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For the fourth time this season, the Chiefs must regroup after a loss of four touchdowns or more.
The latest lopsided debacle, a 34-3 defeat at the hands of the Patriots on Monday Night Football, also meant the team's second three-game losing streak 10 games into the season.
Neither nugget suggests the Chiefs are a legitimate playoff contender, but coach Todd Haley insisted Tuesday that it's too soon to count them out.
"We are in the mode of doing whatever we need to do to try and win games and stay in this race," Haley said, "because we still are in it. We're by no means out of it if we start playing consistently good football down the stretch. Right now, we haven't done that the last three weeks."
The Chiefs (4-6) floundered through the season's first three games, which included a 48-3 beatdown in Detroit on the heels of a 41-7 throttling at home against Buffalo.
The Chiefs bounced back from that wretched start and won four straight games for a share of the AFC West lead.
But that momentum was erased by losses to Miami, Denver and New England.
Still, the Chiefs are only two games behind the Raiders for the division lead with a game in hand after last month's 28-0 win in Oakland.
"We have to continue to try to do everything possible to clean up the mistakes that ultimately cost us," Haley said. "It's not a lot, but it's little things that are making a big difference."
The surging Broncos (5-5) have won four of five games, while the Chargers find themselves tied for last in the division with the Chiefs at 4-6.
Of course, achieving another four-game winning streak won't be easy.
The Chiefs picked off mostly hapless Minnesota and Indianapolis squads before a bye week and the two division wins, but the schedule for the next four games is considerably more difficult.
Each of the Chiefs' remaining opponents is .500 or better, including a brutal stretch beginning at home Sunday night against Pittsburgh followed by road games at Chicago and the Jets before the reigning Super Bowl champion Packers arrive at Arrowhead Stadium.
"We're still in the mix here in a number of different ways, but we have to find a way to fix the things that continually jump up and bite us," Haley said.
Offensive coordinator Bill Muir patrolled the sidelines rather than call plays from upstairs against the Patriots, a move that Haley said enhances communication with players on the sideline and will continue.
"I thought having Bill down on the field, since he talks to the offense all week long and interacts with them, it was a good chance to get a little closer connection within the game," he said. "It's something I think will help us going forward."
Tyler Palko completed 66 percent of his passes making his first NFL start in place of the injured Matt Cassel, but he also got picked off three times and failed to guide the Chiefs, who have a total of 16 points during the most recent losing streak, into the end zone.
Haley called Palko's performance encouraging but didn't rule out the possibility of adding a quarterback to the roster.
"We're continuing to work on that subject," said Haley, who spoke to reporters before Denver announced that it had released veteran Kyle Orton. "We've had a bunch of discussions, and I feel good about where we are as far as Tyler and Ricky (Stanzi)."
