Persistent Pandemic Problems Change Chiefs' Plans for Facing Pittsburgh

The gloom of COVID-related problems seeped into nearly every fanbase's reality this week, and Chiefs Kingdom was no different. Major pieces missing from the Chiefs roster dominated headlines in Kansas City recently, so let's get that out of the way: KC will be without Lucas Niang, Nick Bolton and Travis Kelce today. Do the Chiefs have what it takes to overcome these absences and beat a desperate Pittsburgh Steelers team at Arrowhead this afternoon?

Any loss to the offensive line built to protect the greatest asset in Chiefs history is clearly a concern, but the Chiefs have successfully protected Patrick Mahomes with occasional replacements to the O-line this season. Nick Bolton looks destined to be one of KC's best defenders for years to come since earning increased playing time throughout the year, and the much-improved Chiefs defense may dearly miss the spark he brings. Then, there's Travis Kelce. His absence leaves a Hall of Famer-sized hole in KC's offensive game plan.

Thankfully for Chiefs Kingdom, Kansas City employs this generation's greatest play-caller. Head coach Andy Reid needs to scheme the Chiefs into some first downs and big plays without Kelce's influence, which should actually be fascinating to watch. We can expect an increased role for other Chiefs pass-catchers like the under-rated Byron Pringle or the underwhelming Mecole Hardman. Despite my curiosity regarding the passing game, the challengers facing the Chiefs today have a major problem on defense completely unrelated to Patrick Mahomes's arm.

This Steelers defense is not what it used to be. Pittsburgh racks up the second-most sacks per game in the NFL, but they also allow the second-most rushing yards per game. The Chiefs drafted a running back in the first round in order to have a major advantage in moments like this. This game seems like it was designed as a Clyde Edwards-Helaire showcase.

Clyde and the rest of KC's capable running backs should give the Chiefs enough firepower to overcome this flawed and aging Steelers team. I predict that Andy will find a few creative ways to keep the offense moving today, and this will help KC earn the W, 27-17.

Can Chargers Damage Chiefs' Championship Chances?

This week's Thursday Night Football will present the most important game of the regular season for the AFC West. All eyes will be on the 9-4 Kansas City Chiefs when they line up against the 8-5 Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium tonight. As fans prepare for this pivotal meeting, as well as all the playoff drama that's soon to come, I'm coming to grips with a bitter truth regarding the quarterbacks in tonight's game.

Chiefs Kingdom knows how great Patrick Mahomes is, but Justin Herbert has been better than our guy this season. Don't kill the messenger - it's a simple mathematical fact. Herbert's been better in every major statistic except for sacks and sack yards lost. When they faced off earlier this season, the young Chargers QB threw for four touchdowns without a turnover and recorded an Adjusted QBR that was 23 points higher than Patrick's. There is no denying that Herbert won the first battle of the season. The Chargers winning the war tonight would do serious damage to the Chiefs' chances at claiming another championship.

This game could come down to the last possession, as indicated by the three-point spread, and the way Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo coaches around a few key omissions to the defense could decide who wins tonight. Both teams could be dealing with major omissions to the roster, but we know for sure that Kansas City will be without Chris Jones, Willie Gay and L'Jarius Sneed. I was happy to give Spagnuolo credit recently for this defense's drastic improvement, but tonight is his biggest test of this regular season. I have faith that Spags can pass that test, especially because I have faith in guys like Nick Bolton and conference defensive player of the week Mike Hughes to make the most of their increased snap count.

It's a good time to be hot, and nobody's hotter than the Chiefs right now. Nobody's reached double-digits on this defense in three games, and nobody's scored more than 17 in the last six. Only five teams in the NFL now hold their opponents to fewer points per game. That's an objectively good defense, and a good defense succeeds even when missing key talent. I believe the Chiefs can meet these somewhat lofty expectations and win this one 31-24.

Revenge for Raiders in Week 14?

The Las Vegas Raiders would love nothing more than to upset the Kansas City Chiefs this week at Arrowhead. Vegas started their season with a three-game winning streak, but they've lost four of their last five while dealing with problems on and off the field. The organization is reportedly high on interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, but under his leadership, both the New York Giants and Washington Football Team already defeated the Raiders. Is there any way this downtrodden team can upset the resurgent Chiefs today?

Kansas City leaves themselves susceptible to losing to inferior teams when they turn the ball over. That's not rocket science, but it's still a game-changer worth noting. If the Raiders were taking the ball away from their opponents at a significant rate, that would fuel "upset alert" takes from football fans everywhere. Thankfully for Chiefs Kingdom, this is not the case. Vegas ranks 23rd league-wide with 13 total takeaways, while the Chiefs' 18 takeaways makes them 11th.

Could the Chiefs' mediocre run defense get in the way of their continued success over the Vegas Raiders? Despite huge improvement from the KC defense as a whole, they still have allowed at least five yards per carry to their last two opponents. This kept both games closer than fans in KC would've liked, but the Chiefs finished both days with a victory. The Raiders have only averaged more than 4.8 yards per carry one time this season - against the 4-8 New York Giants. Only the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans average fewer rushing yards per game than the Raiders.

There is no other facet of either team that makes me scared of Vegas today. An unimpressive receiver core mixed with an unimpressive rushing offense plus a Darren Waller injury is not the right recipe for success against this much-improved KC defense. Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid batter Vegas' secondary with great consistency, and there's no evidence saying that should change today. I'm predicting a 27-16 victory for Kansas City, which still leaves the Raiders with only three victories over the Chiefs in the 18 games they've played since the start of the 2013 season.

