Chiefs fumbled shot at AFC stranglehold, then vowed to go ‘straight back to work’

With a victory at Buffalo on Sunday, the Chiefs would have set a franchise record for most consecutive wins to start an NFL season.

A positive outcome would’ve meant even more for the Chiefs in the AFC’s developing playoff picture.

A 10-0 record would’ve all but slammed the door on the rest of the conference. Only one team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, would’ve been within two games of the Chiefs in the loss column.

But with the Chiefs’ 30-21 defeat at Buffalo, their playoff path has become more complicated. Their fall to 9-1 was assured on one of the biggest plays of Josh Allen’s career — the Bills quarterback ran for a 26-yard TD with two minutes remaining.

The AFC’s top seed and its advantages remain in Kansas City’s grasp, but the Chiefs’ margin of comfort has shrunk.

And they know it.

“This absolutely needs to be a reality check for us,” Chiefs safety Justin Reid said. “I know we’re going to build on it and use it as stepping stone to go to where we really want to go.”

Their goal is no different than any other NFL team — win the Super Bowl. But having won the previous two, the stakes are higher for Kansas City. Because no team has won three straight Super Bowls, the Chiefs are chasing history.

Winning at Buffalo was always going to be a demanding task despite their perfect record. The Bills not only were a betting favorite but held the emotional edge of a team eliminated in the playoffs last season — for the third time in four years — by the Chiefs.

Buffalo played up to the task and improved to 9-2 entering its bye week. The Steelers stand 8-2 after Sunday’s victory over the Baltimore Ravens, and the the Chiefs visit Pittsburgh on Christmas.

The Bills now have a tiebreaker advantage over the Chiefs. With a victory, so will the Steelers, should the teams finish with the same record.

What would be lost by not having a No. 1 seed? For starters, a week of rest for the first playoff round. Only the top seed receives a bye.

Also, only the No. 1 seed gets home games in the playoffs until the Super Bowl. Yes, the Chiefs won at Buffalo and Baltimore on the way to last year’s Super Bowl title, but the easier journey would be through GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

“The undefeated thing was cool, but that’s not our ultimate goal,” said Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who tossed three touchdown passes but couldn’t rally the Chiefs in the end.

The odds remain with the Chiefs today. According to playoffstatus.com, they’re still the favorite to win the Super Bowl, at 22%. The Chiefs and Detroit Lions each have a conference-leading 39% chance of reaching the title game, and KC’s 62% chance of winning the conference tops the NFL.

The Chiefs’ remaining schedule isn’t a walkover. Besides the Steelers, they meet another division leader in the Houston Texans.

Two other opponents, the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, entered the weekend in playoff position, were the season to end today.

But the Chiefs sounded confident they’ll get the most from Sunday’s loss. Guard Trey Smith was adamant about their response.

“Any great team is going to respond one way,” Smith said. “Put their damn head down and go straight back to work. You get punched in the mouth. Everything’s not going to go your way.

“You just get right back to work. You don’t freak out. You don’t deviate from the plan. You go straight back to work and execute at a high level. I expect this team to do that.”