The Kansas City Chiefs were in control of the AFC’s No. 1 seed throughout the 2024 season.

Despite having a monumental goal ahead of them after winning the last two Super Bowls and three of the last five, they have rattled off nine straight wins to start the season and are 13-1 with three games remaining.

While the Chiefs often looked like a juggernaut poised to become the first NFL team to ever score three goals, they also proved vulnerable at times, displaying weaknesses that could derail their chance to make history.

The team particularly struggled against the Buffalo Bills in a potential preview of the AFC Championship Game, as it managed only 259 yards of offense and committed two turnovers while Buffalo was able to score two goals in the final frame of the game.

Since that single loss, the Chiefs recorded three wins by a field goal or less before finally pulling out a resounding 21-7 victory over the struggling Cleveland Browns.

But despite the Chiefs gaining a victory margin of more than one point for the first time since Week 7, their bid to secure the No. 1 seed suffered a major setback. After Patrick Mahomes limped off the court midway through the fourth quarter and failed to contain Cleveland, there are now serious concerns that he will miss some crucial matchups down the stretch.

According to ESPN’s Adam Teicher, Mahomes said it’s “hard to say” whether he will be available for Kansas City’s game against the Houston Texans in Week 16. The game is scheduled to take place on Saturday, giving the signal-caller one less day than usual to recover.

Head coach Andy Reid announced that the signal-caller’s ankle was not broken and said the team will “see how he does in the future” when it comes to a timetable for a return.

Assuming Mahomes is only out for one game, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Chiefs fail against Houston with backup Carson Wentz under center. A loss there and in one of the two finals against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos will likely cost Kansas City a much-needed bye and deal a major blow to its hopes of going three-peat.