KC Chiefs: Alex Smith Will Lead Winning Offense

By Leigh Oleszczak | Jun 13, 2015

The KC Chiefs are considered favorites to win the AFC West in 2015 behind quarterback Alex Smith in his third year as a Chief. This isn’t just by me (and believe me, I’m not typically biased on this), but by many NFL analysts out there in NFL land. The reason why the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t been able to win the division since 2010 is due to the offense not doing its fair share of the work load.

Now hear me out.

The offense has drastically improved since John Dorsey and Andy Reid took over in 2013, but they haven’t quite hit their stride yet. When the offense finally looked like it was clicking in 2013, the defense collapsed, and we all know how that turned out for the 2013 KC Chiefs squad. It wasn’t pretty.

2014 was a year that saw the defense absolutely dominating, but the offense had their struggles in certain games.

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Now I’m a fan of Alex Smith. I don’t think he’s an elite quarterback, but he’s a good quarterback. I believe he’s good enough to get the Chiefs to the promise land. With that said, this is his year to prove himself to the fans and to the rest of the NFL.

I’ve believed that Smith hasn’t been able to hit his potential while in Kansas City because he hasn’t had talented enough receivers or an offensive line that could protect him. During the off season, Dorsey went out and got Jeremy Maclin for Smith to throw to. He also acquired Ben Grubbs to beef up the offensive line.

There are no excuses for Alex Smith in 2015. If he can’t come through in the clutch, it’s on him this season.

Dave Dameshek of NFL.com agrees with me on the offense’s potential for 2015. He recently wrote up the NFL’s best triplets (quarterback/running back/wide receiver combinations) and had the Chiefs in the top half of the league at 13th. Here was Dameshek’s reasoning,

Obviously the Denver Broncos are always a threat to win the division, but I believe this is the year that Kansas City wins the AFC West.

"Hear me now, believe me later: These triplets will lead K.C. to a division crown in 2015. Charles is a jewel whose luster is oddly underappreciated (but will be eventually cloaked in a gold jacket). Smith is (still) better than you think. Maclin (rejoined with his old pal, Andy Reid) is, at a minimum, an upgrade … and even has an outside chance at catching a TD pass this season."

The Kansas City Chiefs’ triplets in this scenario are obviously Alex Smith, Jamaal Charles, and Jeremy Maclin. Dameshek did include tight ends for some teams (like the Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers), and if that’s the case the Chiefs still pose a scary set of triplets with Travis Kelce taking the starting tight end spot in 2015.

Obviously the Denver Broncos are always a threat to win the division, but I believe this is the year that Kansas City wins the AFC West. It’d be the first time the team has won the division since 2010 when they went 10-6 with Matt Cassel under center.

Denver, by the way, came in at seven on the list, San Diego was ranked 15th, and Oakland was higher than most expected at 26th.

This is Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs’ year to prove that they mean business. If they can win the division and a playoff game, it’d be huge for this organization and for the fans. It’d mean the Chiefs have finally evolved into the explosive football team we all know they are.

It should be a fun 2015 season in Kansas City folks.

Next: Chiefs Quarterbacks Throughout the Years, Part 2

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