The Kansas City Chiefs seem to be the best story in the NFL. Last Monday night when they were upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars to fall to 2-3, there was chatter their dynasty was in decline. But then they came back Sunday night to beat the Lions, who have injury problems, 30-17. But that wasn’t the end of the story. After the game Patrick Mahomes tried to shake hands with Brian Branch, who ignored him. Then JuJu Smith-Schuster came up to Branch thinking he would shake hands and Branch slapped his helmet, knocked him to the ground and a brawl ensued. Again, the Chiefs were in the news . And Branch was suspended for a game. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are only a game behind a playoff spot in the AFC and get Rashee Rice back from his six game suspension this week so they can’t be counted out as they face the Raiders, Commanders and Bills the next three weeks.
–One reason the Chiefs than can rebound is that the AFC Race is wide open. The Bills, who won their first four, lost their second straight to Atlanta Monday night to fall to 4-2. The surprising Colts, who beat the Cardinals, 31-27, are 5-1 while the Steelers, who posted their usual home win against the Browns, 23-9, are 4-1. The Colts and Steelers lead their divisions while the Bills are tied with the Patriots but the Patriots have the tie break since they Beat the Bills. And Denver and the Chargers are tied for the AFC West lead at 4-2. Denver edged the winless Jets, 13-11, and the Chargers beat the Dolphins, 29-27, when Justin Herbert threw a 42 yard pass in the final minute to set up the game wining field goal. Coach Jim Harbaugh said he will never forget that throw. The other two 4-2 teams are the Jaguars, who lost to the Seahawks, 20-12, and the Patriots, who beat the Saints, 25-19. So seven teams have two or one losses and are the current seven playoff teams. But the 3-3 Chiefs and 2-3 Texans are within striking distance. But it is probably over for the 0-6 Jets and the 1-5 Ravens, 1-5 Browns, 1-5 Dolphins and 1-5 Titans. Only four teams since 1933 made the playoffs after a 1-5 start, and none of them won a playoff game. The Titans even fired their coach, Brian Callahan, as he became the first to be dismissed this year.
–In the NFC, the Bucs have the best record at 5-1 and the Packers have the second best at 3-1-1 as they both lead their divisions. The Bucs beat the 49ers 30-19 and the Packers beat the Bengals 27-18. Every other team in the conference has two losses so race is wide open but the 4-2 49ers lost Fred Warner for the season after previously looking Nick Bosa and it will be difficult for them to overcome the loss of both of them.
–The most puzzling team is Philadelphia. The defending champions won their first four games even though they weren’t at the top of their game but now have lost two including a 34-17 loss to the Giants Thursday night. Now the question is whether they can find their mojo from last year. But the Eagles still lead their division at 4-2 because the Commanders were upset by the Bears, who won by a field goal on the final play Monday night. The Commanders fell to 3-3 with the loss, while the Bears have won three in a row after losing the first year under new coach Ben Johnson.
–The Jets remained the only winless team as they lost to the Broncos when coach Aaron Glenn went for it on fourth and eight at the end instead of trying a 62-yard goal. And his decision to dump Aaron Rodgers, who is 4-1 in Pittsburgh, and sign Justin Fields isn’t working out.
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