Chiefs continue to be the best NFL team no one talks about

The New England Patriots are the top team in the AFC. This isn’t a surprise. It’s expected. But the second team in the AFC is less known — and oh yeah, they have the same record 7-2 record as the Patriots. So why doesn’t anyone ever talk about the Kansas City Chiefs?

Even within the AFC West, the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos get plenty of press, while the Chiefs go unnoticed, despite being on top of the division. And the only reason the Chiefs trail the Patriots in the AFC is because New England has a slightly better conference record at 6-1. Kansas City is just one game behind them at 5-2.

The Chiefs don’t just have an impressive record this season, either. They have gone 19-2 in their last 21 games. Kansas City started the 2015 season with a win over the Houston Texans, and then proceeded to drop five consecutive games. Nobody thought the Chiefs would turn that season around, but they won 10 straight to finish the year 11-5, becoming the only team since 1990 to lock up a playoff bid after a 1-5 start.

The Chiefs even went on to shut out the Texans 30-0 in the wild card round for Kansas City’s first playoff victory in two decades, before falling in divisional play to the Patriots.

The Chiefs have found success, last season and so far in 2016. Still, they are perhaps the most overlooked team in the NFL right now, and there are a few possible reasons for that.

Jamaal Charles is a fun player to watch — when healthy. But the Chiefs placed him on injured reserve with a knee injury for the second time in two seasons. He recently had his second arthroscopic knee surgery this season, so he’s almost certainly sidelined for the year. Beyond Charles, the Chiefs just don’t have big names on offense.

Jeremy Maclin was good last season, but injuries have limited the wide receiver thus far in 2016, and diminishing Maclin’s impact hasn’t made the offense more dynamic. Spencer Ware doesn’t have Charles’ name recognition (or accomplishments), and while Tyreek Hill has playmaking potential, Alex Smith isn’t looking his way often. Hill has been on the receiving end of just 41 of Smith’s 271 attempts so far this season.

Smith is part of the reason the Chiefs are so under the radar. Smith is efficient and doesn’t make many mistakes, but he also doesn’t often facilitate breathtaking plays.

This is due in part to the absence of Charles, who can help open up the passing game with his production on the ground. It doesn’t help that the Chiefs have scant receiving targets, either. Tight end Travis Kelce is Smith’s most reliable target, and he’s averaging just 51.8 yards per game.

Smith is 36-18 during his time in Kansas City and he is a fine quarterback, but his style of play doesn’t make for many NFL highlights, no matter how good the Chiefs’ record is.

When you think about the Chiefs head coach, you may think of poor clock management. It’s something Reid has developed a reputation for, dating back to his tenure as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid has a tendency to make questionable decisions in close games that result in losses.

Reid is 38-19 in Kansas City, which is respectable, but he’s 1-2 in the playoffs. That record would almost certainly be better if Reid were capable of more effective clock management.

In many ways, Reid is the coaching version of Smith. He’s a good football coach, but he only ever earns headlines when he screws up.

Since 1993, when the Chiefs got all the way to the AFC Championship Game, Kansas City has made the postseason in eight different seasons and have just one win in that timeframe.

The Chiefs’ record in primetime games is another blow to Kansas City’s credibility as a postseason contender. The Chiefs are 10-18 in night games since 2004, and 3-8 in primetime since Alex Smith joined the team.

Kansas City is also a smaller market, and while the team has a loyal local fan base, it’s not a fan population that’s spread out nationally. The Chiefs’ recent postseason history in particular hinders the team’s ability to attract fans throughout the country.

Defense is said to win championships, and in the case of Kansas City, the defense is responsible for keeping the Chiefs in games sufficiently for the offense to pull off wins. Occasionally, the defense does something really entertaining, too.

Just last week against the Carolina Panthers, safety Eric Berry pulled off one of the most impressive interceptions of the season in the Chiefs’ comeback victory.

In the same game, not only did Marcus Peters force a game-saving takeaway, he even gave himself an impromptu audition for the Chiefs’ backup punter role.

The defense has also had some lapses, and they’re not as renowned, or as fierce, as the Broncos’ Super Bowl-winning defense or the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom.

The defense just isn’t quite dominant enough to generate a lot of national interest or investment in the Chiefs.

The Chiefs haven’t exactly faced a murderer’s row of opponents so far this season. The Raiders are the only team they’ve beaten that currently has a winning record, and their two losses were on the embarrassing side — a sluggish 19-12 loss to the Texans and a 43-14 beatdown against the Steelers.

When the Chiefs win, it’s not always smooth sailing, either. In Week 1 against the Chargers and Week 10 against the Panthers, the Chiefs had to storm back from 17-point deficits. Both times, the storylines was less about what they did right and more about how their opponents screwed up.

Whether it’s because people are skeptical about the Chiefs’ ability to make any noise in the postseason or Kansas City just lacks high-profile players, this is the most low-key 7-2 team the NFL has seen in a while.

The Chiefs still have a chance to get everyone to notice them, though. After facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they have three straight games against quality opponents -- the Broncos, Falcons, and the Raiders. The two AFC West matchups get the primetime spotlight, too. If they keep winning, the Chiefs will force the rest of the NFL to pay attention.