It was a win for the Chiefs that gave them plenty of areas to deal with. But the first and foremost was protecting their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. Against the Raiders, he was sacked 5 times. It happened in the week 12 matchup against the Panthers as well. But on Black Friday, head coach Andy Reid sacked the left tackle Wanya Morris to safeguard his headman.

The LT was disappointed with benching and said after the game, “I’ve got to be better in certain situations and just overall. I know I’m better than that, and I can perform better than that. So, I apologize to my teammates.” That’s the camaraderie in the locker room. Players understand their role and so does the HC Andy Reid. But he also showed that things are working at all levels of the team.

Even when they decided to bench Morris in the 4th quarter, the coach talked to his offensive line Andy Heck. Both Andy’s agreed, and they replaced the LT with guard Joe Thuney. It improved things a little for them on the gridiron as they won and became the 1st team to qualify for the playoffs. But there were times when Patrick Mahomes was in danger like in the 4th quarter, when Maxx Crosby sacked him.

“Wanya was struggling a little bit. I moved Joe over there and put Caliendo in at guard. I talked to Andy about it, and he agreed with it,” said the HC while talking about that moment in the game. Now that they will play playoffs, the Chiefs have to work on their O-line. It’s their 4th game of the season which they won with 3 points difference or less. It doesn’t include the week 10 overtime 30-24 win against the Buccaneers.

However, the quarterback is not fazed by it. The trust in the team runs high in the locker room.

Patrick Mahomes expresses belief in his coach and teammates

Even if the win is by 1 point, it is a win. And they have worked hard and sweated for it. Winning 11 out of 12 games wouldn’t have been possible without the coach and the players coming together.

Patrick Mahomes also reflected pride in his teammates and said, “Whoever’s out there – I trust those guys to go out there and make it happen.” That’s what makes them a force to reckon with. But the praise didn’t stop there. Reflecting his trust in his coach he added, “The coaches made a move, and I felt the guys went in there and did a good job. I’ve got to trust it.” That’s lovely.

The strategies are working for them. Even if the margin of victories has been thin and they had last-minute wins, they are on the top of their division. The job is half done. They are through and have to work on the remaining games. Chiefdom is pumped up.