The Chiefs were dominant on Saturday in their 30-0 demolition of the Texans. But next Saturday may be a different story when they take on the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Chiefs have won 11 in a row, but to win a 12th straight game, they'll have to beat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The Chiefs enter the game as the hottest team in the NFL, but Kansas City coach Andy Reid is trying to keep his team on an even keel.
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"We'll enjoy it (Saturday night), and get right back on it," Reid said of Saturday's win. "There's not a lot of time to relax in a single-elimination tournament, so we've got to keep going."
Reid said he's proud of the way his team rebounded from a 1-5 start, winning 10 straight to close the regular season.
"It's never as good as you think and never as bad as you think," Reid said. "The margin of error is very small in the NFL."
The Chiefs will face a Patriots team hit hard with injuries that lost four of its last six games after starting the season 10-0. The Chiefs come into the game with their own questions concerning their best playmaker in wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who left Saturday's win over the Texans with a knee injury. Reid said Maclin had a strained right knee and would undergo an MRI on Sunday. Maclin said after the game he hopes to play next weekend.
The Chiefs won their first playoff game since Jan. 16, 1994 after losing eight straight postseason games. One of those losses came in 2013 in Reid's first season with the Chiefs. Saturday was Reid's first playoff victory since he led the Eagles to the NFC championship game in 2008.
"You get to the playoffs and lose in the first round, that rips your heart out," Reid said Saturday. "I'm happy for the Hunt family and for the fans of Kansas City."
After celebrating a Royals World Series championship, Kansas City sports fans are living a charmed life, and they hope it continues with the Chiefs through Feb. 7.