Sean Smith

Kansas City corner Sean Smith intercepts Buffalo quarterback Jeff Tuel and races 100 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs beat the Bills 23-13 to move to 9-0 on the season. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert)

There has been a debate raging over the last couple weeks concerning the accomplishments of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The question is always the same: “How good is this team?”

Pretty good.

You can expect the same sort of banter this week. The Chiefs escaped Buffalo with a 23-13 win to move to 9-0 on the season, but it hardly had the style points that so many experts crave in analyzing a perfect record.

The Chiefs were horrible on offense, mustering an ugly 210 total yards. Jamal Charles — the only real stud playmaker on this squad — finished with a pedestrian 90 yards, making you wonder how Andy Reid's team survived.

It's called defense.

Apparently, that side of the ball is lost on the experts. And boy, can the Chiefs bring a game to a grinding halt.

The Bills moved the ball to the tune of 470 yards, which in most cases, is good enough for the W. But the Chiefs turned a 100-yard interception and 11-yard fumble trot into 14 points to kickstart the celebratory plane ride back to KC.

Finding a way to win when you aren't at your best is key in this league. The Chiefs did that by holding the Bills to 0-for-3 in the redzone and forcing three turnovers.

This wasn't a pretty victory, but I'm sure this group doesn't care. Not after four wins this season by six points or less and two more, including Sunday, that were closer then the end score indicated and could have went the other direction.

So expect more of the same by all the Monday morning quarterbacks. More speculation and a lack of respect.

We are going the other direction. The Chiefs can run the ball and play big-time defense in tight spots. This group looks and smells like the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.

Does this mean the Chiefs are going to win the Super Bowl? No. I'm not even saying they are the best team in football. That is a little premature considering they have yet to face the Denver Broncos, a game that will take place in two weeks at raucous Mile High.

But I won't dismiss what has happened, either. The Chiefs have perfected the only statistic that really means anything in professional sports: they know how to win.