"Can Kansas City Defy the Odds and Go Undefeated in 2024? As Mahomes Stumbles, Chiefs Defense Shines in Push for Perfect Season"

With a perfect 6-0 record so far in the 2024 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs are the last undefeated team standing after the Minnesota Vikings were handed a home loss by the Detroit Lions in Week 7. Naturally, conversations around whether the Chiefs can run the table have started swirling.
Each year, when a team gets off to a hot start, the possibility of an undefeated season becomes a topic of discussion. But what sets the Chiefs' run apart this year is how they're winning games.
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First, though it is more of a long shot, an undefeated season should be recognized as a possibility. DraftKings Sportsbook lists the odds of Kansas City going undefeated at +1000, showing that the chances are really slim.
Yet somehow, this seems different for the Chiefs. Rather than settling on the super shoulders of Patrick Mahomes - typically the engine behind the Chiefs' winning machine - Kansas City has instead relied on a defense it's solidified. Mahomes isn't his typical spectacular self even as a two-time NFL MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP.
In fact, through six games, Mahomes ranks just 16th in the league in passing yards (1,389) and has thrown only six touchdowns. On the downside, he's tied for the league-high with eight interceptions. Twice this season, he's failed to throw a touchdown pass and instead logged an interception in those games — an uncharacteristic performance for one of the league's top quarterbacks.

Matters don't really get much better with Mahomes as they are in terms of the offensive line. Star tight end Travis Kelce has yet to record a 100-yard receiving game and hasn't scored a receiving touchdown. The offense, too, has been dealt with injuries to some of their key players, such as wide receiver Rashee Rice and running back Isiah Pacheco, so that, in and of itself makes it pretty remarkable to say Kansas City sits undefeated.
Despite these egregious flops, Kansas City has taken enormous victories against stronger competition such as the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, and even could be classified as somewhat evenly matched in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Perhaps the biggest surprise this year has been how dominant the Chiefs' defense has been, ranking 10th in the league in yards allowed per game (306.2) and fifth in points allowed (17.2). The defense has been rock-solid in pressuring opposing quarterbacks, ranking fourth in pressure rate (29.5%), sixth in total QB pressures (67), all while having played fewer games than some of their competitors.
Could it finally be the season that a team, in this case the Chiefs, led by a defense that is being categorized as one of the top units in the league, instead of using its offense that has always been its standard firepower, wins every game? Nothing would be sweeter than to be favored by 10 points to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8 and come in at 7-0. Then it's just 10 more wins.
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