The resurgent Kansas City defense shut down Teddy Bridgewater and the Broncos and the Chiefs beat Denver 22-9 on Sunday night for their fifth straight win.

Harrison Butker hit a pair of fourth-quarter field goals, including the go-ahead 34-yarder with 1:07 left, and the Kansas City Chiefs scrambled their way to a 20-17 comeback win over the New York Giants.

Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu was added to the active roster from the COVID-19 list on Saturday, and the three-time All-Pro was listed as questionable for Kansas City’s regular-season opener against the Cleveland Browns.

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.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers got to the Super Bowl using a similar strategy in the secondary. I feel like the referees are letting you play and they’re going to let you play in the playoffs. In the past three Super Bowls, there has been only one defensive pass interference call, coming against San Francisco’s Tarvarius Moore in the fourth quarter last year. AdPlayers on both teams said they believe there’s a “let them play” attitude from officials at this time of year. It doesn’t necessarily change week to week and you let the officials do their job and do their part."

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.

– It was an easy decision for Daniel Sorensen to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. No fewer than 22 players drafted in the third round or later — or not all — are on the Chiefs roster as they finish their prep work for the Super Bowl. The Chiefs have won consistently for the better part of a decade, with a roster dotted by more stars than there are in the nighttime sky. When injuries popped up on the offensive line, the Chiefs plugged a big hole with Nick Allegretti, a seventh-round pick in 2019. “When they're looking for guys to add to our roster,” Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck said, “they're looking for guys that love football, love to compete.

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.

(AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)Just like so many painful playoff losses in their past, the Browns came up achingly short — inches from a game-swinging play, inches from a last chance. After trailing 19-3, the Browns (12-6) fought back and were in position to maybe end the Super Bowl champions' one-year reign. "There is a finality to this one when you do not get it done in the playoffs, and that really hurts. However, Kansas City's defense dug in and forced the Browns to punt with 4:19 left. As they watched on the sideline, Mayfield and his offensive teammates felt that with one last chance, the Chiefs were finished.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)The AFC title game is returning to a familiar place in Kansas City. The question all week will be whether Patrick Mahomes will be able to play quarterback for the Chiefs. Coach Andy Reid’s gutsy call helped make sure the Chiefs would become the first team to host the AFC championship game for the third straight year. New Orleans (13-4) is hosting Tampa Bay (12-5) later Sunday for the right to visit Green Bay in the NFC title game next week. The win sends Rodgers to his fifth NFC title game as starting quarterback and the first at home since taking over from Brett Favre in 2008.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chad Henne celebrates after a run during the second half of an NFL divisional round football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Kansas City. – The Kansas City Chiefs had lost Patrick Mahomes to a concussion and were in danger of losing the game. With their star quarterback reduced to a spectator, the oft-forgotten bunch opposite Mahomes' high-powered offense forced the Browns to punt in the waning minutes. After the teams swapped field goals, with Butker breaking the Chiefs playoff record with a 50-yarder into the wind, the Browns marched for what could have been a momentum-swinging score heading into halftime. First, the Browns held the Chiefs when Mayfield threw an interception and Butker missed a field goal.

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Rashad Fenton (27) celebrates with teammate Daniel Sorensen (49) after intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)NEW YORK – With nearly all NFL teams already a quarter of the way through the regular season, there are four teams off to a 4-0 start: the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Seattle Seahawks, the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills. And those teams maintained the top four spots in the latest AP Pro32 poll. “Still good enough to beat the Patriots to keep Kansas City unbeaten, and still good enough to complement a very, very good defense.”The Seahawks followed at No. “You could not have overestimated the leap Josh Allen would make in his third NFL season,” said Jenny Vrentas of The Monday Morning Quarterback.