The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Dallas Cowboys by a final score of 19-9 on Sunday, extending their winning streak to four games as they head into the bye week.
It was far from a pretty win, as the Chiefs' offense sputtered after coming out of the gates seemingly on fire. The team's defense, on the other hand, was stellar throughout the night and had perhaps its most impressive performance of the year — right after a Week 10 contest that previously held that honor. While head coach Andy Reid's team is on a bit of a roll, he knows there's a lot more football left to play this season and upsets can happen at any time.
"It's what the league strives for — parity in this league — and I think they've done a great job with that," Reid said. "Every town, every city has an opportunity to win football games. That's a great thing, and we're no different. We've just got to keep our nose to it and bear down as we go. Take each game as it comes. We haven't proven anything yet. You can talk about all of it after the season. Go find an island and go lay around and tell everybody about it but right now... not so much."
Over their last six games, the Chiefs' defense has surrendered an average of just 14.5 points per game. For a unit that began the year as quite literally one of the worst statistical groups ever, that level of improvement is unprecedented. It's taken a lot of hard work and dedication, along with some soul-searching. The same can be said for the Chiefs' offense, which is still inconsistent but is showing signs of figuring things out and becoming a reliable force again down the stretch. Reid knows nothing comes easy in the NFL, and his team is rolling with the punches.
"They've had to work for this," Reid said. "I think when you have to really work for something and bear down, I think you enjoy it a little bit more and you're not resting on what happened before. You've earned this right here, with the little knot in the stomach and the ups and downs. You earn every one of these, and I think that's where we're at right now."
After the relatively late bye week, the Chiefs will square off against the Denver Broncos in an important AFC West matchup. Given where Kansas City was earlier in the season, last place, the team's turnaround has been impressive to watch. That applies to everyone, including Reid, his coaches and his players. With that said, no one on the team is getting too excited about winning a few regular-season games in a row.
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