Divisional Drama Deepened by Denver's Dominant Defense

The resurgent Kansas City Chiefs face off with the resilient Denver Broncos at Arrowhead tonight in the first of three straight intra-division games on the Chiefs' schedule. KC's recent success made them frontrunners for winning the AFC West, but a loss tonight could once again flip this division on its head. Many may underestimate these 6-5 Broncos, but Denver's point differential this season is exactly one point higher than the Chiefs' +31. What's keeping this previously unheralded Broncos team in the mix?

Defense is how Denver achieved consistent success this season. Their passing yards and total yards allowed per game rank in the top ten league-wide. Their points allowed per game ranks third behind only the Pats and Bills, but the vast majority of offenses Denver faced so far range from average to awful. The Broncos limited the Dallas Cowboys to 16 points in Week 9, but the Cowboys were without brick wall left tackle Tyron Smith that day. Aside from Dallas, the highest-scoring offense Denver has faced is the Philadelphia Eagles, whose 25.3 points per game ranks 13th in the NFL. KC scores a similar 25.5 points per game this year, which ranks ninth.

The Chiefs undoubtedly enter this game with momentum, but the offense has still failed to meet expectations. Through their current four-game winning streak, Kansas City only scored over 20 points once. Denver excels in dropping back two safeties and limiting big plays, which is exactly how the rest of the league has stalled KC's offense all season long. Impressive rookie cornerback Pat Surtain II will also make today difficult for Tyreek Hill - the Chiefs' key deep threat. This could keep tonight's game closer than Vegas oddsmakers predict.

Despite Denver's imposing defense, I expect the Chiefs to prevail tonight. The bye week gives Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes an extra week to scheme up something to counter teams dropping back two safeties. We should see an improvement from Kansas City's offense because of this, but one extra week won't solve all their struggles. I predict an ugly 23-17 victory for Kansas City.

Impressive Defense Improves Chiefs' Championship Chances

Major improvements to the Kansas City Chiefs defense have completely altered the way the world views this team. Don't forget that Kansas City took a losing record into November this year. They allowed each team they faced to score at least 29 points in every game from the start of this season until the middle of October. That defense put Chiefs Kingdom in a position where we wondered if KC would miss out on the postseason completely. Now, after all those fear-inducing failures, the Chiefs are a first-place 7-4 team with realistic Super Bowl aspirations. After one of the worst starts to a season in the history of NFL defenses, the Chiefs' 22.7 points allowed per game currently ranks as exactly league average.

It's no surprise that it took various specific changes to make this transformation possible. Brett Veach's strategy of never overspending on cornerbacks works wonders when under-rated players like Rashaud Fenton, L'Jarius Sneed and Charvarius Ward avoid the injury report. The coinciding addition of Melvin Ingram seems to have ended the experiment of Chris Jones as an edge rusher for now. This decision immediately improved KC's ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo deserves a ton of credit for limiting snaps for Chiefs defenders susceptible to giving up big plays. Spags also deserves praise for expanding the roles of emerging young talent like Nick Bolton and Willie Gay. The center of Kansas City's defense hasn't looked this good since Derrick Johnson's prime, and it could be key to making the Chiefs a championship contender again.

All these changes give the Chiefs a tangibly greater chance of success every time they take the field. Kansas City allowed 32.6 points per game in their first five games of the season. They have allowed 11.75 points per game in their last four. I'm aware these victories came against Daniel Jones, Jordan Love and a Dallas Cowboys team without their two best receivers. Dallas didn't have problems putting up points without Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb on Turkey Day, but I digress. The Chiefs' improvements on defense surely have something to do with the teams they're playing, but tests against elite teams with elite quarterbacks are rare. Without this improvement from the defense, the Chiefs probably wouldn't have this four-game winning streak, and our playoff dreams would already be dashed.

Dak's Dominant Dallas Cowboys Come to KC

Things changed quickly in the AFC West last week after the resurgent Kansas City Chiefs overpowered the Las Vegas Raiders 41-14 in Vegas. Kansas City now leads the division and seems to be hitting their stride in every facet of the game. The Chiefs move on to face the Dallas Cowboys today in a possible Super Bowl preview. KC must continue this improvement while also avoiding major mistakes in order to keep up their winning ways this evening.

Patrick Mahomes successfully moving the ball with superstars and role-players, alike was the key to claiming a comfortable victory last Sunday. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill combined for 15 catches, 202 yards and two touchdowns, but Mahomes and Andy Reid spread the wealth. Mahomes threw touchdowns to four different Chiefs, and four different Chiefs ended the day with at least four receptions. Especially impressive was Darrel Williams' nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.

KC can outscore Dak Prescott's offense today if they continue this strategy while keeping the ball out of the hands of Trevon Diggs. He leads the league with eight picks and ranks second with 13 pass deflections. It's very possible Andy Reid schemes the offense around this guy to limit his game-wrecking potential, but other gifted coaches have tried to do the same and failed.

Turnovers are perhaps a boring topic, but it's important to know that Diggs has helped his team to the NFL's 7th-best turnover differential. Even after a game with no interceptions by Mahomes and a Daniel Sorensen pick, the Chiefs still rank 29th in turnover differential. If KC just keeps the differential in today's game even, they should be able to beat one of the truly elite teams in football right now. It's time for the Chiefs to take care of business against a Super Bowl contender with a Pro Bowl-caliber QB under center. I'm predicting an exciting 34-31 victory for Kansas City.

Can KC Claim Crucial Victory in Vegas?

Our eyes now turn to the desert where the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Las Vegas Raiders in a pivotal divisional face-off. The winner here undeniably takes the inside track in the race for the AFC West. Can the Chiefs play a complete enough game to claim victory tonight? We can at least see that their defense looks up to the task recently.

