Kansas City Chiefs Ongoing Thread

[Clayton]

Sunday's game against the Raiders is probably the biggest game of the season for the Chiefs. I can't say I saw that coming at the start of the season. With a win the Chiefs would put the division out of reach but a loss would certainly make the AFC West into a race.

The Chiefs game against Tom Brady has almost no significance except for chasing the 1 seed.

I still get the feeling that the Chiefs offense is under-performing (injuries, penalties, etc) and the defense is over-performing. This is about the time of year where you really see what kind of team you have so it'll be interesting to see where the Chiefs are at. Bye week against the only team that beat them....this is where we are going to see the closest thing to peak 2020 Chiefs so I'm curious to see how good this team is.

 

[CaptainStubing]

Sunday's game against the Raiders is probably the biggest game of the season for the Chiefs. I can't say I saw that coming at the start of the season. With a win the Chiefs would put the division out of reach but a loss would certainly make the AFC West into a race.

The Chiefs game against Tom Brady has almost no significance except for chasing the 1 seed.

I still get the feeling that the Chiefs offense is under-performing (injuries, penalties, etc) and the defense is over-performing. This is about the time of year where you really see what kind of team you have so it'll be interesting to see where the Chiefs are at. Bye week against the only team that beat them....this is where we are going to see the closest thing to peak 2020 Chiefs so I'm curious to see how good this team is.

I would think we will see the A game from the chiefs as revenge for their loss.

If the raiders win again, maybe Chucky has figured Reid out

 

[Clayton]

If the raiders win again, maybe Chucky has figured Reid out

Raiders have beaten the Saints and Chiefs which is probably the best two sets of victories any team in the NFL has. Its possible the rematch says more about the Raiders chances than the Chiefs chances.

 

[Clayton]

I've never seen a player not know who they are playing or not know that they made an incredible touchdown catch. I'm starting to see why 'trap' games are a real thing. The Chiefs were just kinda going through the motions against Denver. KC should just be happy that the defense played relatively well and Lock is clearly the worst QB in the division.

Whoever the next Denver QB is will probably do a solid job for once with Jeudy/Fant/Hamler/Melvin Gordon. Thats the type of talent that could recruit a veteran looking for a new home in that Denver altitude. I'm just glad that genuinely bad teams in other divisions are tanking for Trevor Lawrence because that would be the last thing the AFC West would need.

Its good to see Alex Smith beat the Steelers.

Sometimes things just work out for the Chiefs. Gotta strike while the iron is hot.

 

[CaptainStubing]

I've never seen a player not know who they are playing or not know that they made an incredible touchdown catch. I'm starting to see why 'trap' games are a real thing. The Chiefs were just kinda going through the motions against Denver. KC should just be happy that the defense played relatively well and Lock is clearly the worst QB in the division.

Whoever the next Denver QB is will probably do a solid job for once with Jeudy/Fant/Hamler/Melvin Gordon. Thats the type of talent that could recruit a veteran looking for a new home in that Denver altitude. I'm just glad that genuinely bad teams in other divisions are tanking for Trevor Lawrence because that would be the last thing the AFC West would need.

Its good to see Alex Smith beat the Steelers.

Sometimes things just work out for the Chiefs. Gotta strike while the iron is hot.

hopefully elway will bring in Wentz for QB

 

[Fountain City Blues]

I am hoping Elway loves Lock and will play him forever and ever.

 

[Clayton]

I am hoping Elway loves Lock and will play him forever and ever.

Yeah, I don't see that. I think if I was ranking starting QBs right now I'd have Lock ranked 30th and he could drop down to 31st if Jalen Hurts plays well.

 

[Clayton]

Um, yeah.

Chiefs should have lost that game. Falcons dropped an int and missed a field goal. Probably Mahomes worst game. Probably Dirty Dan's worst game of the season.

But hey, bye week. Get healthy.

 

[Clayton]

Its been 2 and a half months since the Chiefs looked dominant. I'm definitely not seeing the Chiefs as 10 point favorites over the Browns. They can do a lot of things the Raiders and Falcons do. Chiefs basically have 2 weeks of rust.

I think this is where Andy Reid shows his stuff as a top tier coach, though. Its probably our last run with Bieniemy despite what news articles are saying right now so I suspect they'll have a good gameplan for the Browns defense.

 

[Clayton]

Its crazy that after all the investment in the offseason that the Chiefs are starting Creed Humphrey at C, Trey Smith at RG, and Lucas Niang at RT. If they really are the best of the bunch then thats pretty darn good considering how young they are.

