Last February, the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl, the second in franchise history and the first in just 50 years. Patrick Mahomes, their brilliant quarterback, in just three seasons, has already won everything: Super Bowl, NFL MVP (in 2018) and Super Final MVP.
And, this season, after 12 regular season games, the Chiefs are as impressive as ever. They have 11 wins, against a single loss, against the Las Vegas Raiders in October (32-40), the best record in the NFL, shared with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It has certainly been over a month now that Kansas City has not corrected an opponent (35-9 against the New York Jets, November 1). His last four wins – over Carolina (33-31), Las Vegas (35-31), Tampa Bay (27-24) and Denver (22-16) – have been tight, with different scenarios.
Mahomes, NFL’s top passer
The Chiefs’ defense stopped the Raiders and Broncos late in the game. For its part, the attack controlled the last minutes of the meeting against the Buccaneers. The attempt to field goal of the Panthers was much too long (67 yards). Kansas City never stops winning and, statistically, a discipline in its own right in American football, the Chiefs are impressive.
The Kansas City offense is now No. 1 in the NFL, in terms of yards gained (average 427.6 per game, the Los Angeles Rams, 2nd, are at 396.6). Patrick Mahomes is the current best passer in the Championship, with 3,815 yards. He has already thrown 31 touchdowns, five more than the previous season. And only two defenders were able to intercept his passes.
Travis Kelce (1,114 yards) and Tyreek Hill (1,079 yards, 13 TD’s), his two favorite receivers, feast.
Edwards-Helaire assisted in ground play
Compared to last season, the Chiefs have also found a better running back. In 2019, Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy each gained less than 500 yards. This year, the rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire totals so far 692 yards.
From his first game in the NFL, he attacked very hard, gaining 138 yards against Houston. Then Edwards-Helaire signed his best performance on October 19 against Buffalo (26-17) with 161 yards. But since that match, he has been more discreet, apart from the two touchdowns scored against the Raiders on November 22.
Kansas City’s defense is, like last season, rather average in terms of the number of yards conceded (358.2 per game, 17th of the season) and more effective in terms of points conceded (21, 2, sixth).
Beautiful duel in sight against the defense of Miami
The Chiefs can always count on Tyrann Mathieu, the strong safety, author of 43 tackles and five interceptions, and Chris Jones, the defensive tackle, credited with 5.5 sacks and two fumbles strengths. They can also appreciate the work of Daniel Sorensen, the free safety, who did not start last season. He has already stopped 55 opposing players, managed three interceptions and caused two fumbles.
The Miami Dolphins that the Kansas City Chiefs face Sunday (7 p.m., live on L’Équipe) will be a particularly interesting opponent for the defending champions. Firstly because they are having a good season (eight wins in 12 matches, second in their division) with the young quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (22).
But also because the Dolphins have an excellent defense, the second in the NFL on average points conceded, whereas, the year before, it was the worst in this area. It promises a good confrontation with the fiery attack of the Chiefs.
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