This Chiefs defense held opponents to a touchdown or less in five out of their last eight halves of football. Chris Jones moving to the inside with the addition of an immediately effective Melvin Ingram made a major impact, as did the improving health of KC's secondary. Perhaps the most important recent change is the emergence of Nick Bolton and Willie Gay as trustworthy, dynamic athletes in the middle of the Chiefs defense. The presence of these capable, young linebackers will improve both Kansas City's defense and financial status for years to come.

All these improvements defensively flips this teams' identity, especially when paired with surprising struggles of Patrick Mahomes. Despite perhaps the worst stretch of football in his still-young career, I cannot expect Mahomes to be mediocre today or ever. This week is just different, not only because of the Raiders, but because of the chance KC has to take hold of their division.

Some regression to the mean must also be expected regarding the production of each teams' QB. Mahomes ranks 16th in QBR, and right behind him at 17 is Derek Carr. The Chiefs' half-a-billion-dollar man finished 2nd overall in that category last season, and Carr finished at 11th. 

Vegas has also just shown the league that they can limit the opposition's quarterback, but they also showed that it may not matter. The Raiders allowed only 110 passing yards last week while sacking the opposing QB twice and hitting him six times. Despite this, they still lost to Daniel Jones' Giants.

Like I remind myself every week, it's not all about KC's quarterback. The Chiefs should utilize their emerging rushing offense against this Raiders defense that allows the fifth-fewest passing yards per game and the fifth-most rushing yards per game this season. If Andy Reid and the rest of the coaching staff can do this effectively, it should give the Raiders plenty of time to beat themselves. I predict a hard-earned 27-23 victory for the Chiefs tonight.

Will Packers Present Problems to Chiefs in Anti-Vax Aaron's Absence?

Packers fans can thank the "immunized" Aaron Rodgers for giving the Kansas City Chiefs a major advantage today, but that's not the whole story. A flawed Chiefs team that eked out a win against the New York Giants last Monday must still face a Green Bay Packers defense that just limited Kyler Murray enough to hand an L to the previously undefeated Arizona Cardinals.

Green Bay ranks ninth or better league-wide in points allowed, total yards allowed and passing yards allowed per game. The Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills are the only teams the Chiefs have faced that rank higher than the Packers in passing defense. As you probably remember, both of those teams defeated Kansas City. That Packers defense will face off with a young QB with suddenly plummeting stock in the eyes of the sports media, as Patrick Mahomes is off to the worst start to a season that he's ever experienced.

His Adjusted QBR is a full 20 points lower than any season total in his career. He's one interception away from tying the combined total from his previous two seasons. He's still just a few moments away from shaking off this apprehension and getting back to being an all-time great, and I cannot be convinced otherwise. For now though, he has a lot of critics to prove wrong.

It's important (for me) to remember that Mahomes isn't the whole story every week. Kansas City's future at the linebacker position looks bright as Nick Bolton and Willie Gay are making strides in their development. That should be important when facing a Packers team focused on running the ball successfully and moving the chains with short passes, even when Rodgers is playing. The relationship between KC's alternative running backs and the new offensive line blocking for them also seems to be improving rapidly. Since Green Bay's secondary is one of the league's best, and their rushing defense is just average, KC could use this to their advantage today.

Should this be enough to help Kansas City get the job done this afternoon? I believe so. The Chiefs cannot lose this game when they're .500 and facing a quarterback in his first NFL start. Maybe Kansas City winds up being one of the best 4-4 teams ever, or maybe the flaws we've seen actually make them far closer to average than Chiefs Kingdom can currently accept. A victory for the Chiefs today still leaves us with a bunch of what-if questions, but a defeat at the hands of a backup quarterback would solidify many fears about Kansas City's many flaws.

The Chiefs are consistently losing to playoff-caliber football teams and beating below-average ones. Nobody knows with certainty what the identity of this Packers team will be with Jordan Love running the offense. He's a talented guy learning how to do his job from one of the best to ever do that job, so I expect him to play well, but he's not outplaying a motivated Mahomes today. I predict that we'll see a close game due to both Love's grooming and Kansas City's still-glaring flaws. The Chiefs should win - I'll go with 27-23 - and reclaim a winning record.

Chiefs' Flaws Fueling Fans' Fears

Everyone sees the Kansas City Chiefs differently now after they looked lost against playoff-caliber competition like the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans. Certain players, coaches and management apparently at fault for these recent struggles are under the microscope now, perhaps more than ever before. A win against a banged-up 2-5 New York Giants team wouldn't quiet the rightfully loud critics, but a loss could make the playoff hopes for the once-mighty Chiefs look highly unrealistic.

Thankfully, I cannot predict that such a disappointing defeat will take place tonight. The Chiefs have taken care of the other flawed teams from the NFC East when they handily defeated both the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Football Team. With the current Vegas spread sitting at +10 1/2, the stage is clearly set for the Chiefs to succeed tonight. Since they have a clear advantage over New York and a tough stretch of the schedule coming up next, the natural instinct to look past the Giants could be tough for KC to overcome. Does that make this a trap game for the Chiefs?

It's far from impossible. Remarkably ineffective defense and eye-catching turnover issues have conjured up more fear in Kansas City than anything Halloween can offer us. The Chiefs rank 26th or worse in points allowed per game, points allowed per play, passing yards allowed per game, rushing yards allowed per game and total yards allowed per game. No other team in the league can make that claim. The Chiefs ALSO rank 26th or worse in total takeaways, interceptions, fumbles, total giveaways and turnover differential. These flaws make Kansas City a team that's hard to trust, regardless of their opponent.

