Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs' loss to the Bengals isn't a big deal, Wright says

Published Jan. 4, 2022 4:52 p.m. ET

With just 17 opportunities to make an impression each regular season, games for NFL teams take on a lot of weight every week.

The narrative around a team can, and often does, change depending on their most recent outcome. For the Kansas City Chiefs, who fell 34-31 to the Cincinnati Bengals over the weekend, that meant questions being asked of Patrick Mahomes & Co.

On Tuesday's episode of "First Things First," Nick Wright explained why any qualms about the Chiefs should be slight, at best.

"I think we all agree that had the Chiefs won the game Sunday, the conversation surrounding them would be, obviously: A nine-game winning streak. They'd be the 1-seed. And they have the No. 1 offense in football over the last few months, and the defense's issues wouldn't have been so glaring," Wright said.

Rather than singling out a big performance from Cincy, Wright asked what it took for the Chiefs to lose that game.

"It took, first of all, one of the greatest receiving performances in NFL history, either by a rookie or by anybody [in Ja'Marr Chase]," Wright said. "It then took an incredibly odd confluence of events at the goal line. … The penalties, all of those things, in order for the Bengals to be able to bleed all of the clock. And it took, if you listen to Joe Burrow and not me, some really fortunate officiating errors."

The loss to Cincinnati could wind up costing the Chiefs the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and the bye week that comes with it, for the playoffs.

Heading into Week 18, the Chiefs need a win against the Denver Broncos on Saturday to have a shot at reclaiming the top spot. Even then, K.C. would need a helping hand from the 4-12 Houston Texans, who face the top-seeded Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

But if the Bengals, who hold the 3-seed at the moment, come calling to Arrowhead Stadium come playoff time, Wright said Sunday's loss actually serves as a source of inspiration.

"If we see this matchup again it would be in Arrowhead," Wright said. "I don't think the Chiefs go into that game at all worried. … I think the Chiefs go into the matchup and say, ‘Hey, let’s make sure Chase doesn't go for 270 again, and we should be all right."