The Kansas City Chiefs once again fell short against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. This perennial contender is now sitting at .500 with just five games remaining, and there are growing murmurings about whether head coach Andy Reid's squad will even make the playoffs after a subpar campaign by their typically elite standards.
They are not out of the fight yet. The margin for error is now razor-thin, but the Chiefs cannot be counted out. And with quarterback Patrick Mahomes under center, they'll remain feared until further notice.
Mike Greenberg still believes the Chiefs will make the playoffs this season
While some of the Chiefs' mystique has gone, they cannot be underestimated. This sentiment was echoed by Mike Greenberg of ESPN, who expressed confidence that Kansas City would still make the postseason when it's all said and done.
"I still think the Chiefs will make the playoffs. Mini bye comes at a perfect time for them. Then they get cracks at the teams they need to catch. May have to win out but if I had to bet I’d say they get in."
Mike Greenberg
It's easy to be pessimistic. Chiefs fans are more accustomed to Kansas City challenging for the AFC's No. 1 seed at this point, not having their playoff hopes hanging by a thread. Everything might be doom and gloom right now, but there is still all to play for at the business end of the campaign.
As Greenberg stated, a mini-bye will help enormously. It gives the Chiefs a couple of extra days off to refresh, refocus, and find solutions to their problems. Three of the team's final five regular-season contests are against rivals also vying for AFC playoff spots. Two of them reside within their division, so a massive effort is needed to secure a coveted place in the knockout rounds.
It's also worth remembering that the Chiefs have extensive experience in high-stakes situations. That cannot be said of others. There are weak links and more frailties around this squad than at any stage over the last few years, but anyone taking this team lightly down the stretch is going to pay a heavy price.
The resolve, desire, and unrelenting determination remain. Reid will be demanding nothing less than supreme execution moving forward. And if they can pick up two priceless victories against the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers over the next fortnight on home soil, their outlook becomes a lot more promising.
Whether they can accomplish this is another matter. But the Chiefs cannot be dismissed entirely by any stretch of the imagination.