Kansas City picked up the pieces after an awful start to challenge for the AFC West crown and is the favorite to win it in 2016. The Chiefs went over two months without losing a football game last season and have the pieces to fill in at the top.
Earning a playoff berth for the second time in three seasons under head coach Andy Reid last year, the Chiefs reached the divisional round before losing at New England. Now the trick is to take the next step and play for a conference title – something this team hasn't done in over 20 years. The Chiefs made a remarkable run to get to the postseason after they were left floundering with a 1-5 record.
Kansas City Chiefs Regular Season Win Total Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chiefs Over 9.5 Wins ( -117)
Chiefs Under 9.5 Wins ( -103)
When Reid was hired to coach the Chiefs in 2013, he inherited a 2-14 team with five Pro Bowl players, but no quarterback, and no real direction. In the three years since, Reid has compiled 32 wins, two playoff berths, and the first Chiefs playoff victory in 22 years. Had time management been more of a priority, Reid's Chiefs may very well have met the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
You gotta give KC props for what it did last year. The Chiefs could have packed it in after dropping five in a row following a season opening win and losing star running back Jamal Charles to a serious knee injury. But they rallied, won their last 10 regular season games and made it 11 straight with a Wild Card win over Houston.
The Chiefs had a rather uneventful offseason. Their draft didn’t include a first round pick and free agency was largely defined by the players they lost rather than the ones gained. While there were no significant upgrades, there were also very few downgrades.
2016 Kansas City Chiefs Schedule
Opening betting lines for the Chiefs in parentheses
Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers ( -7)
Week 2: at Houston Texans (PK)
Week 3: vs. New York Jets ( -3.5)
Week 4: at Pittsburgh Steelers ( +4)
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: at Oakland Raiders (PK)
Week 7: vs. New Orleans Saints ( -8)
Week 8: at Indianapolis Colts ( +1)
Week 9: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars ( -7)
Week 10: at Carolina Panthers ( +4.5)
Week 11: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( -7)
Week 12: at Denver Broncos ( +3)
Week 13: at Atlanta Falcons (PK)
Week 14: vs. Oakland Raiders ( -4.5)
Week 15: vs. Tennessee Titans ( -9)
Week 16: vs. Denver Broncos ( -1.5)
Week 17: at San Diego Chargers
The Chiefs went 5-1 against their division opponents last season and if not for a late game collapse against the Broncos on Sep. 17, they could have swept their AFC West rivals. Duplicating that run of success will be more challenging in 2016 considering the overall strength of the division. As a whole, the Chiefs’ schedule isn’t that imposing with most of the difficult non-division games coming on the road. That’ll make it tougher for the Chiefs to reach double-digits.
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An 11-game winning streak helped the Chiefs get to the postseason where they humiliated Houston for their first postseason win in 21 years. Alex Smith was steady directing an offense that didn’t light up the scoreboard but also didn’t hurt itself with turnovers. They have everything, or close to everything, needed to be a contender. Kansas City is one of those teams you feel could make some noise, but one you don’t put a lot of trust in.
And it’s hard to put trust in a team that lacks depth. There's a lot for the Chiefs to be concerned about heading into the 2016 season. Justin Houston will likely miss a big chunk of the season, and the pass rushers behind him are unproven at best. Then, as usual, there's absolutely no one at wide receiver that scares you after Jeremy Maclin.
Reid is a top-notch coach who took the Chiefs from the cellar of the NFL to annual playoff contender by building an efficient ball-control offense and an attacking defense. He has the perfect quarterback for the job in Smith, who’s not flashy but doesn’t put his team in a bad situation.
The Chiefs will drop back a couple games in 2016. The bottom line is that, between the injury to Justin Houston and the loss of their starting guards, Kansas City can't dominate the edge on defense and can't control the clock on offense like they did during their 11-game win streak. Nine wins is still good and likely the best the Chiefs can do in 2016.
NFL Odds: Kansas City Chiefs Under 9.5 Wins
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