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- NFL Concern for Mahomes and the Chiefs after a sudden injury leaves him unprotected for the opener against the Broncos
With less than a week before the 2026 NFL season begins with a Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, one of the most intriguing questions for the new campaign is how the Kansas City Chiefs will bounce back after missing the postseason for the first time since 2014, enduring a difficult 6-11 record that marked their worst finish since 2012, the year prior to Andy Reid taking over.
While this current roster looks quite different from the squad that reached three consecutive Super Bowls and won two, management executed two massive moves this offseason.
They secured Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, who aims to become the first running back in Patrick Mahomes’ career to cross the 1,000-yard rushing mark, surpassing Isiah Pacheco’s high-water mark of 935 yards set in 2023.
The Chiefs also brought back offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to the sideline, reuniting with the coach under whom Mahomes played his first five professional seasons while collecting two MVP awards and averaging nearly 5,000 passing yards alongside 38 touchdowns annually.
The Patriots, the Chiefs, and a Historic AFC Championship Dominance
Within the AFC landscape, the standard-bearer remains the New England Patriots, who following a brief three-year playoff drought stormed back in dramatic fashion all the way to the Super Bowl before falling decisively to Seattle.
That surprising championship run by New England extended a staggering piece of football history: exactly 15 consecutive seasons featuring either the Patriots or the Chiefs playing in the AFC Championship game, a legendary streak that originated back in 2011.
The only teams to interrupt that dominance prior to the current era were the Pittsburgh Steelers when they defeated the New York Jets during what remains the Jets’ most recent playoff appearance.
Across those 15 years, nine belong to New England with a 6-3 conference title record, highlighted by eight straight appearances from 2011 to 2018, while Kansas City claims seven with a 5-2 mark, famously including their epic 2018 overtime showdown won by Tom Brady and the Patriots 37-31.
Fans won’t have to wait long for fireworks this year, as these two powerhouses square off in Week 15 on a Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium, in a clash that could easily preview January’s postseason bracket.
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