Kansas City Chiefs: Third Time Is A Charm

The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t won the AFC West since 2010. 2015 could be the year that that changes though, as a lot has changed since then for the organization.

The changes were made to the Chiefs’ organization after a historically bad season in 2012 that saw the Chiefs go 2-14, own the worst record in the NFL, and “earn” the first overall pick in the draft.

Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel were fired from their positions, which brought in John Dorsey and Andy Reid. Matt Cassel was released from the team as a result of the Chiefs trading for Alex Smith.

With all of those new pieces entering their third season with the Chiefs, it’s time for fans to see some real results from their football team. The Dorsey-Reid experiment has had two winning seasons, but still no playoff wins. That needs to change in 2015, and the talent is certainly there to do so.

I’m not talking about another Wildcard appearance for the Chiefs. This is the year where the Chiefs need to finally take hold of the division and win the AFC West for the first time since 2010 and host a playoff game.

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Yes, they did so in 2010, but that team’s potential was nowhere near where this year’s squad’s potential is. I think if the Chiefs have the chance to host a playoff game (and even get a first round bye), they could be dangerous in the postseason.

For one, they have an incredible defense. If the defense can improve on generating turnovers, then whoa boy… Watch out.

Two, the addition of Jeremy Maclin. Maclin won’t solve all of the wide receiver problems the Chiefs had last year, but he’s an improvement over Dwayne Bowe for sure. Travis Kelce is also a dominating force for the offense, as is Jamaal Charles. These three are legitimate weapons for Alex Smith, and I don’t think he’ll complain about having three solid options to throw or hand the ball off to.

Three, the offensive line should be better. It’s hard to look any worse than they did last season, but with Ben Grubbs now along the line, we should see improvement and more protection up front for Smith. Hopefully this means less sacks and less scrambling (although sometimes scrambling is fun, but not all the time).

I’m not the only one who sees high potential for the third year under Dorsey and Reid. Gil Brandt of NFL.com has faith in the Kansas City Chiefs too, and even picked them to win the division this season. Brandt touched on several aspects in his article on why he picked the Chiefs to win the division, but one that stuck out to me was about the coaching staff.

"Offensive coordinator Doug Pederson is head-coach material. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton is very good. And both coaches are back after contributing to Kansas City’s 9-7 finish in 2014. Coaching continuity can be a real boon to a team, especially when it comes to mastering schemes and systems. And then there’s head coach Andy Reid, a players’ coach who can also be a strong-handed leader when needed. He’s the absolute right guy for the job."

All in all, it seems like this year’s team should be one of the best in the NFL and will hopefully be able to win the AFC West.

It won’t be easy though. Denver has won the division the last four years, San Diego is always in contention, and even Oakland should be a little better this season behind second year quarterback Derek Carr and new head coach Jack Del Rio.

The Chiefs’ schedule was another reason Brandt saw potential in this team.

"After opening at Houston — a much easier proposition now that stud Texans running back Arian Foster will be out as he continues to recover from groin surgery — Kansas City returns home to welcome Denver for Week 2’s Thursday night matchup. The Broncos, meanwhile, will be coming off what promises to be a tough home matchup with Baltimore. Given that it can be challenging to travel for a road game on a short week like that, the Chiefs should have an opportunity to beat Denver for the first time since the 2011 campaign — and start 2-0 while potentially dropping the Broncos to 0-2.The Chiefs should also benefit from having their bye week come in the mid-point of the season, in Week 9, and from playing four of their final six regular-season games at Arrowhead Stadium, where the noise and atmosphere give them a real advantage. One disadvantage: the Week 8 matchup with the Lions in London counts as one of the Chiefs’ home games."

If the Chiefs can win that home game against the Broncos in week two, fans should buckle in and get ready for a fun season that will hopefully end with the Chiefs hosting several playoff games.

Next: Five Standout Players in Preseason Opener

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