 

[Clayton]

53-man roster

QB: Mahomes, Henne

RB: CEH, Darrel Williams, Jerrick McKinnon

WR: Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson, Daurice Fountain

TE: Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Jody Forsten, Noah Gray

OL: Orlando Brown, Joe Thuney, Creed Humprey, Trey Smith, Lucas Niang
Austin Blythe, Andrew Wylie, Mike Remmers, Nick Allegretti, LDT

DL: Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Michael Danna, Alex Okafor, Joshua Kaindoh
Derrick NNadi, Jarran Reed, Khalen Saunders, Tershaun Warton

LB: Anthony Hitchens, Willie Gay Jr, Ben Niemann, Nick Bolton, Darius Harris, Dorian O'Daniel

CB: L'Jarius Sneed, Rashad Fenton, C Ward, Deandre Baker, Mike Hughes, Chris Lammons

S: Honey Badger, Sorensen, Thornhill, Armani Watts

ST: Butker, Townsend, Winchester


Darwin Thompson, Taco, and Cornell Powell seem like the three big cuts. I know a lot of people thought Powell was a sleeper coming out of Clemson but I always just saw him as a special teams guy. Not surprised to see him leave the team so quickly with how aggressive the WR competition was this year. I'm sure he was even behind Kemp on the 'keep' list and he'll likely make the practice squad. Kemp seems like a decent WR but he doesnt really fit what the Chiefs normally like to do.

Jerrick McKinnon looks great as a 3rd RB. Wouldn't be surprised if he sees some regular action this year if/when the other two guys are banged up which seems pretty probable.

Lots of upside in the CB group. Not sure I'd call it an elite unit heading into the season but it could be. Same with the interior dline. Chris Jones on the edge is a big wild card and that could really help the dline unit if he plays well there.

Honey Badger seems like the most important player on the defense. Not sure I love any of the S or LBers on the team except for him. Willie Gay is going to likely be put into a big spot if/when healthy. One would hope Bolton will see the field at some point this year.

Overall its a pretty good roster if it can stay healthy.

 

[Clayton]

Chiefs beat the Browns with the Hill and Kelce show. Mahomes was great. His first scramble for a TD he just flat out made a defender miss 1 on 1 and then ran into the end zone behind a Trey Smith block. A good heads up play by the rookie because Mahomes ran straight back into the middle of the field and that couldve been bad. Mahomes also hit CEH in the pass game 3 for 3 as a safety valve for about 10 yards a piece and thats a good sign. WR2 is still and issue and running the ball isnt as successful as you'd hope.

Chris Jones was great. Honey Badger and Frank Clark were missed. Chiefs had massive issues covering Njoku and setting the edge. Kaindoh in particular had some issues. Bolton seemed alright and had a good second half. Thornhill, as well.

Chiefs were 9 for 13 on 3rd down. Browns were only 2 for 7 on 3rd down. Unfortunately, the Browns were 3 for 4 on 4th down and picked up a 2pt conversion. As a whole, when both offenses lined up and absolutely needed the play, they got it.

Chiefs took care of the ball and the Browns didnt and thats why they're 1-0. Getting a win potentially down 3 starters on defense is pretty good. Overall it still looks a lot like last years team except with just a little more depth.

 

[Clayton]

I guess long time Chiefs fans will remember the Chiefs team back in 2003 went 13-3 and lost at home in the playoffs to Peyton Manning. That team had a great offense but it also had Dante Hall returning a bunch of kicks and it generally made up for its bad defense. The next year people were thinking they were a Super Bowl contender and they laid an egg because their defense was trash. Went 7-9. 2000 Rams is probably a more apt comparison, though. Sandwiched in between Super Bowl Years the Rams had a year where they just simply turned the ball over too much and their defense wasn't good enough to consistently win games. They went 10-6 in the height of the Greatest Show on Turf years and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Of course, they can get Ward, Gay, and Clark healthy and maybe patch up the defense to where it was last year. Maybe Josh Gordon comes in and gives Mahomes another option. There is still some upside beyond what we've seen.

This is the first real adversity the team has had in awhile. It'll be curious to see how they respond. I think this team could go either way. Some people have gotten pretty down on them but its a long season.

 

[Clayton]

CEH doubtful, Kelce, Hill, Ward and Chris Jones questionable.

That Bills loss was about as bad as it gets. Not a great spot to be in for a game that they're favored on the road.

Chiefs are at a point where week 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 are the 'must win weeks'. Dropping another game would be really bad but I dont think it would quite end the season.

 

[Clayton]

Its almost certainly going to take a 6-3 finish to make the playoffs with 12 teams competing for 7 spots and the Chiefs playing many of those 12 teams.

Its not happening unless they clean up the penalties and turnovers.

The defense is playing better, though. Gay is gifted and learning. Bolton is limited but solid. Its a good combo. Not a fan of Hitchens but if he can get Niemann off the field then the Chiefs are actually somewhat stable at LB for the first time in recent memory. The dline and secondary needs to stay healthy but what is there is good enough.

Travis Kelce's yards per target has been pretty bad 4 out of the past 5 games. He seems to be banged up and the Chiefs really do need a plan B to Mahomes yolo offense if Kelce is getting taken out of the gameplan. Packers game will be a good test of this. They're banged up at CB so they'll have to play around that but that should open up opportunities for Kelce.

So the Packers are just what the doctor ordered. If the Chiefs are going to compete this year, this is the stage. Its a big game and the Pack D is a bit banged up. If the Chiefs dont show up for this then its probably better to look towards the future.