Kansas City Chiefs: A Look at the AFC West

The AFC West saw some changes this off-season, but for once, the Kansas City Chiefs have not been the ones making changes. The Chiefs had their second consecutive winning season under head coach Andy Reid.

Fans of the Chiefs organization aren’t used to having back to back winning seasons so that’s why I considered 2014 to be a success for the franchise. Sure, Kansas City didn’t make it into the playoffs, but the future looks bright for the Kansas City Chiefs.

For one, they had a solid head coach in Andy Reid. I had my issues with Reid in 2014 especially when he wouldn’t give Jamaal Charles the ball in certain games, but when it comes down to it, I’m glad to have Reid in Kansas City. This is a team that hadn’t had back to back winning seasons since 2005 to 2006 and Reid already accomplished that in his first two seasons.

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Also, early on in the season, the Chiefs had multiple players sustain season ending injuries and things looked pretty bleak after that horrendous week one loss. The team ended up going 9-7 on the year and just barely missed out on the playoffs. Not a lot of coaches could work around major players going out with season ending injuries and have it turn into a winning season. I give Andy Reid major props for that.

Alex Smith also is a bright spot for this team despite what others think. He might not be the best quarterback in the division, but he’s a solid quarterback. He didn’t have a good offensive line or good receivers and those were obviously major problems. I dug more into this on a rant I posted months ago, but it all still rings true. Smith has the potential to lead this team, but he needs protection up front and receivers to throw to.

The KC Chiefs also have the best defense in the division and I don’t even think it’s close. Sure, the Broncos have big names like Aqib Talib and DeMarcus Ware, but the Chiefs are the only team that didn’t allow more than 30 points in every game in 2014.

Now look around the rest of the division. Denver is a mess right now despite hiring Gary Kubiak to be their head coach on Sunday. The Broncos got beat by the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round of the AFC Playoffs and they didn’t look very good at all (Source of Kubiak link: ESPN).

John Fox and the Broncos agreed to part ways just days after the loss and that’s when John Elway cleaned house. After seeing Peyton Manning struggle in that divisional playoff game, it’s become clear that it might time for him to hang it up. If Manning leaves and the Broncos become Brock Osweiler‘s team, you’d have to give the edge to Kansas City in this one (granted, I haven’t seen Osweiler play, but right now doesn’t scare me in the least bit).

The San Diego Chargers have always been one of those teams that appear to be scary at certain points during the season, but can never execute when it comes down to it. Mike McCoy hasn’t been a bad coach by any means, as he’s led the team to two consecutive 9-7 records, but the Chargers haven’t looked like the fierce team they were several years back. The Chiefs even swept San Diego for the first time since 2003, despite having Chase Daniel starting a game against them.

2015 will hopefully be the year that the Chiefs can capitalize and win the AFC West.

The Oakland Raiders are a team that appears to be on the up and up. They drafted Derek Carr in the second round in the 2014 draft and he was the best rookie quarterback in the NFL last season. Imagine what Carr can do in 2015 if the Raiders give him a line and some weapons to throw the ball to. He could be dangerous.

When I heard rumors about the Raiders possibly getting Jim Harbaugh as their head coach, I was terrified because in that case the Raiders would have had a solid head coach and a young quarterback on the rise. While Oakland didn’t land Harbaugh, they did hire Jack Del Rio, who has had a history of coaching in the NFL.

All in all, I give the edge next year to the Kansas City Chiefs. Of course people reading this are going to think that’s me being biased, but it’s really not. In the past few years, I always knew Denver was a better team and in 2013 the Chargers were definitely better than the Chiefs as well. 2015 will hopefully be the year that the Chiefs can capitalize and win the AFC West. Hosting a playoff game would be huge for Kansas City and I think it’d finally mean getting over that hump of winning a playoff game.

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