Have the Kansas City Chiefs Regressed in 2014

In order for the Kansas City Chiefs to equal the 11 wins they got last season, they will have to beat better teams than the ones they play in 2014. To make matters worse, there is no question the Chargers, Raiders and Donkeys, uh I mean the Broncos, all got better.

The upgrades to the AFC West teams make it just that much more important that the Chiefs also improve. Another important factor to take into consideration is that the Chiefs home schedule is brutal and their away games aren’t better. Just look at the teams they have to play:

1 SEP 7 12:00PMCDT * TITANS

2 SEP 14 3:25PMCDT * AT BRONCOS

3 SEP 21 3:25PMCDT * AT DOLPHINS

4 SEP 29 7:30PMCDT + PATRIOTS

5 OCT 5 3:25PMCDT * AT 49ERS

6 BYE

7 OCT 19 3:05PMCDT * AT CHARGERS

8 OCT 26 12:00PMCDT ) RAMS

9 NOV 2 12:00PMCST * JETS

10 NOV 9 12:00PMCST * AT BILLS

11 NOV 16 12:00PMCST ) SEAHAWKS

12 NOV 20 7:25PMCST , AT RAIDERS

13 NOV 30 7:30PMCST ‘ BRONCOS

14 DEC 7 3:05PMCST * AT CARDINALS

15 DEC 14 12:00PMCST * RAIDERS

16 DEC 21 12:00PMCST * AT STEELERS

17 DEC 28 12:00PMCST * CHARGERS

Other than the Titans and the Raiders I don’t see any other games I couldn’t picture the Chiefs possibly losing.

To add fuel to the fire, the Chiefs lost several key players. On the offensive line they lost 3 starters in Branden Albert, Geoff Schwartz, and Jon Asamoah. The Chiefs also lost offensive weapon and special teams guy Dexter McCluster who was a multi-faceted player and whose production will be difficult to replace.

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That being said, I have confidence the Chiefs will be better in 2015 on offense.

The continuity of the coaching staff cannot be stressed enough. It has remained intact on both sides of the ball and together with quarterback Alex Smith returning this should translate into putting points on the board. Dwayne Bowe is reportedly in the best shape of his life and this comfort level with the offense and Alex Smith can only get better.

A very important thing to keep in mind is that now that Jaamal Charles is happy with his brand new 28 million and 2 year extension, the Chiefs have the most important part of the offense ready to roll.

Another important piece of the offense is the continued development of Eric Fisher at his original position at left tackle. He really is the key to O-line play this season. Fisher has been hitting the weights all off-season and has reportedly packed an additional 20 lbs of rock solid muscle. Furthermore as I already mentioned, he is moving back to his traditional position at left tackle so I believe he will live up to his 1st round draft pick mantra.

The other two offensive players to keep an eye on are guards Jeff Allen and Rishaw Johnson, both players the Chiefs brass believe are upgrades over Schwartz and Asamoah. Also keep an eye on tight end Travis Kelce, who the coaching staff is excited to have back.

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On the defensive side of the ball… Well there were also some key losses but not nearly as bad as the offensive side. There were key losses with the releasing of Brandon Flowers and losing Akeem Jordan to free agency, which will also hurt.

The defense, however, is just too talented to have a repeat of their abysmal drop off in the second half of the season. Getting Sanders Commings back from injury as well as the drafting of pass rushing specialist Dee Ford will most certainly help this defense be a top 5 unit if not higher. Drafting Phillip Gaines, signing Chris Owen and the continued improvement of young players such as cornerback Marcus Cooper and defensive end Mike Catapano will also be of importance to the defensive improvement.

All in all it will be difficult to repeat the 11 win season of last year, but 9 to 10 wins should be enough for the Chiefs to get back to the playoffs where as we all know anything can happen.

What do you think Chiefs Kingdom? Will the Chiefs be better or worse in 2014? Post your comments below and please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and + us on Google+

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