At the dawn of each NFL season, all 32 teams set their sights on one primary goal: Winning the Super Bowl. Despite previous records and past failures, each team has to believe that a championship is a tangible and realistic end result to each and every season, but the mirage of perfection seems to linger in the background for at least one team every year. After starting their 2013 campaign with nine straight wins, the Kansas City Chiefs were that team this season, but a 27-17 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday night dashed Kansas City’s hopes of becoming the best team in NFL history, which, if you really think about it, is the best thing that could have happened for the 2013 Chiefs.
Sure, a defeat is certainly never celebrated, but this particular loss is really a giant blessing in disguise for the Chiefs regarding their Super Bowl quest this season. Now, that dangling carrot of a perfect season is gone—as are the added distractions, hype, pressure, and expectations—which means the Chiefs can refocus on football on that aforementioned goal of winning a title.
Of course, the Chiefs will never tell you they were relieved to exit Sports Authority Field at Mile High with a loss, but it’s no secret that teams saddled with unblemished records deep into a season often get sick of talking about perfection. Deflecting questions pertaining to the history books and the 1972 Dolphins week after week takes time, energy and the team’s mindset away from winning, but fortunately for the Chiefs, they don’t have to worry about comparing themselves to the greatest teams ever anymore. Now, they can just try to be the best team this season, which is all that really matters.
Then again, we can’t blame the media for obsessing over the elusive perfect season story. It’s interesting, it sparks debate and puts the NFL’s gold standard, the ’72 Phins, back into the spotlight for a short time. However, the teams currently battling for the NFL’s crown know that a perfect regular season record is not required to reach the Promised Land and it certainly doesn’t guarantee a Lombardi Trophy. Just ask the 2007 New England Patriots.
At the same time, the last thing the Chiefs want is to start a losing skid, but if they are a team destined for a deep playoff run, they should be able to learn from their recent loss and finish the regular season on a high note. According to NFL.com, all 31 teams that started at least 7-0 since the Super Bowl era ended up making the postseason (29 of them lost a game at some point), 15 of those squads made it to the Super Bowl and nine won the whole thing. Interestingly, 18 other teams have started a season 9-0 or better, with seven going on to win the Super Bowl. Here’s a look how those 18 teams finished their respective seasons, courtesy of The Kansas City Star:
| Season | Team | Start | Finish | Playoffs | ||||||
| 2006 | Colts | 9-0 | 12-4 | Won Super Bowl | ||||||
| 2009 | Colts | 14-0 | 14-2 | Lost Super Bowl | ||||||
| 2011 | Packers | 13-0 | 15-1 | Lost NFC playoff | ||||||
| 2003 | Chiefs | 9-0 | 13-3 | Lost AFC playoff | ||||||
| 2009 | Saints | 13-0 | 13-3 | Won Super Bowl | ||||||
| 2008 | Titans | 10-0 | 13-3 | Lost AFC playoff | ||||||
| 1990 | Giants | 10-0 | 13-3 | Won Super Bowl | ||||||
| 1973 | Vikings | 9-0 | 12-2 | Lost Super Bowl | ||||||
| 1984 | Dolphins | 11-0 | 14-2 | Lost Super Bowl | ||||||
| 1998 | Broncos | 13-0 | 14-2 | Won Super Bowl | ||||||
| 1969 | LA Rams | 11-0 | 11-3 | Lost NFC championship | ||||||
| 1990 | 49ers | 10-0 | 14-2 | Lost NFC championship | ||||||
| 2005 | Colts | 13-0 | 14-2 | Lost AFC playoff | ||||||
| 1975 | Vikings | 10-0 | 12-2 | Lost NFC playoff | ||||||
| 2007 | Patriots | 16-0 | 16-0 | Lost Super Bowl | ||||||
| 1985 | Bears | 12-0 | 15-1 | Won Super Bowl | ||||||
| 1991 | Washington | 11-0 | 14-2 | Won Super Bowl | ||||||
| 1972 | Dolphins | 14-0 | 14-0 | Won Super Bowl |
So, if history teaches us anything, it’s that despite dropping a game, the Chiefs aren’t in any real trouble. In fact, it’s just the opposite for the Chiefs, who, instead of bemoaning the loss, are looking forward to improving as the season rolls on – like many of the teams in the above chart did.
“We’ll get a handle on it. I’m not worried,” Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson told the AP (via ABC News). “We’re not sitting back shocked like we’re not this team that we thought we were. We’re 9-1 and things are still looking up for the Chiefs.”
While the Chiefs have played in plenty of close games this season, facing the type of adversity they did against Denver should help them grow as they prepare for the postseason. Of course, with a highly anticipated rematch against the Broncos less than two weeks away, the Chiefs will find out how much they have benefited from defeat soon enough.
Only time will tell if the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl bound this season, but with the burden of undefeated expectations lifted and some well-earned big-game experience, they should have a better chance to get to where they want to be. So, the idea of a loss being positive may seem counterintuitive, but it might be the best thing to happen to the Chiefs at this point in the season.
