At the height of their powers, the New England Patriots never got bored with success. Time and again, the duo of head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady would quickly hit re-set at the end of one season and prepare for another title chase in the following year.
And neutral fans across the NFL hated them for their continued success.
I now see similarities between the Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs, who are chasing a third straight Super Bowl crown in 2024. The Chiefs were once the good guys in the NFL movie, ending New England’s period of dominance with the bright, new star in quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But now that they have become perenially-dominant themselves, it feels like the NFL public is falling out of love with them.
The Chiefs are far from perfect and Mahomes takes far too many hits behind a struggling offensive line, but you have to admire the way this team continually gets the job done. Saturday’s 27-19 win over the Houston Texans improved Kansas City’s record to 14-1 and if they can beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day, they will clinch the number one seed in the AFC and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
In other words, it will be business as usual.
As happened so often during Brady’s reign in New England, it was an inspirational quarterback performance that powered the Chiefs on Saturday. Playing through a high ankle sprain, Patrick Mahomes demonstrated remarkable resilience as he threw for 260 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for a score.
Mahomes showed great poise under pressure and his ability to convert crucial third downs into first downs was instrumental in keeping the offense moving throughout this game between two division champions.
On defense, Kansas City tackled well and twice intercepted C.J. Stroud in what was another very solid display on that side of the ball. Steve Spagnuolo’s unit are just so well-coached, they rarely give up a cheap play and they can always be relied upon in big spots.
The same can be said for this entire team. It can quite often be a challenge, but Andy Reid’s men find a way. The victory over Houston took the Chiefs’ record in one-score games to 11-0 on the season. And dating back to last year, Kansas City have now won their last 16 contests in games decided by a single score.
Their coaching is always on point, Mahomes wins in the big moments and the defense is reliable and opportunistic. We can pick apart various aspects of their game, but name me a team that doesn’t have some areas of concern at this stage of the season?
The great Bill Parcells once said that you are what your record says you are. And that means the Chiefs remain a formidable foe and one that could yet appear in a third straight Super Bowl in February.
You can hate them for that, if you wish. It might be more prudent to applaud their resilience, determination and ability to win week after week, month after month and season after season.
Who’s Hot…
Baltimore’s stars… The Ravens booked their place in the AFC playoffs with Saturday’s 34-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers and their biggest stars led the way. Lamar Jackson went into the game with a 1-4 record against Pittsburgh and he had lost four straight. But, after a slow start, the highest-rated quarterback in the league was in imperious form for much of this key AFC North clash as he threw for 207 yards and three touchdowns. The only blot on Lamar’s copybook was a fourth quarter interception, but he was bailed out by a Baltimore pick six just moments later. Saturday also proved to be a big night for Derrick Henry, as he broke through 11,000 career rushing yards as he gained 162 yards on the ground. The Ravens have five losses to their name this season, which should suggest that they may get bounced quickly in the AFC playoffs. But when Jackson and Henry are in this kind of form, I can easily picture them standing under the confetti in New Orleans as the newly-crowned champions of the NFL. Only time will tell which version of the Ravens shows up in January and, possibly, February.
Jayden Daniels… Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was sensational in Sunday’s 36-33 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. And it was the way Daniels handled the big stage that was most impressive as he threw for 258 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winner to Jamison Crowder with six seconds remaining. That winning play came at the end of a clutch drive where Daniels rarely looked stressed by the situation. There is apparently no situation too big for the young quarterback and he frustrated the league’s leading defense time and again, whether it was with his arm or his legs. Daniels also rushed for 81 yards in a game that showcased every skill that has energised an entire team and city in Washington. Poise coupled with a lively arm and electric legs. The kid is special and that’s why Washington has 10 wins on the year and appear to be heading to the NFC playoffs.
Sam Darnold… The Minnesota Vikings maintained their charge to the NFC’s number one seed with a dramatic 27-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. And it was Sam Darnold who won the battle of former New York Jets quarterbacks who have resurrected their careers in pastures new. Darnold threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns, with the game-winner to Justin Jefferson covering 39 yards with 3:51 remaining. What was so impressive about that strike was the fact that Darnold had been held in check for most of the second half and he had injured his ankle and got up hobbling after being pressured just moments earlier. Geno Smith had some big moments with three touchdown passes, but this night belonged to Darnold; who has now thrown 32 touchdown strikes and delivered 13 wins in a career year. Few would have seen that coming in the summer!
Who’s Not…
Russell Wilson… While he had some nice moments against the Ravens on Saturday night, the bar is set high for a Super Bowl-winning quarterback like Russell Wilson and we cannot ignore his two errors that proved to be the difference between Pittsburgh and Baltimore in Week 16. In the first half, at the end of a scramble downfield, Wilson bafflingly decided not to slide to set up a first and goal. He dived for an extra inch or two and got hammered; coughing up a ball that was recovered by Baltimore’s Kyle Van Noy at his own four-yard line. The Ravens drove 96 yards to a touchdown of their own, capping the scoring drive with Jackson’s inch-perfect strike to Rashod Bateman. A 14-point swing. And in the fourth quarter, moments after Minkah Fitzpatrick had intercepted Jackson, Wilson couldn’t get the ball to the outside in the flat and Marlon Humphrey took the errant pass 37 yards to the house for a decisive two-touchdown lead with just over 13 minutes on the clock. In a game decided by 17 points, Wilson took seven away from his own team and gifted 14 to the Ravens with those critical turnovers. And now the Steelers have lost back-to-back games with the Chiefs up next.
