Patrick Mahomes emphasizes importance of showdown with Broncos as Chiefs fight to get back in playoff picture

There are a few things that feel like guarantees in the NFL. But for the last nine years, the Chiefs winning the AFC West has been one of them. But through the first 10 weeks of this season, Kansas City finds itself in unfamiliar territory.

The Chiefs are in third place in the division -- two games behind the Broncos and a game behind the Chargers. At 5-4, the defending AFC Champions face an uphill battle to claim a 10th straight divisional crown and a home game in the playoffs.

As the Chiefs gear up for a crucial game against the Broncos, quarterback Patrick Mahomes knows how important this and the rest of the divisional games down the line will be.

"That's always our first goal," Mahomes said about winning the AFC West. "It's like the first goal we have that coach Reid puts up, is win the division, and we understand that it's always a challenge and you have to go up against really good football teams that are scouting you all year long. We've been really good at that over these last seven, eight, nine years, whatever it is. We got to continue to get better and better."

The Chiefs have won the division every year Mahomes has been their quarterback. Despite the hill they have to climb, Mahomes still believes that the Chiefs could make it 10 straight.

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"We have a lot of division games in front of us. If we can go out there and handle business and do what I think we can do, we can find a way to win this division. Everything is out in front of us, we just have to go out there with the right mindset," the three-time Super Bowl champion said.

Mahomes emphasized the importance of the Week 11 matchup and while all games are important, defeating the current AFC West leader would not just helped them in the standings, it could also build some momentum.

"I think you understand that this game is important," Mahomes said. "That's the biggest thing, it's a divisional game and they're always important, but with them having the lead and us needing to go out there and win to have a chance to win the division, I think guys understand that."

The Chiefs are not just looking to lessen the gap in their division, they're also looking to get back in the playoff picture. Kansas City was idle last week but lost its last game at the Bills, which snapped a three-game win streak. They currently sit as the No. 8 seed in the AFC and on the outside looking in.

"Obviously, if you lose this game, with them having the tiebreaker and, what would that be, four games ahead of us? It'd be tough to go back and get that one," Mahomes said. "All you can do is just handle this week, that's all you can really worry about. We still play a lot of great football teams, but like I said, I feel like if we play our best, we can beat anybody."

Mahomes believes the Chiefs can "handle business" and "beat anybody" and the betting odds do, too. Kansas City is favored in this weekend's game (-3.5), has the second-best odds to win the division (+165) behind Denver (+120). The Chiefs are also still favored to win the conference (+300) and the Super Bowl (+600), via DraftKings.

Mahomes is an astounding 13-1 against the Broncos in his career, where he has feasted on the defense to the tune of 3,771 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

If the Chiefs don't win the game, they will sit at 5-5, or .500. The last time the Chiefs were at .500 or worse at this point in a season was in 2021 when they started 3–4 before ripping off eight straight wins.