Meaningful Kansas City football returns today, Chiefs Kingdom. We all want to see our reigning MVP go wild, but I'm actually more excited to see KC's torn-down, rebuilt defense face off against an improved Jacksonville Jaguars offense. We'll inevitably be amazed by Patrick Mahomes again and again, but we already knew that coming into the season. The Chiefs' defense gives us no such certainty, especially in Week 1 against a Jacksonville squad that KC cannot underestimate.
The Jags ranked 27th in yards per game and 31st in points per game last season, but veteran Super Bowl champ Nick Foles will look like a Hall of Famer to Jacksonville fans after their previous ugly experiences. A healthy Leonard Fournette is a great Week 1 test for the Chiefs' new run-stuffing strategies. He's one of the league's best when he's on his game, and KC's new 4-3 defense will need to limit backs like Fournette in order to be successful. That's no easy task for a group that has never played a meaningful game together.
At no fault of its own, this defense lacks an identity. Edge rush threat Frank Clark brings an impressive four-season resume with him, along with some of that Legion of Boom mystique, but he's in a new place with a new coach and system for the first time in his career. It's tough to say whether or not he can improve upon his 13 sack season in 2018. The much-maligned secondary saw dramatic alterations as well. On paper, they're better this season, but can newcomers like Tyran Mathieu and Bashaud Breeland mesh with Kendal Fuller and Company this early in the season? Nobody knows yet, but I'm excited to learn more.
New defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo knows that his mission is to once again upend the New England Patriots' chances at a Super Bowl. However, to give the Chiefs solid seeding in the playoffs, Spags and KC need to win consistently against good-not-great teams like Jacksonville. The majority of the football world would wager that KC's defense will improve this year, but today we'll see what the new unit is capable of when it actually matters. With the Chiefs' potentially record-breaking offense and consistently stellar special teams play, the Kansas City defense will be the biggest worry for the Kingdom. The speed in which that group of guys finds cohesion factors heavily into the Chiefs' chances to go all the way this season.
In just minutes, we get to witness Chapter One of a story that could conclude in Super Bowl glory. Soak that in and have fun today.
Doug LaCerte is a freelance sportswriter with a Facebook page and a Twitter feed that he likes to neglect equally.
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