Not since the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals (of Sam Wyche and Bob Trumpy fame) has a team that started 1-5 made the postseason, but the Kansas City Chiefs have summoned the spirit of their baseball bretheren and made a breathtaking run to the playoffs by winning their ninth straight game. Combined with their hard-fought 17-13 win over the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers losing to the lowly Baltimore Ravens, the Chiefs are in the playoffs. They still can do more — the AFC West is still up for grabs if the Denver Broncos falter. None of this makes sense by October thinking, when we saw the Chiefs cough away Week 2 against the Broncos, get gutted by the Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals, lose a bizarre heartbreaker at home to the Chicago Bears and do the same on the road to the Minnesota Vikings. That got the Chiefs to 1-5, and had it not been for the Kansas City Royals World Series afterglow, the town might have shown up at Arrowhead Stadium with pitchforks and Andy Reid the target before the Week 7 game against the Steelers. But that game — a post-Jamaal Charles 23-13 defensive gem of a win — kickstarted a historic run that seems to have flown below the collective awareness of most of the country. Folks, forget how they'redoing this, including by needing late-game heroics and luck against the Browns. The Chiefs are something to behold. Yes, Johnny Manziel ran for 108 frustrating yards and had the Browns in striking distance as the clock ticked down, evoking memories of the escsape job against the San Diego Chargers a few weeks ago. But celebrate the fact that this team has overcome injury and odds to overcome a major hole to become the team no one is talking about despite their league-best current win streak (with the Carolina Panthers' ending at 14; the Arizona Cardinals can tie them at nine). Five straight losses. Then nine wins. What's next? Jeremy Maclin had another big game, and rookie cornerback Marcus Peters made perhaps the play of the game, with an interception following a fluky Chiefs INT gave the Browns decent field position. That's the way they're winning games: with timely plays and mental toughness, style points be damned. They're in, and they have more to prove. The doubters will scoff at the way they beat the Chargers and Browns, and many will pick the Chiefs to be first-round exits in the playoffs as they've been every years since — gulp — 1993. But there's something fascinating about a team that has done what the Chiefs have done, and until further notice we have to assume they're doing something right. - - - - - - - Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
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