Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce brought back down to Earth: They say the Kansas City Chiefs make the difference, not them

The Kansas City Chiefs are going for their third Super Bowl in as many seasons, and their fourth since 2019, but it will not be Patrick Mahomes or Travis Kelce that gets them over the line, according to an NFL analyst, as he says their true strength is in their defense.

The current champions won a series of big games through the postseason as Coach Andy Reid’s tactics came to fruition once again, including victories over the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens but according to Michael Lombardi, if it wasn’t for their defensive instincts, they likely wouldn’t have made it.

The Chiefs had one of their worst regular seasons for years on years as their offense found it unable to catch the ball, with the exception of Rashee Rice, meaning that Mahomes’ attempts to force plays and action didn’t come to nothing with repeated fumbles or extra risks taken, resulting in over-thrown passes.

Yet through this period, their defense remained tight and always kept the Chiefs in their games. It was a key part of why they managed to win the AFC West ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders with an 11-6 record and by three games.

“Everybody focuses on Mahomes and Kelce,” Lombardi told VSiN. “Of course, they are great but what made their team so good was their defense. Remember this is the team that only threw the ball three times for over 300 yards all year three times. They only scored over 30 points one time.

“It was however a defense that gave up the fewest big plays of any team in the league. It was a defense that was in the top five in scoring defense. So, are they going to be as good defensively without some other key players on their team? I think it’s going to be the reason can they win.”

As we get deeper into the year, football fever begins to creep back into US sports fans’ minds once again and now we’re just three months away from Thursday Night Football being back on cable TV.

The NFL returns for the 2024/25 season with a rematch of the AFC Conference Championship game as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens at the Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, September 5.

The game is currently scheduled to start at 20:20 ET/17:20 PT.