Given the presence and adaptability of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs somehow always feel inevitable. Whether he’s dinking and dunking or throwing down the field, that adaptability is one of Mahomes’ super powers, and it’s especially noticeable as his wide receiver room is getting healthy. 

We all know where this is going, right? Mahomes is the rising tide that lifts the rest of his teammates, and according to NFL columnist Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, “it’s only a matter of time before the Chiefs are back atop the conference.”

There are stats aplenty to support this statement, and Volin supplied a few. The most basic one is that the Chiefs have won four of their last five, and they also have the second-best point differential in the AFC at +62, which ranks behind only the Indianapolis Colts, who lead the conference at +92. 

Others were more subtle. The offense has committed just two turnovers in seven games, and Mahomes is averaging a sneaky-good eight yards per pass attempt. Add in the physical presence of receiver Rashee Rice, who scored a pair of touchdowns, and the Chiefs offense is starting to look scary again. 

The Chiefs defense is nothing to sneeze at, either. They dropped the ball some in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars with their sloppy play, but Mahomes’ ongoing brilliance makes it easy to forget how well they played against both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Detroit Lions. 

Within the AFC, several noteworthy developments have made the Chiefs feel even more inevitable. The Baltimore Ravens have become a train wreck, to the point where even the return of quarterback Lamar Jackson might not be enough to help them sneak into the playoffs. 

Throw in the sudden struggles of the Buffalo Bills, and it’s starting to feel like the pecking order in the AFC we’ve all gotten used to in the last few years might be shifting, at least for this year. 

Finally, there’s the AFC teams that have replaced them. A couple of weeks ago it looked like the Denver Broncos were capable of challenging the Chiefs in the AFC West, but that crazy 33-32 win over the New York Giants on Sunday exposed some issues that showed that the Broncos might not be ready for prime time just yet. 

Same with the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots. Both teams have become the new media darlings in the last couple of weeks, but it’s way too early to know what these teams really are. They certainly shouldn’t scare the Chiefs given Kansas City’s experience edge, and it’s starting to feel like a matter of a few weeks before the Chiefs are back in their accustomed perch at the top of the AFC.