In a season on tempo for a document variety of shut video games, no workforce has been higher at pulling them out late than the two-time defending champion Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs tied an NFL document final week by successful their tenth recreation this season by seven factors or fewer – a feat achieved solely as soon as earlier than by the 1978 Houston Oilers – when Matthew Wright doinked in a 31-yard area purpose on the ultimate play for a 19-17 victory over the Chargers.
Kansas City has gained 3 times on a walk-off area purpose and is the one workforce ever to try this with three kickers. Spencer Shrader kicked a 31-yarder to beat Carolina in Week 12 and Harrison Butker made a 51-yarder to beat Cincinnati in Week 2.
Patrick Mahomes snort on the post-game of the SNF sounds precisely like a cartoon
That is all a part of an ideal 10-0 mark in shut video games for the Chiefs. These are 10 of the 114 video games which have been determined by seven factors or fewer to this point this season, probably the most ever via 14 weeks in NFL historical past, topping the 112 in 2016. The common scoring margin of 10.7 factors per recreation is on tempo to be the fifth-lowest within the Tremendous Bowl period.
The tight wins have helped clinch a ninth straight AFC West title for the Chiefs, extending the second-longest division successful streak in NFL historical past behind the 11 AFC East crowns in a row New England gained from 2009-19.
Kansas Metropolis is the thirty sixth workforce to be 12-1 or higher after 13 video games regardless of outscoring the opposition by solely 56 factors. Solely two different groups gained at the very least 12 of the primary 13 video games with a scoring margin of lower than 100: the 1976 Raiders (plus-89) and 1990 49ers (plus-98).
Kansas Metropolis has thrived in these conditions since Mahomes took over as quarterback beginning in 2018. The Chiefs are 51-19 within the common season and playoffs with Mahomes at quarterback in video games determined by fewer than seven factors, the very best mark ever among the many 131 QBs with at the very least 40 begins in shut video games.
The opposite groups thriving in shut video games this season are Philadelphia and Minnesota, who’re every 7-1, and the Detroit Lions, who’ve gained six of seven.
The Giants have been the worst workforce in video games determined by seven factors or fewer with a 1-7 document, with the Jets, Jaguars and Bengals all having misplaced seven out of 9 shut video games.
Superior Allen
Josh Allen delivered one other first in what is popping right into a signature season.
Per week after turning into the primary quarterback credited with a passing, dashing and receiving landing in the identical recreation thanks partially to a statistical quirk, Allen put collectively an much more prolific effort in Buffalo’s 44-42 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Allen turned the primary participant to have three TD passes and three TD runs in a regular-season recreation as he produced 424 yards to go together with these scores. The one different participant to tug off that model of a “double triple” was Cleveland’s Otto Graham within the 1954 NFL title recreation in opposition to Detroit.
But in some way, the Payments did not win. Buffalo turned the second workforce in NFL historical past to attain at the very least 42 factors, commit no turnovers and lose, becoming a member of the Browns, who did it in a 47-42 loss to the Chargers in 2021. In all, groups had been 315-1 within the Tremendous Bowl period with these stats earlier than Buffalo’s loss.
The sport was the second with at the very least 5 mixed TD passes, 5 mixed TD runs and no turnovers. Kansas Metropolis and Denver did it Dec. 19, 1965, in a 45-35 win for the Chiefs.
The 86 mixed factors for the Payments and Rams have been probably the most in a recreation that featured no turnovers.
Grounded Jets
Even a wholesome season from Aaron Rodgers could not finish the New York Jets’ playoff drought.
New York was eradicated from the playoffs for a 14th straight season after shedding 32-26 to Miami in time beyond regulation, extending the longest lively postseason drought within the NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB. The Buffalo Sabres of the NHL have missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons.
The Jets final made the postseason within the 2010 season once they went to their second straight AFC title recreation below coach Rex Ryan and quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Since then, New York has gone via 5 head coaches and 15 beginning quarterbacks with out getting again to the playoffs. The 144 losses for the Jets in that span are the third-most within the NFL.
Solely 4 NFL groups for the reason that 1970 merger have gone longer with out making the playoffs, with the Browns (17 straight, 2003-19), Payments (17, 2000-16) and Saints (17, 1970-86) having the longest droughts. The Cardinals missed the playoffs for 15 straight seasons from 1983-97.
The Jets have misplaced 5 instances this season after main within the fourth quarter. The one workforce within the final 5 seasons with extra blown fourth-quarter leads was the 2022 Raiders with six.
One-sided
The primary half of San Francisco’s win over Chicago in interim coach Thomas Brown’s debut for the Bears was about as one-sided as they arrive.
The 49ers had 319 yards of offense for the largest output by any workforce in a primary half this season, whereas the 4 yards for the Bears have been the fewest by any workforce this 12 months as San Francisco led 24-0 on the break.
The 305-yard differential was the ninth-biggest since 1991 because the Bears generated just one first down within the first half and had minus-3 yards passing due to 4 sacks for 37 yards.
Chicago did not get the interim coach bump many do, as groups had been 13-11 of their first recreation with an interim coach the previous 10 seasons in comparison with a .284 successful share for these groups coming into the sport.
The Niners gained 38-13, with the 25-point loss probably the most lopsided for an interim coach in his debut since Denver’s Eric Studesville misplaced 43-13 to Arizona in 2010 in his first recreation after changing Josh McDaniels.
