Jeff Allen sat at his locker, dressing silently and solemnly.
This was Jan. 16, the date of the Chiefs’ 27-20 divisional-round loss to the New England Patriots, and Allen was allowing the disappointment to settle in when a realization hit the offensive lineman: It had been a long time since he’d been forced to deal with a defeat, at least as a starter.
Once the Chiefs finally inserted him into the starting lineup in mid-October following a training camp knee injury, they ran off a streak of 11 straight wins until their playoff loss to the Patriots, not that Allen knew exactly what the number was.