Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are not used to finding themselves in this position.
The Chiefs came out of the first five games of their schedule with a 2-3 record. They are still only one game out of first place in the AFC West behind the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers, but their home game Sunday night against the red-hot Detroit Lions (4-1) could prove crucial.
“It’s extremely important. There’s no way around it,” Mahomes said. “This is a very good football team that we’re going to face. They play extremely hard and they have a mentality that they’re going to come in and win a football game, so we have to match that intensity. We have to match that mentality and know that it’s going to take our best football from everyone – offense, defense and special teams – and we have to go out there and prove it on Sunday.”
So far, the Chiefs have proven to be very vulnerable, especially on defense. They couldn’t stop the Jacksonville Jaguars from going down the field and scoring on Trevor Lawrence’s scrimmage with 23 seconds left in a 31-28 loss Monday.
Star defensive lineman Chris Jones was criticized in the media for not shoving Lawrence, who stumbled after a Jaguars lineman stepped on his foot before heading straight for the end zone.
“You can’t think this guy is down. You can’t think that,” Kansas City coach Andy Reid said. “Just play the part, and (Jones) knows it, I mean, he’s been in this thing a long time. That’s really what it comes down to.”
What matters this Sunday is that the Chiefs will have to slow down a Lions team that has won four straight games since losing its opener to the Green Bay Packers.
“Well deserved too,” Reid said of the Lions’ winning streak. “They play good football, good solid defense (and) steal. They’ve been very efficient offensively, in terms of scoring and execution. They haven’t had as many self-inflicted injuries as other teams, so you know they’re not going backwards.”
As usual, Lions coach Dan Campbell is excited for the challenge of facing the defending AFC champions.
“We have our work cut out for us at Arrowhead. Great environment. Sunday night against a champion,” he said. “He’s a tough opponent. These guys know how to win. And so, man, we’re looking forward to it. It’s another one of those ‘This is why you do it, this is why you’re in it.’ Man, we love this stuff.”
Campbell also loves his offensive execution. The Lions have accumulated 161 points during their streak, including a 37-24 victory at Cincinnati on Sunday.
Quarterback Jared Goff has already thrown for an NFL-high 12 touchdowns.
In their most consistent visit of the season to Kansas City, in 2023, the Lions earned a 21-20 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion.
“I thought it was huge,” Goff said. “And certainly, because they had just won the Super Bowl and we had just missed the playoffs that season 9-8. And now we hope teams feel that way about us and we still have to prove ourselves every week.”
Detroit suffered an injury against the Bengals, with cornerback Terrion Arnold out indefinitely with a shoulder issue. Linebacker Zach Cunningham (hamstring), defensive lineman Alim McNeill (knee) and running back Sione Vaki (groin) are also out for Sunday’s game. Tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder), safeties Brian Branch (ankle) and Kerby Joseph (knee), cornerback Avonte Maddox (hamstring), offensive lineman Giovanni Manu (knee) and receiver Kalif Raymond (neck) are questionable.
Top receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (wrist) did not attend Wednesday’s practice, but worked out fully the rest of the week and will play Sunday.
The Chiefs had no significant injuries to report after Friday’s practice, and no players were listed as out, questionable or questionable.
–Field level media
