Why Chiefs Believe They ‘Got the Players We Need’

“We got banged up on the offensive line and this and that,” Travis Kelce said on Wednesday’s edition of New Heights, “but at the same time, man, we got the players that we need. Even if it's the next man, next-man-up mentality, we still got the guys that can get the job done. Man, we just have to keep (expletive) figuring it out. This one was a tough one, though.”

Three conference losses most difficult to swallow

Tough indeed. Sunday’s 28-21 loss at Buffalo dropped Kansas City to 5-4 overall and, potentially more troublesome, 2-3 in the conference. That AFC record, a critical tiebreak for wild-card teams, is the primary reason the Chiefs are currently on the outside of the playoff picture. That’s why the Chiefs are thinking solely about a huge game in Denver on Nov. 16.

“I mean, we got to get there first,” Patrick Mahomes said after Sunday’s game, asked about a potential return to Buffalo in the playoffs. “We got a lot of good teams in our division, and they're playing really good football, and we're down there at third place right now. And so, we got to get back and get ourselves right. You know, we got to play better football.

“And right off the bye, we’re playing Denver. And so that'll be a huge game for us. And so, how can we respond with this bye week, getting ourselves better and self-scouting ourselves so that we can be better and go up against a tough division opponent?”

Kelce agreed, saying his focus is squarely on the Broncos. But at the same time, he reiterated that he believes in the Chiefs’ current roster.

“I feel good about it because I know the character that we have in the room,” Kelce said. “I know the guys that we have in there are going to come back recharged and ready to rock and roll. And I can't say that I'm not frustrated, more from the entire start of the season than just this Bills game. I mean, there's games that I don't think we had any business losing.

“I feel like we didn't come out with our best punch against Buffalo. And yeah, we got to find a way to clean all that up, man, we got to get back to playing passionate Chiefs football, dying for each other out there on the field, man, and whatever that takes during the week to get yourself ready on Sundays.”

Broncos get mini-bye

The Broncos (7-2) will be well rested to host the Chiefs on Nov. 16. That’s because they host the Raiders on Thursday Night Football (7:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Kansas City will have 13 days of rest prior to that Week 11 showdown, while Denver will have nine.

And following that game? Kansas City gets Sauce Gardner and the 7-2 Colts at Arrowhead Stadium.

“We gotta get this sh** going, man,” Kelce said. “And the schedule doesn't get much easier. Our next three opponents are absolutely on fire, two of which are the Broncos, who we have coming up after the bye, and then the Colts after that. So, we got to get things rolling, man.”

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