After their win against the New Orleans Saints, the Kansas City Chiefs have become the second team to go 5-0. The other team being the Minnesota Vikings, not that anyone could have called it, but more on that later. This latest win was the first one that we could really call a comfortable win, at 26-13. At no point did they allow the Saints to take the lead, and when they did come close to matching them in the 4th quarter, Mahomes’ boys wasted no time establishing an even more dominant lead, closing the game with twice as many points as their opponents.

Of course, you’d understand players getting a bit excited in that context. Patrick Mahomes himself has admitted that he hasn’t been happy with his team’s offense right from the start. Though they’ve managed to win every game so far, some of them were close. And they really shouldn’t have been, but their strong defense has saved their hide so far. Pumped up in the heat of the moment at the end of a rushing attempt, Mahomes made an unclear gesture in celebration, pointing both index fingers with elbows bent. The celebration attracted no censure on the NFL’s part.

This has raised some eyebrows, since it certainly looked like a “violent gesture,” the likes of which has drawn fines and penalties for other players. As recently as yesterday, in fact. Darius Slayton, wide receiver for the New York Giants, received an “unsportsmanlike penalty,” costing his team 15-yards. This happened after he made a mock-firing gesture during his team’s game with the Seahawks. Allen Lazard, the Jets’ wide receiver, also received that penalty during last week’s Broncos game, with a $14,069 fine too. Now, you could argue Patrick Mahomes’ gesture wasn’t quite a weapon celebration, given there was no cocking or “firing” as such. But it’s a thin line to tread.

The NFL has gotten more and more stringent on cracking down on weapon related celebrations on-field. The trend has spread to college football too. Patrick Mahomes did seem to hesitate mid-celebration, almost like he caught himself in the middle of messing up. The Kansas City Chiefs in particular should be mindful of such celebrations, given the incident at the celebration parade earlier this year. A mass shooting event claimed the life of one person, injuring 22 others, 11 of them children. If nothing else, fear of fines might curtail them.

Vikings or Chiefs, who’s going to keep the streak running longer?

2020 saw the Kansas City Chiefs go unbeaten for their first 4 games, till the Las Vegas Raiders put an end to that. 5 wins in, the Chiefs seem to have finally gotten into proper rhythm, and they certainly don’t look like a team the Raiders will beat. Not this season, with their wide receiver problems. The next team the Chiefs’ face is the San Francisco 49ers. Now, coming into the season, the 49ers were second favorites to win the Super Bowl, behind the Chiefs. Odd then, that they’re 2-3 down. Assuming Mahomes’ boys beat the 49ers, they’d have to take on the Raiders, and then the Bucs. Now, the Raiders might not pose much of a problem, but the Bucs might finally be the ones to humble the Chiefs. They’re the only team to have beat the Commanders so far, and they humbled the Detroit Lions too.

That’s a game to look out for on the 5th of November. The Minnesota Vikings, however, will have their work cut out for them. They next take on the Detroit Lions, who have been a tough side this season, at 3-1. The moral advantage the Vikings bring into that game will be pretty strong, though. If they do manage a win there, though, it’s the Rams next, who’ve had an atrocious year, at 1-4. And then the Colts, who had a bit of a mid-season peak against the Steelers before losing to the Jaguars, of all teams. If they can manage that, then they can hold out on the 3rd of November.

The Chiefs definitely feel like they’re more likely to keep that streak going, both the quality of opponents and the recent wind in their sails point that way. It remains to be seen how things turn out, though.