5 Things We Learned About the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round

Ball Security Remains an Issue

All's well that ends well, but Kansas City almost shot themselves in the foot. Marching with a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, Mecole Hardman was within yards of the goal line. However, a Bills defender punched the ball out before Hardman was down, with the ball floating out of the end zone. Buffalo didn't capitalize on the turnover but maintained a concerning trend. KC has a hard time protecting the football. The Chiefs ended the campaign with the fifth-worst turnover differential in the NFL. Worse, they have turned the ball over in both playoff games, albeit with neither coming back to haunt them. Those are issues that better teams will make them pay for, and the best of the best is all that is left.

Isiah Pacheco is the Future

Kelce's departure is not imminent, but the Chiefs have an elite talent waiting to take up his centerpiece mantle whenever he decides to ride off into the sunset. Isiah Pacheco continues to show us that he's one of the best young running backs in the league.  Pacheco was sensational at Highmark Stadium. The second-year pro blasted off for 97 yards on 15 carries for a resounding 6.5 yards per carry. Factoring in his 14 receiving yards, Pacheco surpassed 100 scrimmage yards, a benchmark he's eclipsed in three of his past five outings. There will be no shortage of big plays, with Pacheco carrying this team into the AFC Championship Game as +3.5 underdogs.

The Chiefs Defense is Beatable

Andy Reid deserves credit for improving his team's defensive standing. The Chiefs allow 18.4 points per game this season, a significant improvement over the 22.2 they allowed in 2022. Predictably, there was also a decrease in yards allowed, dropping from 332.7 to 292.5. But as we saw in the Divisional Round, the Chiefs struggled to contain Josh Allen, and they face an even more mobile threat in Lamar Jackson in next week's battle. The Bills laid out the blueprint, and John Harbaugh has more skilled players to work with. As usual, Jackson will be the offensive catalyst, and the Chiefs don't have the defensive capacity to limit him.

The NFL Prioritizes Chiefs-Friendly Calls

This will ruffle some feathers, but there were two concrete instances of Sunday's officiating crew prioritizing team-friendly calls for the Chiefs.  First, Mahomes had the Chiefs on the edge of plus-territory late in the game. Buffalo had forced the Chiefs into a third and long when Andy Reid called a short crossing play. Dorian Williams seemingly contacted Rashee Rice before the pass was thrown, which wouldn't have been a foul. However, a late flag came in after the Chiefs failed to convert, bringing the officiating crew together to discuss the call for several minutes. Ultimately, they elected to call pass interference, bleeding crucial time off the clock and giving Kansas City yards they weren't entitled to.  Subsequently, the Bills were moving down the field on the ensuing drive. Josh Allen stepped in and was met with resistance after a few yards, and the play was blown dead. Mike Pennel came in after the whistle had gone, dump-trucking Allen to the ground. No flag was in sight. It was another instance of a Chiefs-friendly call, but you can't help but think that Mahomes would have got a free 15 yards out of the same play. 

Ball Security Remains an Issue

All's well that ends well, but Kansas City almost shot themselves in the foot. Marching with a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, Mecole Hardman was within yards of the goal line. However, a Bills defender punched the ball out before Hardman was down, with the ball floating out of the end zone. Buffalo didn't capitalize on the turnover but maintained a concerning trend. KC has a hard time protecting the football. The Chiefs ended the campaign with the fifth-worst turnover differential in the NFL. Worse, they have turned the ball over in both playoff games, albeit with neither coming back to haunt them. Those are issues that better teams will make them pay for, and the best of the best is all that is left.