KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- All six of the AFC's undefeated teams ventured away from home turf Sunday in pursuit of keeping their shiny records intact. Five of them -- the Ravens, Steelers, Dolphins, Broncos and Raiders -- failed.
The Kansas City Chiefs were the only ones to successfully handle their business, winning against the Chargers in Los Angeles to leave themselves as the last AFC team standing with a 3-0 record.
This guarantees the Chiefs nothing, of course. They've been the AFC's last undefeated team before, as recently as 2013. That year, their 9-0 start crumbled quickly, with the Chiefs losing five of their last seven games in the regular season and then, as a wild-card team, wasting a huge second-half lead in a playoff loss to the Colts.
This year's team has a different look, like one built with staying power. Against the Chargers, quarterback Alex Smith continued to build on what so far is his best season by throwing two touchdown passes. In Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, Smith has a trio of threats that he could only dream of in 2013. Back then, he worked with Jamaal Charles, but his best wide receiver was Dwayne Bowe and his best tight end Sean McGrath.
Defensively, it's more difficult to get a read on this year's Chiefs. Their run defense has been shabby, and until the game in Los Angeles, the Chiefs had been allowing more points than a legitimate Super Bowl-contending team should. The Chiefs haven't put together a complete game yet, but the second half against the Chargers might be the start of something good.
Overall, every other AFC team would trade with the Chiefs -- not just for their record but for how they achieved it. The Chiefs have a point differential of plus-36, which is second in the AFC to -- believe it or not --Jacksonville. The 2-1 Jaguars are at plus-38 and look especially good in this category because of Sunday's 44-7 win over Baltimore.
The Chiefs don't have any 37-point wins. Nor are they winning squeakers. Sure, they trailed in the fourth quarter against the Patriots, were tied in the fourth quarter against the Eagles and held a seemingly precarious 7-point lead for most of the fourth quarter against the Chargers. But they finished with a flourish each time. They scored 21 points in the fourth period against New England and 14 in the final quarter against Philadelphia. In L.A., they survived because of a suffocating defense in the fourth quarter, until Hunt's long touchdown run gave them a comfortable margin.
That's the mark of a team with something good going.
Their schedule will prevent the Chiefs from starting 9-0 this year. They have winnable games the next two weeks, against Washington at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night and against the Texans in Houston the following Sunday night.
After that lurks a sausage-grinder of a two-game stretch that brings the Steelers to Arrowhead followed by a Thursday night meeting with the Raiders in Oakland.
Whether they're undefeated or not, don't be surprised if the Chiefs wind up with the AFC's best record. They've showed the ability, unlike the AFC's other top teams, to handle whatever comes their way.