KC Chiefs Considered Least Likely to Return to Playoffs in 2016

The KC Chiefs had an impressive 2015 campaign, but fell short of their ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl in the AFC Divisional round. Could they fall short again of the goal in 2016?

Brendan Pignataro of NFL Spin Zone doesn’t believe that the Kansas City Chiefs are a playoff team in the 2016 season. Pignataro wrote a piece simply titled “Chiefs Least Likely to Return to Playoffs in 2016” and discussed why he believes the KC Chiefs aren’t contenders for this upcoming season.

First of all, he believes that the back half of their schedule in 2015 was laughable, as they didn’t beat a single team with a record over .500 during that stretch. He also falls back on the fact that the Chiefs were 1-5 at the beginning of the season, riding a five-game losing streak, and how all but one of those teams were eventual playoff teams.

Second, he notes that the AFC West is tough. The Raiders are improving and despite the Broncos having Mark Sanchez as their current starting quarterback, the defense is still good enough to carry the team to the playoffs again.

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Third, Pignataro notes that the Chiefs didn’t have a great offseason. They lost Sean Smith to Oakland, a division rival, and re-signed mostly older players who will be close to hanging up the cleats in a few years.

He also rags on the Chiefs because two of their best players are both coming off major injuries in Jamaal Charles and Justin Houston. Charles has had two ACL injuries in the last five years, and Houston seems to be injury prone as well.

Pignataro points out that the Chiefs waited until round four to pick up a wide receiver to help out Jeremy Maclin the receiving game. Oh, also that Doug Pederson took the head coach job in Philadelphia was a knock on the Chiefs as well.

My rebuttal? Pignataro brings up some good points for sure. The Chiefs did lose potentially their best defensive player during the offseason and it happened to be to a hated division rival. I do think the loss of Sean Smith will hurt Kansas City’s defense significantly.

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Will Sean Smith not being a Chief be enough to keep the team out of the playoffs though? I don’t think so. This is a team that took the next step with winning a playoff game last season and near the end of the season, they showed that they can be a true contender in the AFC this year.

The Raiders are going to be better, yes, but they haven’t been to the playoffs in 14 years. The Broncos took a step back this offseason, but are the reigning champs and therefore will be tough to rule out of playoff discussion.

Unlike last season, the Kansas City Chiefs have a favorable schedule early on this season. They should be able to win their first three games and get off to a solid start.

Next: Five Best Tight Ends in Chiefs History

Kansas City Chiefs fans shouldn’t look too much into articles like Pignataro’s. The Chiefs are a team that’s commonly disrespected and frankly, I’m used to seeing posts like these.

Time to prove the haters wrong.