The Chiefs are now desperate to win every game against teams on their schedule who aren't among the elite in the league because that schedule includes many more games against the teams who are. A defeat at the hands of a team that Vegas oddsmakers expect KC to beat by double-digits could theoretically take the Chiefs out of the playoffs. That desperation could be medicine or poison for a Chiefs team that's been through all the highs and lows of championship glory together and still never looked this flawed.

I believe a new sense of urgency will prove useful to this tested, veteran-heavy Chiefs roster moving forward. Regardless of any urgency-based motivation, the Giants will still line up against one of the worst defenses in football tonight. Whether that defense can improve enough to even be considered average remains to be seen. I'm not expecting all of the fear-inducing problems with this Chiefs team to disappear over a week of practice, so I can't predict domination tonight. I'll go with an ugly, stressful 30-24 victory for the Chiefs that keeps Kansas City's fans nearly as stressed as before the game began. Chiefs Kingdom knows the road to glory has just become unexpectedly perilous.

Can Patrick's Passing Prowess Overcome Derrick Henry's Dominance?

The Tennessee Titans just shook things up in the AFC with a victory over the Buffalo Bills. This wasn't one of those weird, fluky games where crazy turnovers happen or timely penalties cost the superior team a victory. The Titans and Bills each turned the ball over just once, and Tennessee gave up 31 more yards via penalty than Buffalo did. The Titans just got the job done against a Bills team that looked, for a moment, like the best team in the conference.

This is an impressive feat, but it could turn out to be a major anomaly. Prior to their win against Buffalo, Tennessee faced four straight teams with defenses ranking no better than 20th in yards allowed per game. The currently undefeated Arizona Cardinals smoked the Titans 38-13 in Week 1, which means last week's victory over the Bills was Tennessee's only successful showing against a strong defense so far. Luckily for Titans fans, the Titans and the frontrunner for MVP will face off this Sunday with a defense that is objectively not strong, to put it kindly.

The Chiefs rank 27th league-wide in rushing yards allowed per game and 30th in opponent yards per rush attempt. KC linebacker Anthony Hitchens has already been ruled out, and Chris Jones' status is still listed as questionable. That's bad news for a team trying to stop this era's version of Jim Brown. Titans superstar Derrick Henry compiled at least 110 rushing yards in each of his last five games. He's going to beat up a bad Chiefs rushing defense, and that's no hot take, but will it be enough to make up for Tennessee's own flaws on defense?

Opponents with good offenses score a lot on this Tennessee defense that has allowed the fourth-most passing yards and fourth-most points to opponents this season. The only two teams with winning records that Tennessee has faced this season scored at least 30 points, and so did the 2-4 Seattle Seahawks when Russell Wilson was still healthy. If Derrick Henry couldn't ensure victory for the Titans against Zach Wilson and the New York Jets, fans in Chiefs Kingdom should be excited about Patrick Mahomes' performance today. I'm predicting a 37-34 victory for a Chiefs team with plenty of concerns on defense and plenty of firepower on offense.

Will Patrick Punish Washington's Weak Pass Defense?

The Washington Football Team and the Kansas City Chiefs enter today's meeting with identical 2-3 records. I sure as hell did not predict that. I did predict that KC would ultimately come up short against the Buffalo Bills last week, but I wasn't expecting such a wide gap on the scoreboard. The key difference between last week's game and this one will be the ability of Kansas City's opponent to exploit their weaknesses.

Buffalo entered last week's game with a strong rushing attack, a studly secondary and the league's best turnover differential. The Chiefs entered that game with turnover concerns and a defense with no identity, or at least not a positive one. Buffalo reaped the rewards of these advantages and sent Kansas City sports radio into a dynastical death-declaring panic. Washington has Scary Terry McLaurin averaging 13.8 yards per catch this year, but their offense is otherwise remarkably average. Buffalo now boasts the league's best turnover differential at +11 while Kansas City drops to the second-worst at -7, but KC is one of only four teams with a differential worse than Washington's -3. The Chiefs only put 20 on the board last week against the legitimately elite Bills defense, but they should have better chances of succeeding against a Washington defense that allows the league's fifth-most passing yards per game.

If it wasn't already obvious, the problem here is not the Chiefs offense. Kansas City ranks fifth league-wide in points per game and fourth in total yards. Patrick Mahomes still ranks second in touchdown passes and Adjusted QBR while remaining top-eight in passing yards, completion percentage and Passer Rating. He's doing this while throwing as many picks through his first five games this year as he threw in either of his last two seasons.

Chiefs Kingdom should be excited to see what a guy like Mahomes does when motivated and maybe even angered by this undesirable start to the season. I'm predicting a 41-27 victory and a return to relatively clean football for the Chiefs today. Dropped passes, turnovers and penalties are topics I don't want to discuss for the rest of my life, let alone this week.

Buffalo's Strengths Present Problems for Flawed Chiefs

How will our 2-2 Kansas City Chiefs look when they take the field against the conference's other top dog? The 3-1 Buffalo Bills looked downright dominant in their last three weeks. Our Chiefs dropped two of three and made many fans wonder about their weaknesses. Unfortunately for Chiefs Kingdom, those weaknesses worth wondering about are weaknesses that tonight's opponent is built to exploit.

After losing to Pittsburgh in Week 1, Buffalo has scored 118 points and allowed just 21. They've shut out two of their last three opponents. Buffalo's offense scores the second-most points per game in the NFL. This compliments a strong defense that attacks opposing quarterbacks, which is clearly something Kansas City struggles with this season. Only three teams average fewer sacks per game than the Chiefs, and only five teams average more sacks per game than the Bills.

