The Kansas City Chiefs have lost several key pieces this season.
Wideouts Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice are out for the season, while Isiah Pacheco needed surgery on a fractured shin.
Patrick Mahomes’ supporting cast has changed a lot this year
But despite the blows, the three-peat train is rolling full steam ahead and the Chiefs are 5-0.
Kareem Hunt returned to the team as a free agent and took over the running back duties from Pacheco as if he never left.
Juju Smith-Schuster has seamlessly slotted in to fill the void left by Rice, who was the Chiefs’ leading receiver before he went down.
NFL analyst Jason Bell thinks Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce can take a lot of the credit – as well as highlighting an area that is often overlooked.
“When you talk about teams and you talk about franchise players, obviously we’re speaking of Patrick Mahomes,” he told talkSPORT’s Jack Savage.
“And this is the result of that. When you pay a guy that much money, it’s supposed to be a situation where he can carry the load.
“Now, we know he needs weapons around him, and it’s all about building the best team and assets around his skill sets.
“But if he has to make it happen, it’s him. And that’s what you see. The continuity of him, Travis Kelce.”
The Chiefs made Creed Humphrey the best-paid center in the NFL with a four-year deal worth $72million in August.
Only the Indianapolis Colts can top Kansas City’s $67m investment in the offensive line this season, per Over the Cap.
Reid is a master tactician
The Chiefs are 5-0 despite not being at their best
And Bell says the stability they provide up front has allowed Andy Reid to overcome the injuries.
“Remember, they invested a lot in this offensive line, and that’s where you hold up in the NFL,” he explained.
“I know all the flashy toys are on the outside, but it’s the big dudes in the middle that make it happen. And they’re holding it together.
“So you bring in people that you understand their skill sets, you plug them in.
“You see in that with Juju Smith-Schuster and with Kareem Hunt.
“They’re playing to their strengths, and they’re able to plug them in, and they fit right into the equation.
“This team is led by their defense, but their offense. with Patrick Mahomes, they always got a chance.”
The Chiefs are in action against the San Francisco 49ers following their Week 6 bye.
Their break will give Reid even more time to prepare for the team he beat to secure back-to-back Super Bowls earlier this year.
Mahomes and Kelce are not even playing his best football right now.
If they click into gear, there might not be anybody capable of preventing another Super Bowl triumph.
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