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LAS VEGAS — The frustration was seen to anybody watching on Christmas Day.
As tight finish Travis Kelce threw his helmet on the sideline, it was clear the Chiefs could be in hassle.
The Raiders beat the Chiefs, 20-14, in that sport.
It was a really un-Chiefslike loss.
The Raiders scored two touchdowns off Chiefs turnovers, together with a Patrick Mahomes interception.
Kansas Metropolis’s document fell to 9-6, and it seemed just like the mighty Chiefs weren’t able to make a playoff run this yr.
Suppose once more.
Right here we’re six weeks later, and the Chiefs are getting ready to face the 49ers in Sunday’s Tremendous Bowl LVIII.
They’ve received 5 straight, together with three playoff video games, since that loss on Christmas.
“We responded after that loss. I can level again to that as a second for us,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid mentioned. “The staff got here collectively after that and stepped as much as adversity.”
The Chiefs’ protection has performed properly all season. However the offense has picked issues up since that Raiders loss.
Although Chiefs gamers are cautious to not get to particular, they did supply up some modifications that have been made.
Extensive receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling mentioned they tightened up the receiver rotation.
As an alternative of continually substituting gamers, the Chiefs have stored gamers within the sport even when the play name shouldn’t be particular to them.
“We haven’t actually accomplished something that has schematically modified,” Valdes-Scantling mentioned. “We’re nonetheless working a number of the identical performs that we’ve been working all yr. It’s extra the out and in of personnel. We’ve received a bunch of receivers that may play. When you have seven guys up, all people desires to play.
“It was simply attempting to determine methods to get guys on the sphere, preserve them on the sphere, not must go in for a play, out for a play. That’s helped us out.”
The Chiefs have gotten higher particular person performances, as properly.
Working again Isiah Pacheco has rushed for 130, 89, 97 and 68 yards within the 4 video games he performed since then.
He has scored a landing in every of Kansas Metropolis’s three playoff wins.
Rookie receiver Rashee Rice has emerged throughout this run.
He had 5 catches for 127 yards towards the Bengals in Week 17.
He had eight catches for 130 yards and a landing within the playoff win over the Dolphins.
The Chiefs stopped dropping passes, one thing that plagued them for a lot of the season.
“I feel all of us had to take a look at ourselves within the mirror. I feel our complete staff did that,” Mahomes mentioned. “We carried that momentum within the playoffs. Typically it is advisable get your tail whooped to be higher on the opposite facet. So I respect the Raiders for beating us like that, ’trigger that’s gotten us to this sport.”
Mahomes has raised his sport within the playoffs after what could possibly be thought of a down yr for him. He has performed practically mistake-free soccer.
He has no interceptions or fumbles on 112 drop-backs and has taken simply two sacks for 11 yards.
“I feel in that [Raiders] sport you noticed how dominant our protection could possibly be,” Mahomes mentioned. “As an offense, the turnovers, the 14 factors actually value us the sport. Simply figuring out when to be aggressive, when to be sensible. Understanding that punting isn’t all the time a nasty factor. You possibly can flip the sphere.
“It’s one thing we sort of seemed within the mirror and noticed. We’ve executed at the next degree since then.”
The Chiefs are training on the Raiders’ coaching middle this week.
They’ve a reminder of the sport that modified their season.
“I feel it gave our guys a pleasant little — for [lack of] a greater time period — a wake-up name, that we have to step issues up right here,” Reid mentioned, “that issues aren’t simply going to fall in our lap. And so, we’re taking all people’s finest shot, and right here’s a staff that went by means of some adversity, they usually stepped up and have been in a position to current themselves like they did.
“We have been in a position to study from it and transfer on. I felt all alongside, although, we had the flexibility to do this. We simply, like I mentioned, we would have liked a little bit kick within the tail there.”
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