It's an all-around matchup nightmare for Kansas City. Buffalo's strengths can theoretically limit KC's strengths and exploit their weaknesses. The Bills rank 9th league-wide in yards per rush attempt, and nobody allows more yards per rush to opponents than our Kansas City Chiefs. While the Chiefs are still 6th in yards per pass attempt, Buffalo has allowed the fewest yards per pass attempt in the league this season. The Bills also have the best turnover differential at +7, and only four teams have a worse differential than the Chiefs' -3.

It looks bad for the Chiefs when seen from this perspective, but understanding the level of competition each team has played against alters that perspective entirely. The Bills faced off against Pittsburgh, Miami, Washington and Houston. The 2-2 Washington Football Team is the only team Buffalo has faced this season that has won more than one game. The Bills truly have not been tested, and the hungry, hard-to-stop Chiefs will be miles better than anyone on Buffalo's schedule so far. Kansas City, on the other hand, has played against three playoff-worthy 3-1 teams...and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Picking a winner this week is no easy task. It's difficult to determine how much the differences in each teams' schedule affect their statistical rankings. No matter who Buffalo has played this year, my eyes tell me they're a team with a strong rushing attack and secondary. Because of the aforementioned clashes of weaknesses and strengths in Buffalo's favor, I have to predict a 30-27 Bills victory. Still, it won't be stunning if Patrick Mahomes pulls of something magical and KC gets it done. I'll spend my night hoping for that magic and hoping that my predicting is totally wrong.

How Will Chiefs Respond to Early Adversity?

It took several turnovers and game-changing penalties to get it done, but our Kansas City Chiefs reacted to their disappointing defeat in Baltimore with a disappointing defeat at Arrowhead. Few expected this. Chiefs Kingdom is shaken. The space between games felt painfully long this week. Ugly turnovers at inopportune moments cost the Chiefs two out of their first three games as they faced off with some of the AFC's best, but today will be different. Today, KC faces off with a 1-2 Philadelphia Eagles team led by a talented young quarterback experiencing significant growing pains in an organization with no expectations of reaching the playoffs this year.

It's no surprise that KC is a big favorite today, but if the Chiefs let this week's game stay interesting for long, the success-hungry fans of Kansas City will consider it an underperformance. Patrick Mahomes and a motivated Chiefs team should finish today with their biggest margin of victory of the season so far, and maybe their biggest of the entire year. Philly just lost to the Dallas Cowboys by 20, as Dak Prescott completed over 80% of his passes and threw for three touchdowns. Chiefs deep threat maestro Tyreek Hill only caught five passes last week and three the week before. I expect his impact on this game to be bigger than it was in these last two weeks, and I expect the Chiefs to overwhelm the Eagles with their superior offensive firepower.

What could turn this potential blowout into another nail-biter, or worse, another heart-breaking L for the Chiefs? The obvious answer is turnovers, which can ruin even the most well-crafted gameplan, but what else? KC's run defense is bad right now, and Jalen Hurts' running ability presents problems for bad run defenses. The Chiefs defense allows the second-most rushing yards per game and the second-most points per game league-wide. It's worth noting once again, though, that the Chiefs experienced these struggles while facing three of the best teams the AFC has to offer. Philly has upside, but they're objectively the worst team on paper that Kansas City has faced so far this season. Aside from the technical reasons why the Chiefs are the superior team taking the field today, there is another, more philosophical advantage that KC brings to today's meeting.

A team playing for their chance to achieve greatness becomes hungry and dangerous after facing early-season adversity. KC still has every reason to believe they can earn a bye week in the playoffs when they see the underwhelming teams currently atop the standings. The AFC's three teams with three wins are the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals. I don't believe that any of these teams that failed to finish last season with winning records will threaten the Chiefs' chances at the top playoff seed this season. Dropping to 1-3 would make reclaiming the #1 seed highly unlikely, while climbing to 2-2 keeps the chase for the bye week alive and well. This simple fact will motivate everyone in the Chiefs organization.

I'm predicting a 37-20 victory for our Chiefs today as they try to get mentally healthy before facing the Buffalo Bills next Sunday night. A Kansas City team led by Andy Reid won't overlook the Eagles; they'll simply execute their game-plan effectively enough to use Philly as their punching bag after two weeks of serious frustration.

Will Herbert Wilt Under Wild Arrowhead Crowd?

Witnessing an elite team's adjustments after a disappointing defeat is an inherently intriguing moment in any sport. How will the Kansas City Chiefs react to letting the game slip away last week? KC returns to Arrowhead today to face a foe from within the division with a bright future and a potentially elite young quarterback.

The Los Angeles Chargers, despite my praise, also failed to win a very winnable game last week when they lost 20-17 to the Dallas Cowboys. Justin Herbert shows flashes of brilliance and has completed over 70% of his passes this season, but he's falling short of the production offered by Patrick Mahomes. Herbert has a Passer Rating of 86.1, an Adjusted QBR of 42.8 and a 7.7 yards-per-completion average. Mahomes has a Passer Rating 131.4, an Adjusted QBR of 78.6 and a 10.1 yards-per-completion average.

The promising Chargers QB has an array of worthy weapons at his disposal. A potent combo of Austin Ekeler, Mike Williams and Keenan Allen could give the Chiefs defense headaches, but again, the Chargers haven't yet put the pieces together to create a consistently successful offense. After facing the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Football Team, this Herbert-led offense averages 416 yards per game  which is fifth-highest in the NFL. Despite this success moving the ball, their average of 18.5 points scored per game is sixth-lowest.

The frightening truth for Chiefs Kingdom entering this game is that KC's defense keeps failing to perform at the same level as those in Dallas and D.C. The Chiefs defense allows the most yards per game of any team in the league and the fifth-most points so far this season. Their biggest failures have come in the redzone, where Chiefs opponents have scored eight touchdowns in eight appearances.

