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<\/p>\nThe Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up for their first game of the playoffs in the 2024 NFL season when they host the Houston Texans on Saturday.<\/p>\n
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With a full week off, Kansas City has been able to rest and re-set before a run to try for a possible third straight Super Bowl title.<\/p>\n
After a season of some struggle in the connection between Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, the duo are now preparing to shine on the stage they’re the brightest: the playoffs.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the media after a practice, Mahomes said that the presence of Kelce has been a boost to the rest of the Chiefs and they’re all locked in on the same mindset.<\/p>\n
‘I think it just inspired the team, and I think he kind of has the heart of a champion,’ Mahomes said proudly.<\/p>\n
‘I think that inspires everybody, and so when your leaders and your Hall of Fame guys are doing that, I mean, I think everybody knows that they gotta put it all on the line.’<\/p>\n
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Despite the strong 15-2 record that the Chiefs put up this season, neither Mahomes nor Kelce were particularly dominant like they have been in the past.<\/p>\n
Last season, despite the rough campaign, Mahomes still managed to throw for over 4,000 yards and earned a Pro Bowl nod.<\/p>\n
This year was the first time in Mahomes’ career as a starter that he failed to surpass 4,000 yards in a season. He also missed out on a Pro Bowl selection for the first time since he was named the Chiefs starter in 2018.<\/p>\n
Similar to Mahomes, Kelce had a slow start to the season. The 35-year-old finished with only 823 receiving yards – the lowest of his career, barring his rookie season. The three touchdowns he caught this year are also the least he’s ever had.<\/p>\n
Another sign of these struggles is that the Chiefs were one of three teams that failed to score more than 30 points in a game this year. The other two teams were two of the worst franchises in the NFL: the New England Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders, which both finished with 4-13 records.<\/p>\n
Of KC’s 15 wins this season, ten of them finished within one score – including five games with a margin of victory of three points or less.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the Chiefs have earned themselves the top seed in the AFC and have home field advantage through the playoffs.<\/p>\n
If they win at home this week, they’ll advance to their seventh straight AFC Championship game. That’s one shy of the all-time record, held by the dynasty era Patriots from 2011-2018.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up for their first game of the playoffs in the 2024 NFL season when they host the Houston Texans on Saturday…. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25938,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n