Will It Once Again Be The Chiefs Dominating?

By now, even the most casual football fan knows more about the Kansas City Chiefs than they probably ever thought they would. That's for two main reasons - one they've won the past two Super Bowls, and two, they have a player dating the biggest pop star on the planet. That combination is enough to probably make most people sick of them or annoyed at their success. I wouldn't count me in that category as I still like the Chiefs and am still entertained by them. I eventually got sick of Tom Brady and the Patriots winning, but the Chiefs are a little more enjoyable for me. The question this season is if they can do it again after getting through two full seasons of playing more football games than any other team. Will they get over 11.5 wins this season? Should we just autobet them for the Super Bowl? 

For years the defense was a bit of a joke for the Chiefs. It wasn't that it was ever truly terrible, but they certainly didn't deserve all that much credit for winning most games either. The goal for most Chiefs games was to just continuously score more and make sure the ball was in Patrick Mahomes hands late in the game. Last year, the defense was probably the main reason they won games. With Chris Jones leading the way, the defense turned into a group of players that dominated opponents and consistently pressured them into struggles. Last season started with Jones holding out and as soon as he returned the team looked different. He only missed the game against the Lions, but it was a win for Detroit. He ended the season with 10.5 sacks and 30 tackles, which isn't bad at all for a guy being double-teamed most of the time. Kansas City didn't allow more than 27 points in any game with Jones on the field last year. The Chiefs did take a shot in the passing defense as they traded L'Jarius Sneed who had been great last year, but I think they should be able to manage. They also lost Willie Gay from the linebacker unit, but aside from that, the defense is pretty much coming back. What I like about them is they didn't lead the league in turnovers or something else that would be hard to replicate, they were closer to the middle of the pack in turnovers. That gives me faith that this season the defense could be just as strong.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 15: Chris Jones #95 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates a sack with Travis Kelce #87 during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium on September 15, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The offense is what the Chiefs are usually known for, and with Mahomes and Travis Kelce it is certainly understandable. Mahomes has a trajectory to be the greatest quarterback of all time and Kelce has solidified himself as one of the best tight ends to ever play. Kelce is getting a bit older - this will be his age 34 season, so we need to see how he will hold up, and he did look like he lost a step last season. The Chiefs had the most drops in the NFL last season by receivers and were able to win the Super Bowl with no true WR1 option, and you could even argue that no one was really a WR2. I do like Rashee Rice and think he will take a step forward here in is second year. He established a good rapport with Mahomes last year and should be able to advance that further this year. They added Marquise Brown who is a veteran receiver who used to be known for stretching the field, but I feel like he will be best in the slot. Xavier Worthy is the addition I'm most interested in. If he can be a poor man's Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs will once again have a dominant, explosive offense, and a beast of a defense. Even the running game for Kansas City is intriguing as they have Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire to give a young and dynamic 1-2 punch for the team. Both can be used for handoffs and pass catching. 

Mahomes is not even 29 years old and already has three Super Bowl rings. His defense is great and his offense should be better than last year. We can't just hand them the trophy, but it is certainly hard to pick against the Chiefs to have any sort of bad season. Let's see how I think the season will go for them:

• Ravens - Loss
• Bengals - Win
• @ Falcons - Win
• @ Chargers - Win
•  Saints - Win
• @ 49ers - Loss
• @ Raiders - Win
• Buccaneers - Win
• Broncos - Win
• @ Bills - Loss
• @ Panthers - Win
• Raiders - Win
• Chargers - Loss
• @ Browns - Win
• Texans - Win
• @ Steelers - Win
• @ Broncos - Win

That puts my guess for their season record at 13-4. I will say that feels a bit high for a team that has been through as many games as they have over the past two years. It isn't impossible, but I do think that 12 is a reasonable total for them to win. I'll back the over for the season. They did fall just short last year of getting over the total, but the team is arguably better this year than last year. Now we just have to see if it remains the Chiefs era.

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