The Kansas City Chiefs must be feeling a little bit like Rodney Dangerfield. Since Andy Reid became the coach, the Chiefs have won at least 11 games in three of his four seasons. The Chiefs won the division with a 12-4 record last season, but are considered only the second-favorite to win the AFC West this season. Despite bringing essentially everyone back from last season except Dontari Poe and Jamaal Charles, you can still get this team at +200.
AFC West Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kansas City Chiefs +200
Denver Broncos +300
Los Angeles Chargers +500
Oakland Raiders +125
Why the Kansas City Chiefs Will Win the AFC West
Kansas City has less questions to answer than any other team. Oakland is the favorite to win the division, but Derek Carr is coming off of a season-ending injury. The Raiders weren’t as good as their record indicated last year either with an average defense outside of the sensational Khalil Mack.
Denver still has to find a quarterback that it feels confident about and Los Angeles went 5-11 last season and will be playing in a soccer stadium this year. In juxtaposition, the Chiefs have great peripherals, a rock-solid defense, an experienced quarterback, and a burgeoning playmaker in Tyreek Hill.
Despite the loss of nose tackle Dontari Poe, this defense is still going to be very good in 2017. The secondary is one of the best in the NFL with safety Eric Berry and cornerback Marcus Peters. Berry might be the best safety in the game when it comes to stopping the run and is very good in pass coverage too.
Hill was phenomenal in his rookie season and showed why the Chiefs took him in the draft despite his past. On the field, he is an incredible talent and can go the distance any time you put the ball in his hands. Reid is going to find ways to get the ball in his hands as much as possible. He had six receiving touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns, and three return touchdowns last season. Hill scored 12 touchdowns on 138 total touches and with a percentage like that, it’s hard not to want to put the ball in his hands every play.
Kansas City has one of the best tight ends in the league in Travis Kelce. Kelce can be a hothead, but his play has been superb. He had almost twice as many receiving yards as any of his teammates last year and was a big play threat in a way tight ends typically aren’t. Kelce hauled in 14 passes of 20 or more yards and scored on the team’s longest play from scrimmage in 2016.
Why the Kansas City Chiefs Won't Win the AFC West
The primary reason to go against Kansas City this season is because of its first-round draft pick. The Chiefs traded up in order to select Pat Mahomes out of Texas Tech. Taking the gunslinger with the No. 10 pick puts a clock on Alex Smith’s remaining time with the team and the question is whether or not Reid pulls the trigger this season and makes the switch.
Mahomes is going to need time to get adjusted to an NFL offense. The Air Raid system that Texas Tech runs couldn’t be more different than the conservative play-action heavy style that Reid prefers. Mahomes will also have to learn how to take a snap under center too.
The run game has some legitimate questions to answer too. Jamaal Charles hasn’t been the same since tearing his ACL a second time, so it made sense to let him go. However, are either Spencer Ware or Charcandrick West really the answer? Neither one was particularly impressive last season.
On defense, the big question surrounds the run too. Kansas City was 26th in the NFL in run defense last season and loses a central piece with Dontari Poe leaving in free agency. Poe has dealt with back issues the last two years and has lost some of his effectiveness, but losing him still hurts.
This linebacking corps would have been a terror five years ago, but injuries and time have ravaged this unit. Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, and Derrick Johnson have all made the Pro Bowl in their careers, but Houston and Johnson are coming off of major injuries and Hali no longer has the speed that made him such a fearsome pass rusher. Young blood needs to emerge from this corps and fast.
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