Today's face-off certainly seems like a good example of the old "something's gotta give" cliché. Will Herbert continue to stunt his own success with turnovers, or will KC's defense keep crumbling deep in their own territory? The results from this game will give us a little bit of both, I would guess. Look for the Chiefs to make a play or two on defense that will mostly make up for their aforementioned redzone struggles. I'm predicting an exciting, rivalry-growing 33-27 victory for the Chiefs as the Arrowhead crowd goes crazy.

Baltimore Brings Big Injury Issues Into Week 2

The 0-1 Baltimore Ravens are dealing with a ridiculous number of season-threatening injuries, and former MVP Lamar Jackson really has his work cut out for him against the 1-0 Kansas City Chiefs.

J.K Dobbins and Gus Edwards took the lion's share of non-Lamar rushes for the Ravens last year, and they're on Baltimore's injured reserve list. This cultivates serious concern for the team that led football in rushing yards last season. Receivers Miles Boykin and Rashod Bateman are also on Baltimore's injured reserve list, while Marquise Brown and Devin Duvernay are both listed as questionoable for today's game after getting limited time in practice on Friday. That's not to mention a list of guys missing from the Ravens defense that includes edge rusher Derek Wolfe and old friend Marcus Peters. How will so many meaningful injuries affect Baltimore when they face Kansas City tonight, and how will the Chiefs take advantage?

Baltimore lost a thriller last Monday night to the Las Vegas Raiders. Another old friend Sammy Watkins and running back Ty'Son Williams helped Lamar keep the Baltimore offense moving, but the Ravens defense kept giving up big plays until it cost them the game. Vegas tight end Darren Waller looked particularly dominant against the Ravens last week, catching ten passes for 105 yards and a score. Luckily for Baltimore, the Chiefs are totally mediocre at the tight end position and have always lacked a real stand-out star. Jordy Fortson looks pretty good, I guess.

The Chiefs have concerns of their own to worry about, but it's difficult to get past Baltimore's current flaws following their loss to the Raiders and the aforementioned list of injury issues. I'm not so sure that Kansas City's potential weakness against a strong rushing attack will really doom them when they face off against a team that just let Derek Carr lob bombs to wide-open targets downfield when the game was on the line. Baltimore allowed Vegas to pile up 491 total yards on offense- the most allowed by any defense in Week 1.

Adjustments and improvements should be made to a well-coached Ravens D that ranked third league-wide in yards per attempt allowed last season. Still, if Derek Carr can throw for 435 yards on this Baltimore secondary, what's possible for Patrick? I'm predicting a 34-24 victory for the Chiefs, as Travis Kelce adds another great performance to his Hall of Fame resume and Lamar yet again looks great in defeat.

Revamped Chiefs Offensive Line Faces Tough Test in Week 1

Today, we witness an important and unprecedented change to the foundation of what makes the Kansas City Chiefs so successful. A total transformation of an offensive line for the sake of better protecting an asset this expensive has never happened. The Kansas City Chiefs acquired proven, top-shelf talent for the left side of the line, but the center, right guard and right tackle positions will all be filled by rookies.

 Lucas Niang, a 2020 third-round pick who opted out of playing last season, will join 2021 second-round draft pick Creed Humphrey and sixth-rounder Trey Smith to help protect the half-a-billion-dollar-man, Patrick Mahomes. The efficacy of this entirely new unit remains unknown despite the mostly positive reports from preseason and training camp. Today's game should prove a solid test, as even the most proven of NFL offensive lines would have their work cut out for them against this new Cleveland Browns defense.

Cleveland used their first round pick on Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome II, who already impressed Cleveland so much that he leapfrogged fellow promising young defensive back Greedy Williams on the depth chart to be listed as the starter opposite Denzel Ward. Cleveland's second pick yielded an All-American and Dick Butkus Award winner in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah that should strengthen the middle of the Browns defense for many seasons to come. The Browns also added Pro Bowler defensive tackle Malik Jackson and former #1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney.

All these improvements for Cleveland could make things tough for Kansas City's new offensive line, but clues to how KC's coaching staff will deal with this can be found in film on the last time these teams met. Andy Reid's cleverness helped the Chiefs overcome a disadvantage in the trenches when they faced the Browns in last season's divisional round playoff game. Pre-snap motion and moments of misdirection helped Mahomes to such success that the offensive line's weaknesses were almost completely masked. 12 of Kansas City's first 22 plays on offense resulted in first downs. This helped the Chiefs to a 16-point lead at halftime that forced the Browns into a pass-heavy offensive scheme for the rest of the game. Baker Mayfield threw a pick to start the second half, and KC went on to win, even with Mahomes injured.

Despite the upgrades for both teams, I think smart coaching will again help the Chiefs mask their weaknesses and make the most of their strengths. I'm predicting a 31-24 victory for our Chiefs over a Browns team that should bounce back well enough to earn a playoff spot again this season.

Buffalo's Key Weakness Sets Stage for Mahomes Magic

Only the Buffalo Bills stand between the Kansas City Chiefs and consecutive Super Bowl appearances. Rarely has staring at a grid of numbers induced such goosebumps as when I look through stats for a Chiefs playoff game, as if that finally makes it all real. The historically unprecedented nature of this era in Chiefs history amplifies the intensity of every second of football we witness. So, how can Kansas City overcome Buffalo and keep the good times rolling?

Patrick Mahomes, by virtue of being phenomenally good at his job, is the story in Kansas City sports most of the time. Today will be no different, not only because of his greatness, but because of the Bills' recent history of struggling against top-shelf quarterback talent. Buffalo faced three QB's with a top-ten Passer Rating in the regular season. They lost to Ryan Tannehill's Titans in Week 5, then to Patrick's Chiefs in Week 6. The Bills later went on to win a 44-34 shootout with the Russel Wilson-led Seahawks in Week 9. To be fair, Buffalo also faced the guy with the league's 11th-best Passer Rating last week, when Lamar Jackson only put three points on the board for the Baltimore Ravens. 

