Kansas City Chiefs Projected to Go 8-8 in 2017 by Football Outsiders

After a 12-4 campaign in 2016, the Kansas City Chiefs are projected to take a large step back this upcoming season. Football Outsiders has released their 2017 projections and has the Chiefs going .500 on the year.

Winning 12 games in back to back seasons is a tough task, and Football Outsiders doesn’t think the KC Chiefs are up for doing it again this year. They slotted the Chiefs in for an 8-8 record in 2017 and finishing second in the AFC West.

The more puzzling aspect to their projections, however, is how poorly they have the AFC West performing as a whole in 2017. The West was the best division in all of football last year, yet the best record coming out of the division in these projections is 9-7. Football Outsiders has the Raiders winning the West with that 9-7 record, which would make the division pretty lousy if that’s the best record coming out of the West.

Technically, the Chiefs are tied for second in the division, but not with the Broncos. No, Football Outsiders has the Chargers finishing the year at 8-8 as well and the Broncos rounding out the AFC West with only six wins.

More from KC Kingdom

"Kansas City essentially projects as the same team as last season but with a much tougher schedule and less good fortune. The Chiefs were 6-2 in regular-season games decided by less than a touchdown, and they led the NFL by ending 16.7 percent of opposing drives with a takeaway.1. Oakland Raiders: 9-7 (9.0 mean wins; SOS: 15)2. Kansas City Chiefs: 8-8 (8.1 mean wins; SOS: 4)3. Los Angeles Chargers: 8-8 (7.9 mean wins; SOS: 14)4. Denver Broncos: 6-10 (6.0 mean wins; SOS: 6)"

While I also see the Kansas City Chiefs taking a step back in 2017, 8-8 isn’t exactly what I had in mind. The Raiders probably have a good shot at winning the division due to their surging offensive unit, but the Chiefs swept the AFC West last year, and that can’t go unnoticed.

This year’s schedule will be more difficult, with road games against the Cowboys, Giants, and Patriots on the slate. The Chiefs will also be playing a first place schedule, meaning they’ll square off against the Steelers and Texans.

Chiefs fans are used to getting disrespected when it comes to these types of things, but after a 12-4 season and most of their team from last year coming back, I’m not sure why they’re getting jilted so much already.

Better yet… Why are the Raiders only projected to win nine games? I thought everyone would be riding them as a 14 win team in 2017. They’ll be the favorites to win the AFC West for sure and for good reason.

What do you think about this 8-8 projection, Chiefs Kingdom?

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