DEMARCUS ROBINSON

Evan McPherson kicked a 20-yard field goal as time ran out, and the Cincinnati Bengals earned their first AFC North title and postseason appearance in six years with a wild 34-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chiefs fans wish Demarcus Robinson would move forward.

Another 21 NFL players were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, including Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cornerback Rashad Fenton and tight end Blake Bell.

Turn on the TV or listen to talk radio and just about everyone has an opinion on why Patrick Mahomes is playing so poorly.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 397 yards and engineered three second-half touchdown drives to compensate for a pair of interceptions, leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a 31-13 comeback victory at Washington that got them back to.

The Kansas City Chiefs have never been shy about giving players with questionable backgrounds a second chance.

Justin Herbert’s touchdown toss to Mike Williams with 32 seconds to go lifted the Los Angeles Chargers to a 30-24 victory over the Chiefs.

Now, the Chiefs will have to take a much different tact if they want to make their third consecutive Super Bowl. While their core group is signed for the next several years, the Chiefs have a raft of important contributors that are due to hit free agency. Ad“Like all teams, we'll get busy here going down the road,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday. “Every year is different because of your cap situation and what you have and what you need,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. WELCOME BACKThe Chiefs should get some help from guys that were injured or opted out of this past season.

Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins (14) catches a pass during NFL football practice Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55. (Steve Sanders/Kansas City Chiefs via AP)TAMPA, Fla. – The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will head into the Super Bowl on Sunday relatively healthy. Tampa Bay did not list anybody as out on the final injury report. AdThe Buccaneers listed wide receiver Antonio Brown and tight end Cameron Brate as questionable.

Kansas City and Tampa Bay have several starters, including some notable pass catchers, scheduled to become free agents next month. So the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and Buccaneers will serve as a farewell for several players with their current team. Brown signed a one-year, $1.6 million contract with Tampa in late October and has been a model citizen since. He has 45 receptions for 623 yards and seven touchdowns after signing a one-year, $9 million deal. He turned 34 last month and might be willing to sign another one-year deal to stay in Tampa.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (11) catches a pass ahead of Cleveland Browns cornerback Terrance Mitchell, left, during the second half of an NFL divisional round football game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Kansas City. – The Kansas City Chiefs placed a pair of backups, wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and center Daniel Kilgore, on the COVID-19 list as close contacts Monday as they begin final preparations for the Super Bowl against Tampa Bay. Neither of the players actually tested positive for COVID-19, which means Robinson — a regular contributor — and Kilgore could still play in the Super Bowl. It's an unfortunate thing.”The Chiefs have been largely clear of COVID-19 outbreaks this season, though several players have missed games after testing positive. Ad“Obviously D-Rob is a big part of our offense and hopefully he's out there with us," Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said.

The Kansas City Chiefs won their first NFL title since 1970 when they beat San Francisco in last year's Super Bowl. What we get Sunday is a matchup of dynamic offenses and overlooked defenses, the top two teams in the conference. Kansas City (15-2) has the confidence of a reigning champion and a charisma few NFL teams can match. That could provide an edge over Bills rookie Tyler Bass — except that Bass has been very reliable all season. Buffalo punter Corey Bojorquez and Kansas City rookie Johnny Townsend were two of the most dependable in the AFC.

A lot of different conversations take place at Tyrann's place.”The Super Bowl champs had to find other ways to bond this season, though. With the specter of COVID-19 looming over them each week, the Chiefs were forced to eschew such get-togethers in order to keep the virus at bay. Most of those close relationships were forged last season, when Patrick Mahomes and Co. led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title in five decades. “I told Patrick, ‘Thanks for letting me feel young for one more day,’” Reid said with a droll grin. You end up talking to everybody on the team, not just one or two guys.”Maybe the pandemic has helped the Chiefs to form those bonds after all.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is tackled by Atlanta Falcons Foyesade Oluokun during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Kansas City. The Chiefs had to watch as Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koo missed a tying field-goal attempt with 9 seconds left to escape. The Falcons (4-11) took the lead when Matt Ryan hit Laquon Treadwell for a 5-yard touchdown with 4:33 to go. Kansas City finally took its first lead on Harrison Butker's 53-yard field goal with 14:08 left in the game. The Falcons squandered their first chance to match the points when Brandon Powell coughed up the ball deep in Kansas City territory.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) passes in the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Brett Duke)NEW ORLEANS – Patrick Mahomes' repertoire of side-arm throws, basketball-style push passes, underhanded flips and renowned improvisation humbled yet another highly regarded defense. Mahomes passed for 254 yards and three touchdowns, and the Kansas City Chiefs extended their winning streak to nine games with a 32-29 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Bell's score came one play after Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was flagged for a personal foul and ejected for punching offensive lineman Andrew Wylie. With two timeouts remaining, the Saints kicked deep, but could not prevent Mahomes and Co. from running out the clock.

Wait a minute — those are the plays Patrick Mahomes has been drawing up. For the second time this season, the Chiefs used a play dreamed up by their quarterback in Sunday's win over Tampa Bay. Kelce had Mahomes open, but had his wobbly pass batted into the turf. “It keeps the guys alive,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week. “We're trying to be creative, have fun out there, enjoy it day-in and day-out,” Mahomes said.

– Patrick Mahomes did just about everything for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. On the second, Mahomes claimed to see Hill “a little banged up” and decided to carry him — horse-and-jockey style — back to the Kansas City sideline. While the Jets answered with the first of three first-half field goals, the Chiefs kept scoring touchdowns. Mahomes hit Robinson from 26 yards out for his fourth TD pass, giving Kansas City a 28-9 lead late in the third quarter. Mahomes capped his big day with his second touchdown throw to Hill early in the fourth.

That run includes a come-from-behind 51-31 victory over the Texans in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Texans' Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score, but he also was under relentless pressure and was intercepted once. The elusive Johnson finished it off by scampering 19 yards to the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for a TD later in the quarter to make the final score a bit more respectable. The teams then stood together in a line that stretched from one end zone to the other for a moment of silence before the coin toss.

The two Chiefs wide receivers have traded barbs about their speed ever since Hardman was chosen in the second round of last year's draft. I'm just lucky to have both of them, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said during a break from training camp meetings and workouts this week. I'd rather them just run down the sidelines scoring touchdowns during the game week.All of the Chiefs' wide receivers did plenty of that last year. And the ability of Hardman and Hill in particular to stop on a dime, change directions and immediately accelerate to full speed is uncanny. It's the way I got to the Kansas City Chiefs.It's a big reason why Hardman made it to the Chiefs.