Buffalo typically excels at limiting the success of the opposition's quarterback. They looked impressive against Baltimore last week, who seemed unstoppable in the weeks leading up to their early playoff exit. The Bills also succeeded with their blitz strategy when facing Baltimore, sacking Lamar Jackson four times and hitting him eight times. That was an impressive showing from Buffalo, but we all know Lamar and Mahomes are two totally different players.

The Bills now have the unenviable task of traveling to Arrowhead to slow down a guy who's on pace to become the greatest quarterback this planet ever produced. A respectable Buffalo defense that features elite cornerback play from Tre'Davious White needs to limit Patrick's success throwing to Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and other athletic pass-catching options. Josh Allen's offense looks excellent this season, and their 396.4 passing yards per game ranks second-best in the NFL. Unfortunately for them, the Chiefs averaged over 19 more passing yards than anyone else.

This evening, just after the sun sets on a chilly Kansas City day in January, our Chiefs take the field at Arrowhead with a chance to keep chasing the dream of a dynasty. Men like Tyrann Mathieu, Andy Reid and obviously Patrick Mahomes live for these moments. I expect them to take the reigns and lead our Chiefs to a 34-27 victory. Please, if it's safe, enjoy this with people who love football and love you.

Can KC Overcome Success-Craving Cleveland?

Our defending Super Bowl champions take the field in mere moments. The Kansas City Chiefs face the Cleveland Browns today, and the winners punch their ticket to the AFC Championship game next weekend. While the Chiefs overcame a laundry list of legit competition to earn the #1 seed, the Browns' obstacles looked less impressive.

Cleveland's schedule was a joke. The 11-5 Browns won only three games against winning football teams in the regular season. Their schedule included victories over each team from the NFC East, a win over the Texans, two wins from the Bengals and one from the one-win Jaguars. The Browns also lost to the New York Jets in Week 16. If Cleveland didn't face so many cupcake opponents this season, they may not have made it this far.

The Chiefs beat the Ravens, Bills, Bucs and Saints in the regular season, which further galvanized the reigning champions. The Browns needed an easy schedule to sneak their way into the playoffs, just like they needed a bad game from the Steelers to sneak into the second round.

It's true that Patrick Mahomes and his offense are guilty of getting off to slow starts this season. However, none of KC's struggles compare to the awful way Pittsburgh started the game last week. The Steelers' first six possessions resulted in three interceptions, two punts and a botched long-snap that turned into a Browns touchdown. Kansas City will not do that today. 

Regardless of who they beat to reach this point, Cleveland matches up well against KC in numerous ways. Baker Mayfield deserves credit for making plays in key moments throughout the season, and he's bringing with him the world's best rushing duo. All throughout the regular season, the Browns' elite run game found success against defenses better-equipped at stopping the run than Kansas City's.

Numbers also indicate that the Browns will have the advantage in the red zone, an area in which KC has been surprisingly ineffective on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs allow the highest percentage of touchdowns scored by opponents in the red zone, and Cleveland ranks third league-wide in red zone touchdown scoring efficiency. Part of the Browns' success has to do with protecting their young quarterback, but at least KC also excels in protecting Patrick. Sacks-per-game statistics show that both defenses are below-average at sacking the QB, and both offensive lines prevent sacks at an elite level.

I expect the Browns to utilize an efficient offense that burns clock and limits the opportunities for Mahomes to scorch that flawed Cleveland secondary. The grand sum of all the nice things listed above about the Browns should be enough to let Cleveland avoid embarrassment this afternoon, but it won't be enough to beat the defending champs. I predict a 34-24 victory for our Chiefs and a mild headache for me after lots of joyful shouting.

Gambling Goodness Today, Mahomes Magic Tomorrow

The reigning champs of the NFL play tomorrow, but Chiefs Kingdom gets two playoff battles to enjoy today. While we're at it, let's make some money! Betting on sports is legal now, I think, so I can talk about spreads and parlays and all that fun stuff. Let's just dip our toe in the water with two good bets for two intriguing games.

Football fans worldwide look forward to seeing the beefy Los Angeles Rams defense facing off with the prolific Packers passing attack. A Los Angeles secondary that tackles well should limit yards after the catch for Packers receivers like the dominant Davante Adams. The absence of legendary left tackle David Bakhtiari should hurt Green Bay's ability to protect Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Donald's health is also somewhat in question, but the entire Rams defense is impressive. The last time Rodgers faced a strong defense in the playoffs, he threw two picks and lost by 17 to the San Francisco 49ers. The Rams should make this one closer than Vegas assumes, so I'm betting that the Packers will fail to cover a 6 1/2-point spread. 

Green Bay's 31.8 points per game in the regular season led the league, but they played some awful defenses. If we're ranking defenses based on points allowed per game, the Packers played five regular season games against bottom-five defenses and seven games against the bottom ten. Green Bay hasn't faced a top-five defense since September. Since then, they faced off with only two top-ten defenses, and they lost both times. I'm not saying Rodgers can't win today. I just think this game will be decided by fewer than seven points. Bet the spread, thank me later, and give a little bit of your winnings to Patrick Mahomes' trustworthy charity.

While the Packers' recent history shows little proof of success against elite defenses, the Buffalo Bills have no such problem. Josh Allen's squad won three games against three of the best defenses in football when they beat the Rams, Steelers and Miami Dolphins in regular season play. Only the Rams kept the contest within a single possession. Buffalo's offense seems unstoppable lately, and despite Baltimore's legit defense, I'm keeping my eye on betting lines for the Bills.

