Upside down AFC West? Kansas City Chiefs stand as division's lone 0-1 squad; Now what?

The thought of the Kansas City Chiefs sitting alone at the very bottom of the AFC West is almost unimaginable. And yet, after Sunday's slate of contests came to an end, that's the reality Andy Reid's squad found themselves in.

Alright, let's be real–we're talking about Week 1. No team league-wide has taken part in more than one [regular season] contest up to this point, and at this very moment, there are still clubs waiting to play their first contest of the year.

All the same, losing isn't something the Kansas City Chiefs are used to doing; especially in Week 1.

Sure, the Chiefs dropped their first outing of the season back in 2023, but prior to that, Kansas City hadn't begun a campaign 0-1 since 2014. That was back during Andy Reid's second go-around in Missouri.

And if the Chiefs do find themselves on the wrong side of an outcome, the odds aren't great that all three of their division-mates happen to walk away with a victory that week. But that's exactly what happened during this year's opening week as the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders earned wins following Kansas City's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday.

Is it truly the end of an era?

Let's not get ahead of ourselves; the Kansas City Chiefs remain a threat to the AFC West and the rest of the NFL

Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are still among the best in the business at their respective jobs, and that alone will always make this squad problematic. But there are a different set of circumstances this season, ranging from obstacles such as a Rashee Rice suspension and Xavier Worthy injury, and a trio of division-mates that seem to have only gotten better.

Two made the playoffs this past season while the third upgraded both their head coach and quarterback situations, leading to a gutsy road win in Week 1. That's the newfound reality of the AFC West.

For Kansas City to continue their dominance, Reid will need Mahomes to be a minister of magic. A magician who needs to be stopped, as current Miami Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones once noted.

Looking at Mahomes' 'True' QB stats/efficiency, we see that the three-time Super Bowl champion wasn't the master of efficiency we've grown accustomed to seeing. His 40% (2/5) deep ball passing efficiency took away a staple of the Chiefs' offense while his 44.4% (4/9) efficiency on passes outside of the numbers also fell well short of where the 29-year-old wanted to be.

Inside the pocket, Mahomes posted a 'True' passing efficiency percentage of 53.6% (15/28); the lowest among all quarterbacks entering Sunday.

Yet, the magic of Kansas City's quarterback remained on full display.

That's proven true by his perfect 5/5 efficiency when throwing on the run, which ranked first among the four signal callers who took the field on either Thursday or Friday. Mahomes' efficiency outside the pocket also ranked first among those same players, getting the job done on 10-of-12 passing downs when leaving his blockers.

Patrick Mahomes is still a magician. So long as that's the case, the Chiefs simply cannot be overlooked–even with the Broncos, Chargers and Raiders putting winning football on tape.

Something does feel different, however; for the first time in a long while, the battle for the AFC West appears to be much more than an open-and-shut case. Four teams are competing for the division title, and all four teams have given a reason to pay attention to them moving forward after only one week.

'True' QB Stats/Efficiency

What is 'True' QB Stats/Efficiency?

The stat-line referenced in this article is one developed by Suited Football, focusing on putting quarterbacks in a box to accurately assess how efficient each quarterback was on a week-to-week basis.

This stat-line ignores traditional stats and instead records what should've happened based on the quarterback's ball placement and decision making, determining and tallying the true efficiency of a quarterback in various situations.

This stat-line excludes throwaways, screen passes, go-throws at or behind the line of scrimmage, and other things, while correcting crucial drops, dropped interceptions, and various other outcomes.

To see our 'True' QB stats/efficiency and find out all additional information and parameters regarding these stats, click here. Don't worry; your team's quarterback's 'True' Stats are there, too.

Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid; AFC West Kansas City Chiefs

*Photo: Getty Images