The New York Giants… The Giants fell to a 34-7 defeat against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16 and it means that Brian Daboll’s team has now lost 10 games in a row. This is the 100th season in franchise history and the Giants have never endured such a run of losses. That is not a statistical milestone anyone will be proud of in the Big Apple. Drew Lock was the latest Giants quarterback to fail in a big way as he threw a pair of pick-six touchdowns to Jessie Bates and Matthew Judon. The Giants are about to embark on an offseason of change at some very key positions.
Devonta Smith… The aforementioned Jayden Daniels magic likely doesn’t happen if Philadelphia wide receiver Devonta Smith doesn’t drop a crucial third down pass from Kenny Pickett – subbing for the concussed Jalen Hurts – with just over two minutes remaining. Smith was wide open with a chance to eat some serious time off the clock with a fresh set of downs. What was so frustrating was the fact that he spilled the football trying to turn upfield and pick up extra yardage. It was not necessary. Where the ball first hit Smith in the hands would have been good enough for the first down and, most likely, good enough for a win that would have delivered the NFC East title. Instead, the Eagles took a 33-28 lead on Jake Elliott’s field goal but all that did was set the stage for Daniels to steal the game. The late brilliance of Washington’s rookie simply rubbed salt into Smith’s wounds.
The Fast Five…
- A harsher critic might suggest that C.J. Stroud lost his head after seeing his teammate Tank Dell go down with a gruesome leg injury on a third quarter touchdown catch for the Houston Texans in Kansas City. I can’t do that. It was just heartbreaking to see how emotional Stroud – who was in floods of tears - was after seeing his friend hurt so badly. Did Stroud’s response impact the outcome of the game? Possibly. But it was a reminder that he cares deeply about his teammates and he is still a kid himself at the age of 23. I don’t think a young player should be slammed for having an emotional reaction in what was clearly a very difficult time and situation, no matter how much the Texans would have liked him to flip a switch and get back into game mode.
- I’ve seen it all now when it comes to the creativity of the Detroit Lions’ attack. During Sunday’s 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears – which kept Dan Campbell’s men on course for the number one seed in the NFC - quarterback Jared Goff pretended to slip just as running back Jahmyr Gibbs fell to the ground around the same time. Sensing a chance to make a play in Detroit’s backfield, Bears defenders moved towards the line of scrimmage. But Goff rose up and lofted an easy 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sam LaPorta. It was all by design on a play the Lions had called ‘Stumblebum.’ What will offensive coordinator Ben Johnson think of next? He is 100 percent going to be the hottest commodity when head coaches start getting hired in January. For now, he will be a key figure of Detroit are to march to a first Super Bowl appearance.
- The Falcons are back on top of the NFC South following Sunday’s win over the Giants coupled with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers falling to a 26-24 loss in Dallas. And I bet Kirk Cousins was wishing he had received the kind of support that Michael Penix Jr. enjoyed in his first NFL start. The rookie threw for 202 yards and one interception but was helped out by pick six touchdowns from Bates and Judon, as well as a pair of Bijan Robinson scores. If the Falcons can play more complementary football like that, they can maintain their newly-found control on the South.
- Jonathan Taylor was furious with himself after his goal-line fumble against the Denver Broncos last week and rightly so. He dropped the ball in celebration at the end of what would have been a 41-yard scoring run and it might end up costing Indianapolis a playoff spot. But their leading man made amends during Sunday’s 38-30 win over Tennessee. Taylor carried 29 times for 218 yards and three touchdowns, scoring on runs of 65 and 70 yards. It was needed as Anthony Richardson completed just seven passes on the day. The Colts have to find a way to get more out of their young quarterback in his third season in 2025.
- It may be a long shot, but the Cincinnati Bengals are still alive in the AFC playoff race and that knockout competition would be better with Joe Burrow involved, in my opinion. He produced some wonderful moments in Sunday’s 24-6 win over the Cleveland Browns. Burrow’s first touchdown pass of the game (he tossed three) was ridiculous and one of the plays of the season, even though it only resulted in a two-yard score. Burrow was tripped as he climbed the pocket and was fully horizontal and about one centimetre from the floor before he threw the ball into the end zone to Tee Higgins. There are few playing as well as Burrow and on a better team he would totally be in the NFL Most Valuable Player conversation.
Fact of the Week
The Kansas City Chiefs have 14 wins with 30 or fewer points scored in 2024. That is the most in the NFL. Saturday’s win over Houston saw the Chiefs break a tie with the 1925 Frankford Yellow Jackets, who had 13 such victories.
Final Thought…
It’s not over until it’s over. That should be the message delivered in every locker room and to every player who is going through a bad moment. Games can turn in a hurry and go down to the wire. We know this because it happens every single weekend across the NFL. But careers can change. Narratives can be ripped up. Sunday alone saw cast-off quarterbacks such as Sam Darnold (Minnesota), Geno Smith (Seattle) and Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay) playing leading roles on massive stages for their respective teams. In the right situation, lost players can become stars. And games that appear to be lost, can still be won; as Jayden Daniels proved by overcoming a late interception to throw a game-winning touchdown pass for the Commanders. One thing that is over for 2024 is this column! Thank you for taking the time to read it and for supporting all that we do to grow the game with NFL UK and on Sky Sports. Enjoy time with your friends and family this festive season and if you are on your own, treat and look after yourself. Merry Christmas and see you all in 2025!