Nov 16, 2014; Kansas City, MO; Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (21) and free safety Husain Abdullah (39) celebrate after a goal-line stand during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Arrowhead Stadium. Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs have won five straight games following Sunday’s 24-20 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Kansas City (7-3) has also won seven of the last eight games after starting the season 0-2.
Last week’s gritty 17-13 win may prove to be the signature win of the season in a game where the Chiefs scored 14 unanswered points in a comeback road win.
But Sunday’s physical win, which included a goal-line stand, against a league power offers a potential statement win that demands attention of the rest of the NFL.
“I definitely would agree,” cornerback Sean Smith said. “One thing about these wins, they get more and more important.”
As to the exact message the Chiefs sent to teams around the league by defeating the Seahawks, who drop to 6-4 on the season, linebacker Josh Mauga said Sunday’s performance should speak for itself.
“We’re a great team,” Mauga said. “We’re going to come out, we’re going to fight every week no matter who it is, so if we can just continue to play our football we’ll be in good shape.”
While the Chiefs prefer not to look around the league, instead concentrating on what happens in their own building, some of the players in the postgame locker room are fully aware of what happened in St. Louis.
“We’re definitely aware of certain situations and our current standing, like the Rams beating Denver, things like that,” Smith said. “We pay attention to it, but that’s not something we can control.”
The Broncos’ 22-7 loss to the Rams means the Chiefs are tied for first place with Denver (7-3) in the AFC West. The Chiefs travel to Oakland to take on the Raider (0-10) in Week 12, and then host the Broncos in Week 13 at Arrowhead Stadium.
But the Chiefs won’t get caught up in the standings despite Sunday’s big win or look too far ahead.
“We got to do what we do and that’s go out there and play good football and try and stack these wins,” Smith said. “Every win from here on out will get more important because of those outside things.”
Wide receiver Junior Hemingway agreed.
“We’re trying to get all the wins we can,” Hemingway said. “That’s how we look at it. We know that with this win, we’re going to get that bullseye on our back. Teams are really going to come with their A-game now when you win games like that.”
Still, it’s difficult to ignore what the Chiefs have done, especially on defense where the unit still hasn’t allowed a 300-yard passer or a rushing touchdown.
And if the Seahawks taught the league anything last season, a strong defense is forever a key ingredient for what the Chiefs are shooting for.
“Our goal is to win the Super Bowl,” outside linebacker Justin Houston said. “These games matter because that’s what we play right now, but we take it one game at a time. Whoever is in front of us, our goal is to try and beat them so we can get to the big dance. That’s what we want to do.”
