Chiefs 2021

[Deleted User 887]

This is not surprising for a team that's been to back to back superbowls and who will likely go to another this year. Small mental mistakes early in the season costing games. They'll be fine when the stakes are the highest. They're getting every teams best shot right now. Most important to get thru the regular season mostly healthy. A few meaningful losses in September won't mean much in a few months.

1) I feel it is surprising but there is no huge shame in losing to very good teams.
2) I am far from counting them out but I'm not so sure I would say they are "likely" to get to the Super Bowl this season.
3) It's more than just small mental mistakes costing them games.
4) You and I ASSUME they will be fine when the stakes are the highest. A LOT can happen between now and then.
5) They have only played 3 teams and while I am not so sure they took Browns, Ravens, and Chargers "best shot/s", I do feel they have played 3 very good if not great teams.
6) Yes, it's very important to get through the regular season mostly healthy but even more important to get Ws and not Ls.
7) Not sure if you meant "meaningful" or meaningless. Maybe meaningless now but if they miss the playoffs by a game or two (I say close to if not highly doubtful) then the loses in September aren't so meaningless.

Bottom line, the Chiefs should be far from in panic mode but they have been given some wakeup calls and it will be interesting to see how they respond.

Assuming the key players stay healthy, my worthless prediction is......

They beat the Eagles by 17.
They beat the Bills by 7.
They beat the Football Team by 14.
They lose to the Titans (I feel I have to assume they don't go 14-0 the rest of the season) by 3.
They beat the Giants by 28.
They beat the Packers by 4.
They beat the Raiders by 10.
They beat the Cowboys by 14.
They beat the Broncos by 20.
They beat the Raiders by 13.
They beat the Chargers by 13.
They beat the Steelers by 17.
They beat the Bengals by 10. (I assume they have clinched a playoff spot by now)
They beat the Broncos by 14.

[pdub]

We have one of the worst defenses in the league.
We will drop at least two more games in the AFC West.
11-6 and on the road for the playoffs...but hopefully cookin' with gas by then.

[Deleted User 887]

Bright side......

TODAY the Chiefs have one of the worst defense in the league. It can (and probably will) only get better. Realize the defense went up against top 10 offensive teams.

None of us know if the Chiefs will drop at least 2 more games in the AFC West. The may drop more. They may drop less. They may drop 2. Hopefully if they drop any, they can and will still win the West.

11-6 and on the road for the playoffs would be disappointing but.... The majority of NFL teams would love to be 11-6 and on the road for the playoffs.

As you said, as long as they are cooking with gas come the playoffs.....
As the great Kevin Garnett once said so eloquently.....

[pdub]

Every AFC West team has improved.
Chargers and Raiders beat us in Arrowhead last season.
Chargers beat us there this season.

Both those teams have gotten better.
I'm not sure we have.

[NewtonHawk11]

Don't count the Chargers win last year in KC, bro. You know that.

I will guarantee now that the Chiefs will have a 2 game lead on the rest of the division when all is said and done.

[shindig]

We have one of the worst defenses in the league.
We will drop at least two more games in the AFC West.
11-6 and on the road for the playoffs...but hopefully cookin' with gas by then.

Next years draft needs to focus on defense, get some younger, faster talent, plus a speed outside linebacker that can get to the quarterback. Frank Clark ain't getting it done, even when/if he is healthy.

[NewtonHawk11]

They will probably focus on a top CB in next years draft. They spent 2 straight drafts drafting a LB with their first pick with Willie Gay and Nick Bolton. Gay is a speed guy and Bolton is a masher.

There's aspects of the team that are not great. However, that being said. They scored 24 points with 4 TOs in plus territory. 5th in ppg this year. Would be more if not for the 4 TOs on Sunday and the TO in Baltimore.

They are fine. The sky is not falling. And it's silly to think that way.

[pdub]

Shoulda picked Trevon Diggs.
Dude's a stud.

[pdub]

Don't count the Chargers win last year in KC, bro. You know that.

I will guarantee now that the Chiefs will have a 2 game lead on the rest of the division when all is said and done.

True.
That was some Sparko level horseshit.

[shindig]

Oh I agree, they'll get better. Is this Clark's last contract year?

[NewtonHawk11]

Oh I agree, they'll get better. Is this Clark's last contract year?

No but it's the easiest way to get out from under that contract. The dead money is way less than the cap hit. Dead cap would be 12M while cap hit is $26M. So you save $14M by cutting him after this year.

[NewtonHawk11]

Last contract year is technically 2023. But he won't last that long. He's probably gone after this year.

[Sparko]

Hey, I think the Chiefs will struggle this year. Mahomes is a new father and is coasting at times. The defense is cobbled together with Sorensen playing significant snaps. Gay seems to be injured a lot. Clark is meh over the last two years. The only answer is for the offense to be near perfect.

[pdub]

Hitchens, Sorenson, Nieman all mediocre.
What happened to Thornhill?

[twocoach]

Hey, I think the Chiefs will struggle this year. Mahomes is a new father and is coasting at times. The defense is cobbled together with Sorensen playing significant snaps. Gay seems to be injured a lot. Clark is meh over the last two years. The only answer is for the offense to be near perfect.

Good grief, Mahomes isn't coasting at all. His per game numbers are as good as ever except for a couple of really careless INTs. I just think he has gotten a little carried away with the "just throw it up there and one of my receivers will do something magical" mentality and he's finding that the law of averages is coming around the other way to make up for the larger than expected amount of "how'd he do that" plays they have made previously.

[Sparko]

Twocoach. I agree mostly. But Mahomes really missed some reads the last two weeks along with the showboat stuff. He is a sensational talent. But he needs to focus like everyone else too.

[shindig]

Hitchens, Sorenson, Nieman all mediocre.
What happened to Thornhill?

Not sure why Thornhill isn't playing instead of Soreson. Sorenson is good in certain schemes, but he seems to get burned a lot. He needs to get the Dirty Dan mentality back and hit some guys hard, instead of missing tackles.

[twocoach]

Twocoach. I agree mostly. But Mahomes really missed some reads the last two weeks along with the showboat stuff. He is a sensational talent. But he needs to focus like everyone else too.

There's just 4 QBs averaging 300+ ypg with a 70% completion rate or better. Mahomes is one of them. Every single QB has "missed some reads the last two weeks". Crazy what our expectations have become for him as well as what a loss does to people's recall.

[CrimsonNBlue]

Twocoach. I agree mostly. But Mahomes really missed some reads the last two weeks along with the showboat stuff. He is a sensational talent. But he needs to focus like everyone else too.

There's just 4 QBs averaging 300+ ypg with a 70% completion rate or better. Mahomes is one of them. Every single QB has "missed some reads the last two weeks". Crazy what our expectations have become for him as well as what a loss does to people's recall.

There was a recent article about how Mahomes has entered that rare territory where "really good" just isn't good enough from him. Fair or unfair.

[twocoach]

Twocoach. I agree mostly. But Mahomes really missed some reads the last two weeks along with the showboat stuff. He is a sensational talent. But he needs to focus like everyone else too.

There's just 4 QBs averaging 300+ ypg with a 70% completion rate or better. Mahomes is one of them. Every single QB has "missed some reads the last two weeks". Crazy what our expectations have become for him as well as what a loss does to people's recall.

There was a recent article about how Mahomes has entered that rare territory where "really good" just isn't good enough from him. Fair or unfair.

Some people are genuinely going to consider it a down year if he doesn't throw for 5,000+ yards and 50+ TDs due mostly to idiotic preseason speculation in write ups by glorified fanboys who have blogs/podcasts, etc... that fans follow on social media.