LAS VEGAS — The frustration was seen to anybody watching on Christmas Day.
As tight finish Travis Kelce threw his helmet on the sideline, it was clear the Chiefs is perhaps in hassle.
The Raiders beat the Chiefs, 20-14, in that sport.
It was a really un-Chiefslike loss.
The Raiders scored two touchdowns off Chiefs turnovers, together with a Patrick Mahomes interception.
Kansas Metropolis’s report fell to 9-6, and it appeared just like the mighty Chiefs weren’t able to make a playoff run this 12 months.
Suppose once more.
Right here we’re six weeks later, and the Chiefs are making ready to face the 49ers in Sunday’s Tremendous Bowl LVIII.
They’ve gained 5 straight, together with three playoff video games, since that loss on Christmas.
“We responded after that loss. I can level again to that as a second for us,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid stated. “The group got here collectively after that and stepped as much as adversity.”
The Chiefs’ protection has performed effectively all season. However the offense has picked issues up since that Raiders loss.
Although Chiefs gamers are cautious to not get to particular, they did supply up some adjustments that had been made.
Extensive receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling stated they tightened up the receiver rotation.
As a substitute of continually substituting gamers, the Chiefs have stored gamers within the sport even when the play name is just not particular to them.
“We haven’t actually finished something that has schematically modified,” Valdes-Scantling stated. “We’re nonetheless operating plenty of the identical performs that we’ve been operating all 12 months. It’s extra the out and in of personnel. We’ve received a bunch of receivers that may play. When you’ve got seven guys up, everyone needs to play.
“It was simply making an attempt to determine methods to get guys on the sector, hold them on the sector, not need to go in for a play, out for a play. That’s helped us out.”
The Chiefs have gotten higher particular person performances, as effectively.
Working again Isiah Pacheco has rushed for 130, 89, 97 and 68 yards within the 4 video games he performed since then.
He has scored a landing in every of Kansas Metropolis’s three playoff wins.
Rookie receiver Rashee Rice has emerged throughout this run.
He had 5 catches for 127 yards towards the Bengals in Week 17.
He had eight catches for 130 yards and a landing within the playoff win over the Dolphins.
The Chiefs stopped dropping passes, one thing that plagued them for many of the season.
“I feel all of us had to have a look at ourselves within the mirror. I feel our complete group did that,” Mahomes stated. “We carried that momentum within the playoffs. Generally you might want to get your tail whooped to be higher on the opposite facet. So I recognize the Raiders for beating us like that, ’trigger that’s gotten us to this sport.”
Mahomes has raised his sport within the playoffs after what may very well be thought-about a down 12 months for him. He has performed practically mistake-free soccer.
He has no interceptions or fumbles on 112 drop-backs and has taken simply two sacks for 11 yards.
“I feel in that [Raiders] sport you noticed how dominant our protection may very well be,” Mahomes stated. “As an offense, the turnovers, the 14 factors actually price us the sport. Simply realizing when to be aggressive, when to be sensible. Understanding that punting isn’t at all times a nasty factor. You’ll be able to flip the sector.
“It’s one thing we sort of appeared within the mirror and noticed. We’ve executed at the next stage since then.”
The Chiefs are practising on the Raiders’ coaching middle this week.
They’ve a reminder of the sport that modified their season.
“I feel it gave our guys a pleasant little — for [lack of] a greater time period — a wake-up name, that we have to step issues up right here,” Reid stated, “that issues aren’t simply going to fall in our lap. And so, we’re taking everyone’s finest shot, and right here’s a group that went via some adversity, they usually stepped up and had been in a position to current themselves like they did.
“We had been in a position to study from it and transfer on. I felt all alongside, although, we had the power to do this. We simply, like I stated, we wanted a little bit kick within the tail there.”