The first triumphant locker room in 41 days is somewhere between happy and a party. They have been zombies these last six weeks, slowly walking from locker to shower to locker, the occasional quick exchange breaking up the silence of another disappointment. For a while, it was easy to wonder if they’d ever feel like this again.
The NFL is a weekly referendum on your worth, and for the first time since October, the Chiefs feel like they can smile.
They beat the Raiders 26-15 at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, an encouraging if incomplete win that — despite the failures and crisis of recent weeks — puts the Chiefs in position to effectively win the AFC West and a corresponding home playoff game with a win against the Chargers on Saturday.