Chiefs are no longer relishing close wins as the stress of the postseason push begins to mount

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There seemed to be little joy in another last-second win for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Patrick Mahomes looked stoic after fill-in kicker Spencer Shrader's field goal beat Carolina 30-27. Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and the rest of the Chiefs merely joined him in walking from the sideline to midfield for handshakes, then headed back to the locker room, a scene completely different from the jubilation they exhibited at the end of so many other nail-biters.

Might be that they're getting sick of the stress at the end of games; Kansas City has won 12 straight games decided by seven points or fewer, the longest streak in NFL history, and has won five games decided on the final play this season.

Then again, it might be that the Chiefs felt as if they should have beaten the Panthers by a much wider margin.

They committed 10 penalties for 91 yards. Their secondary struggled against Carolina quarterback Bryce Young, a one-time bust who has started to play better of late. And their offensive tackles were routinely beaten with Mahomes sacked five times.

“You always want to have some blowouts. You want to be a little calmer in the fourth quarter,” said Mahomes, who had one of his best games despite the protection problems, throwing for 269 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

“It can be a good thing as you get to the playoffs and later in the season,” Mahomes added, “just knowing you've been in those moments before, and knowing how to kind of attack it play by play — not making it too big of a moment. I will say this more than anybody, I would love to win a game not by the very last play.”

The Chiefs (10-1) nevertheless remained a game ahead of Buffalo in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC heading into Friday's game against the Raiders. But there is no margin for error with the Bills now holding the tiebreaker over them.

“It’s all about getting better. That’s the best thing about playing in the NFL,” Mahomes said. “We’ve got to just go back, learn from (Carolina), and know we have a short week against a hungry football team in the Raiders that’s coming to our house.”

What’s working

The Chiefs' tight ends have taken advantage of deep shell coverages played by opposing defenses by getting open underneath, especially Noah Gray, who had his second straight two-touchdown day against the Panthers. He finished with four catches for a team-best 66 yards, while Kelce was right behind with six catches for 62 yards.

What needs help

The Chiefs have had problems at tackle all season. Wanya Morris struggled again on the left side and veteran Jawaan Taylor was not much better on the right, and they're a big reason why Mahomes has been sacked 15 times over the past four games.

Stock up

Just a few weeks ago, Shrader was on the Jets practice squad, hoping for a chance to kick in another regular-season game. Now, with Harrison Butker on injured reserve, he is making the most of that chance in Kansas City. The undrafted rookie is 3 for 3 on field goals, including that 31-yard game-winner against Carolina, and perfect on six extra-point attempts.

Stock down

Just about everyone in the Kansas City secondary struggled against Carolina, whether it was cornerbacks Nazeeh Johnson and Chamarri Conner or safeties Bryan Cook and Justin Reid. Young shredded them for 263 yards passing and a touchdown.

Injuries

The Chiefs could have running back Isiah Pacheco and pass rusher Charles Omenihu back this week. Both have been practicing the past couple of weeks and were close to playing against Carolina. Pacheco is returning from an ankle injury sustained in Week 2 while Omenihu has not played since tearing his ACL in the playoffs last season.

Key number

5 — Kansas City improved to 5-0 against the NFC this season, making it 26-6 against the AFC's rival conference since Mahomes became the franchise's regular starter for the 2018 season.

Next steps

The Chiefs have won seven of their past eight against Las Vegas heading into Friday's game, though they no doubt remember the Raiders' previous trip to Arrowhead Stadium. Las Vegas pulled the upset on Christmas Day last season.