At this point in last year’s NFL postseason, there was a lot of intrigue swirling in the league, and very little of it surrounded the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. In the wake of the wild card weekend, the New England Patriots had been beaten at home in the playoffs, an almost unthinkable outcome, by the Tennessee Titans, and the big news was that Tom Brady’s career in New England was likely over (and that turned out to be true). The New Orleans Saints had had their postseason cut short, losing at home in the wild card round to Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings. Patrick Mahomes had yet to play in a postseason game last year at this point, but he was about to go on a three-game tear to lead his team to victory in Super Bowl LIV. Now, there is almost a bit of weariness as fans wonder if anyone will stop the Chiefs from repeating.
As you consider your NFL betting for the NFL playoffs, can anyone stop the Chiefs?
NFL News: Can Patrick Mahomes Win the Super Bowl Again?
The short answer, of course, is yes. The last team that repeated as Super Bowl champs was the New England Patriots, who won Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX by a combined total of six points over Carolina and Philadelphia, respectively. It’s hard to repeat as Super Bowl champions, simply because you have to win three games in a row against the league’s elite teams. Even if you get two of those games at home, as Kansas City will as the AFC’s top seed, those are hard games to win.
In the case of the Chiefs, they make life harder for themselves with the way they start games. Against Houston in last year’s divisional playoff, they fell behind, 24-0, in the early going, thanks to sloppy ball security and bad penalties. However, they then went on a 51-7 run to win, 51-31, and become the first team ever to trail a playoff game by at least ten points and then come back to win by at least 20. The next week, in the AFC Championship against Tennessee, they found themselves trailing 10-0 and then 17-7. However, the Chiefs then went on a 28-0 tear to win, 35-24. The Super Bowl was no different, as the Chiefs entered the fourth quarter, down 20-10, and then the Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points, including a touchdown to cap a seven-play, 65-yard drive to go up 24-20, and then the Chiefs got another touchdown in garbage time to seal the win.
In their last seven wins of the 2020 regular season, the Chiefs’ combined margin of victory was 26 points. Some of those nailbiters came against contenders, such as the Saints and the Buccaneers, but others came against the likes of the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers. Eventually, the Chiefs won’t be able to flip a switch and win late.
That time could come against the Cleveland Browns. There are some games when the Browns come out and look confused, but those games are few and far between this season (and seem to happen against the Ravens most frequently). In some games, the Browns come out playing elite football and just stack up the points quickly. They did this against Dallas and Tennessee during the regular season and then against Pittsburgh in the wild card game. Baker Mayfield has increased in his composure and confidence, and his throws down the field bear that out. He will have Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio back in front of him against the Chiefs.
If the Chiefs get by Cleveland (and they definitely should — they should be able to shred the Cleveland secondary all day long), then they would meet the winner of Buffalo-Baltimore. Both of these teams are likely hungrier than the Chiefs, and the Bills’ offense has been scoring even more prolifically than the Chiefs’ has. The Ravens have gotten on a roll coming into the playoffs, but you have to wonder how long they can keep up the adrenaline-pumping physicality that they used to bludgeon the Titans’ offense last week. Hunger can take teams a long way, though, and these Ravens have been stewing since their 14-2 2019 came to a crashing halt at home against Tennessee in last year’s divisional round.
So, the answer is No, Patrick Mahomes doesn’t have to repeat. However, he has the arm and the offensive weapons around him to do it all the same.
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