship game. Nonetheless, the Chiefs have the edge, especially in a playoff game. As much as I’d love to see them beat Kansas City, I wouldn’t count on it.

Tier 1 - BUF:

Almost every year, the Buffalo Bills face the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. Every time, the Bills play a good game but the Chiefs find a way to sneak away with the victory at the last moment. However, Josh Allen and the Bills are bound to eventually win one. They’re just as good as the Chiefs but lose via clock management and the dominos falling the Chiefs’ way, one game going the other way is inevitable. Josh Allen and the Bills have faced the Chiefs three times in the playoffs, all three times the Chiefs won by a hair. I believe that this year’s Bills are the best team they’ve had in the Josh Allen era, and if it’s going to happen, this will be the year the Bills take down the Chiefs. 

Through 8 games, Josh Allen has a career-high 107.6 passer rating. Since the Bills traded for star receiver Amari Cooper, Allen has been even better. In the two games since the Cooper trade, Allen has put up passer ratings of 116.1 and 102.9. Buffalo’s offense scored over 30 points in each game. Led by Josh Allen’s dominance, Buffalo’s offense has put up 28.8 points per game. Meanwhile, the Bills’ defense has been dominant, holding opposing offenses to 18.3 points per game. At 6W-2L, they’ve been great on both sides of the ball and are by far the AFC’s best hope. It’s hard to bet against Kansas City, but if anybody can take them down, it’s going to be Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.