The Kansas City Chiefs repeated a regular-season setback in Week 9. Their loss against the Buffalo Bills marked the 5th time Bills quarterback Josh Allen tormented Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes & Co. in a contest. But the 28-21 loss hit star tight end Travis Kelce much harder than the scoreboard or the stat sheet. It brought him a painful reality check and a plan of action for the week ahead.

“It’s the bye week, so I’m kinda looking at everything,” Travis said on the New Heights podcast. “I’ve taken a step back and kinda looked at the whole scheme of things. It’s frustrating. 5 and 4, a little over .500 right now, out of the playoffs if the playoffs started right now. We have to get this sh*t going, man.” 

Is it going to be that easy? The Chiefs were on a roll. They went to Buffalo in the hopes of building on their win streak. Kelce tried, completing 4 catches for 66 yards. But Mahomes posted a career-low completion rate of 44.1%, unable to throw a single touchdown. If the playoffs began today, as Kelce summed it up, they’d have no chance.

This mid-season slump is reminiscent of the 2021 Chiefs, who started a sluggish 3-4 before finding their rhythm and reaching the AFC Championship. They went 42-36 against the Bills and went on to play the Bengals in the conference round. That history provides a sliver of hope that this team, too, can engineer a turnaround.

The Chiefs are determined to utilize their bye week and come back stronger in Week 11. For Travis Kelce, that means sitting in front of a film screen, going through data, and searching for answers. The bye is a chance for a reset, but with the matchups ahead, they might have their work cut out for them.

“The schedule doesn’t get much easier,” Kelce admits. “Our next three opponents are absolutely on fire. Two of which are the Broncos we have coming up after the bye and the Colts after that. So, we gotta get things rolling.”

Both the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts have a 7-2 record after Week 9. While the Chiefs falter, these two teams are proving to be top contenders in the AFC. But this fight for relevance is becoming an uphill climb for another reason: a battered and bruised roster.

Can the Chiefs find their spark against the odds?

Week 9 saw Patrick Mahomes trying hard to spark the offense, but failing spectacularly. While Mahomes got sacked thrice, the only two touchdowns for the Chiefs came from the ground game of running back Kareem Hunt, and the other was by wide receiver Rashee Rice. Injuries to the O-line and the secondary only made things easier for the Bills.

The Chiefs lost offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor to an ankle injury in the game. Fellow OT Josh Simmons was also ruled ‘Out’ with something personal. Running back Isiah Pacheco is still week-to-week with an MCL sprain and didn’t play in Week 9. Even Travis Kelce had an injury scare against the Bills before the half. However, he did return to try to spark the offense. But beyond this, the Chiefs also have a whopping seven names on the IR in the secondary. 

All this is a cause of concern for Kelce, but he’s still hopeful.

“We got banged up on the offensive line and this and that. But at the same time, we got the players that we need. Even if it’s the next-man-up mentality, we still got the guys that get the job done. We just have to keep figuring it out.”

With the bye, the Chiefs now have a chance for a reset. Beyond that, November holds three tough games. Their playoff chances, team morale, and the dynasty hang in the balance. Can they bring back their trademark fire? Just like Travis and the rest, we’ll find out.