Ever since Patrick Mahomes has taken the stage in Kansas City, the Chiefs became one of the most feared teams in the NFL. Are the Chiefs still feared as they once were?
There is no doubt that the biggest blow to the Chiefs this offseason was losing superstar players on both sides of the ball. On offense wide receiver Tyreek Hill has been a matchup nightmare with his blazing speed for the past couple of years while paired up with Mahomes. But now without the league’s best deep threat, will defenses be able to “figure out” the Chiefs offense and how to stop it? With Hill the Chiefs had the league’s best two-man combo with Hill and Travis Kelce but now opposing defenses will be able to focus on stopping Kelce which should force Kansas City to rely on an unproven player for many big plays this season. Without their main playmaker, the Chiefs’ offense loses most of their big-play opportunities and defenses will be able to stop Mahomes and the rest of the offense.
On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs lost their best defensive player in Tyrann Mathieu. Mathieu was undoubtedly the leader of Kansas City’s defense in past years. Mathieu was a part of a less-than-average secondary who really struggled in the postseason to stop explosive plays from happening. The All-Pro safety was the key member of the defense where he was very productive in stopping the run as well as making key stops in the air. The Chiefs have done a decent job in replacing him with safety Justin Reid but will still be missing a key leader in a weak spot of this defense. Defensive tackle Chris Jones will have to step up in the main leadership role as his defensive line will have to help out this very young secondary in order to be successful.
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The Chiefs have basically been one of two AFC teams that would be the favorites to win the conference for the last couple of years. This season is a completely different story. The AFC West alone has four teams that could make a Super Bowl run and it wouldn’t surprise many people. In the AFC there are multiple teams ready to make their run in the postseason. The Cincinnati Bengals’ young core will be dominating the AFC for the foreseeable future. The Buffalo Bills are also among the favorites to win the conference, thanks to the young and improving Josh Allen In the AFC West really any of the four teams has a chance to make a playoff run. The Chiefs have a long and difficult season ahead of them.
The Chiefs are in a position where they are no longer looked at as Mount Everest, now they are just one amongst many in the AFC. Kansas City is still a very talented team and can still be the top team in the AFC, but with this offseason, they are no longer the most feared team in the NFL.
The best defensive player for the Chiefs in 2021 was rookie linebacker Nick Bolton. HoneyBadger was the best safety and maybe the 5th most valuable defender. He’s way over rated.
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