After the Chiefs beat the Seahawks last weekend, a lot of people looked at their upcoming schedule and jumped to the conclusion that their Week 13 game against the Broncos would be played with the lead in the AFC West on the line.
The Chiefs were playing the Raiders and there wasn’t much chance that they’d be putting an end to their 16-game losing streak, which would leave the Chiefs with eight wins and a chance to move ahead of a Broncos team that’s looked out of sorts for the last few weeks. Things didn’t worked out that way, of course, as the Raiders won 24-20 on Thursday night. The Chiefs will now need help from the Dolphins to enter next week with the same record as Denver and the Chargers could have the same 7-4 record if they hold off the Rams this Sunday.
Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali said after the game that looking ahead wasn’t the reason why the Chiefs lost. It wasn’t the quick turnaround after the win over Seattle or a rainy night on the road, either.
“You can sit here and make excuses,” Hali said, via ESPN.com. “But they played better than us and wanted it more than we wanted it. Yes, it was draining, but this is the type of business we’re in. You have to turn it around and muster the same type of energy.”
The Chiefs have five games left, which means plenty of chances to make this loss a distant memory come the end of the regular season. If they can’t take advantage, that lack of energy on Thursday night will be a big part of the downfall of their playoff chances.