Buffalo averaged a whopping 38.9 points over their last eight regular season games. Today's Over/Under for Bills points currently rests at 26.5. Buffalo only scored fewer than 26.5 once over their last nine games, when they scored 26 against the Steelers in Week 14. Bet the Over on points for the Bills, then give back to KC by donating to the folks who help keep our city's underprivileged kids healthy. Gambling is good for you and good for society, see?

Patrick Poised for Productive Playoffs Despite Season-Ending Slump

Wild Card Weekend will give us hours of football goodness and determine who will face the defending Super Bowl champs next week. If the Buffalo Bills take care of business in the early game, the Kansas City Chiefs' potential opponents narrow down to Tennessee, Baltimore and Cleveland. A Cleveland Browns victory over Pittsburgh paired with a Buffalo Bills victory would seal Cleveland into a meeting with the reigning champs. Now that the Browns find themselves without their head coach this week, the Pittsburgh Steelers are favored by 3.5 points. So, if the Vegas favorites win in the AFC this week, our Chiefs will face a Baltimore Ravens team that looks seriously imposing right now.

Baltimore has led the league in regular season scoring margin averages two years straight. Tennessee truly is a legit playoff team capable of beating Baltimore, but the Ravens' recent success makes their advantage undeniable. The Tennessee Titans average over 19 more rushing yards per game than every team in the league except Baltimore, but Baltimore averages over 23 more yards on the ground than the Titans. Lamar Jackson represents a unique threat to any defense. While a dominant Derrick Henry performance could get rid of the Ravens before they become KC's concern, my money's on Lamar this week.

I believe the Ravens and Bills are Kansas City's biggest threats in the AFC. To reach another Super Bowl, KC may need to beat them both. It is important to remember that the Chiefs already beat both by two possessions in the regular season. Regardless of what happens throughout Wild Card Weekend, KC will enter their first game of 2021 as a significant favorite. However, Lamar looks excellent right now, and Patrick seemed to struggle at year's end.

Most football fans would agree that Patrick Mahomes underperformed in December. In those final four games of his regular season, Mahomes failed to post a triple-digit Passer Rating. He completed under 56% of his passes in both of his most recent performances, and he threw four interceptions in his last three games. All this may conjure up some stress in the hearts and minds of Chiefs fans everywhere, but Mahomes' mediocrity over this stretch is overstated.

Look back at the conference in early December and you'll start to see what I mean. The Pittsburgh Steelers approached their Week 13 meeting with Washington with an 11-0 record and pole position for the AFC's #1 seed. Then, Pittsburgh lost to Washington, before traveling to Buffalo to lose to Josh Allen and Associates. Then, the Steelers lost on December 21st when they faced the mighty Cincinnati Bengals. These three consecutive L's gave the Chiefs a comfy lead for the #1 seed and gave the Steelers a face-full of humble pie.

Patrick Mahomes' run of mediocre play coincided with Pittsburgh's losing streak. Perhaps it's not a great sign that the Chiefs showed signs of boredom as they limped their way to the finish line, but I'm willing to blame that boredom for at least some of the struggle.

Sure, Patrick played poorly when the Chiefs had a multi-game lead in the AFC and faced off with the four-win Falcons. When KC was fighting to reclaim the #1 seed back in Week 12, things were a little different. A first-round bye was still up for grabs as the Chiefs faced off with Tompa Bay. Mahomes racked up 462 passing yards and three TD's while completing over 75% of his passes and never throwing a pick. When it mattered, Mahomes was magic. I don't expect that to change any time soon.

Many Week 17 Moments Still Matter To Mastermind Brett Veach

Depth and productivity provided by an undrafted player represents success for the Kansas City Chiefs in so many ways. Finding effective parts of the roster that won't break the bank seems to be a key strength for Chiefs general manager Brett Veach. Promising former Missouri Tiger Yasir Durant could be the next poignant example of Veach's very successful strategy.

Injury problems persisted throughout 2020 for KC's core of trustworthy offensive linemen, which makes the emergence of young talent all-the-more important. During a critical meeting with the Miami Dolphins in Week 14, a back injury sidelined veteran Chiefs right tackle Mike Remmers. This gave undrafted rookie Yasir Durant his first opportunity at real NFL playing time.

Durant consistently faced top-shelf collegiate pass-rushing talent when he played three seasons as one of the best linemen in the SEC. The freshly-signed Chief played 24 of his 38 NFL offensive snaps as he replaced Remmers that day, and Yasir looked solid doing it. Head coach Andy Reid sounded impressed with the lineman's intellect when speaking with media in the weeks that followed, telling anyone asking about Durant that he was "smart" and displayed "great upside."

Analyzing the effectiveness of an undrafted lineman doesn't sound like the most thrilling way to spend your Sunday, but these smaller details matter to the folks trying to create a dynasty in this salary cap-altered era of American football. Durant is just one of many examples of less-heralded parts of the roster getting a chance to shine, thereby affecting the way KC builds their team in the future. Resting first-stringers like Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins gives the coaching staff more time to analyze Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle. More snaps for tight end Deon Yelder will help KC learn more about the status of depth at that position.

The effectiveness of these players is pivotal in building KC's plan for both the offseason and the next draft. Hidden somewhere in whatever office the Chiefs use to do their big-picture strategizing is a board or a list of some kind deciding how to prioritize certain parts of this team during the upcoming NFL draft and the free agency market. Today's game should give us moments that move certain positions up or down that board, especially concerning the offensive line and wide receiver groups. That probably won't give you goosebumps like a Patrick Mahomes playoff game, but it is meaningful.