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.

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.

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.

Faulty Defense and Fantastic Offense Face Tough Week 2 Test in Pittsburgh

The Kansas City Chiefs once again started their season with a head-turning victory, but experts still say the Chiefs are heavy underdogs against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2. KC has the Chargers' number, but it seems the Steelers have KC's number. However, Pro Football Focus listed the Chargers' secondary as the NFL's second-best in their preseason rankings. Pittsburgh came in at #23. Could the Kingdom's new leader Patrick Mahomes continue his success by exorcising some demons in the Steel City? I may break something in joy if that happens.

Tomorrow's game is another huge test for KC's flawed secondary, which allowed 424 yards and benefited from numerous dropped Philip Rivers passes that could've significantly changed the game last week. Big Ben Roethlisberger threw three picks and fumbled twice, but still threw for 335 yards and scored 21 points on the Cleveland Browns in his start to the season. Perhaps the deciding factor in tomorrow's game will be if Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford provides enough pressure opposite Justin Houston to make Ben uncomfortable and force some turnovers.

This is the beginning of something great for Chiefs Kingdom. I'm still not convinced that this will translate to any playoff success this season, though. Remember all the well-thrown passes dropped by Chargers last week. Remember the several times when the KC secondary looked completely lost. Remember how dangerous JuJu Smith-Schuster and Antonio Brown are together. Remember that Mahomes will throw more picks than Alex Smith, and remember that KC's leading turnover producer is now a Los Angeles Ram. I only ask you to remember all this so we as fans can temper our expectations while this Chiefs offense keeps doing things that are truly unforgettable.

Here are my three predictions for tomorrow's game in Pittsburgh:

1. Patrick Mahomes continues to impress the football world while throwing for more yards and fewer TDs than in Week 1. Pittsburgh's defense certainly isn't the stalwart unit of years prior, but Mike Tomlin will still have his team hyped to break hearts in KC yet again. Also, Mahomes is due to turn the ball over, which should result in less scoring and possibly more passing yards.

2. It's time for Travis Kelce to get into the mix with an offense considered to be the league's best. I think he and Patty Cake connect at least four times for 75+ yards.

3. Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton must have nightmares about Antonio Brown. The Steelers' best wide-out averages 16 yards per catch or more the last four times he faced off with the Chiefs. I don't expect that to stop without Eric Berry, Marcus Peters or Le'Veon Bell on the field tomorrow. Our man Mahomes should keep this one close, but I predict triple-digit receiving yards for Brown and a 34-31 victory for Pittsburgh. I know, boooooo. I hope I'm wrong, too.

Doug LaCerte writes about KC sports and uses his Twitter and Facebook almost exclusively to plug his articles. Shameless.

A Pattern of Success

After the Broncos' grin-inducing defeat last Sunday, your very own Kansas City Chiefs now stand alone as the only undefeated team in the NFL. With another tough victory against the Texans, the Chiefs found another way to win an important game (while still winning in the exact same way? I'll get that to make sense later in the article.) After playing through seven weeks and overcoming numerous legitimate teams, the nation is starting to take notice. This is no anomaly, no matter how nail-bitingly close some of those battles may have been.

This team is finding new ways to win, sorta. What I mean is, every game is different, and they've taken different paths to victory in different circumstances against different types of teams. But, they win with the same formula every game. A tremendous weight is put on a great defense to keep the momentum in their favor with constant pressure and multiple crucial stops, and they've proven their ability to do just that. Special teams tilts the field in KC's favor, and the offense finds a way to put up points, if only when they absolutely need them.

The Chiefs are becoming predictable, in a good way. Mistakes are expected to be limited, the defense is expected to stand strong time after time, and the offense is expected to do just enough with Jamaal and its other pieces to barely outscore the opposition. Most importantly, the Chiefs are now expected to win tough games against competitive teams. These expectations come from a pattern of success, and the stats back up their methods in every important facet of that pattern.

KC is one of only five teams with 10 or more INTs, and they lead the league in defensive points scored and points allowed per game. KC's sack total, 35, is 10 more than anyone in the NFL so far this season. The offense isn't as statistically impressive, as anyone paying attention could safely assume. However, they do lead the league in the all-important turnover ratio, and it's not even close. Three teams are tied for 2^nd place at +7, two are at +6 and five at +5. The Chiefs' ratio currently sits at +11.

Many fans hold their breath now, waiting for the regression to the mean, and I don't blame them. Jamaal may fumble less than most backs with that running style, but he probably still fumbles more than the average running back. Charles averages 4 fumbles in every 16 games played. Only four running backs lost that many fumbles in 2012, and only one did so in 2011. Alex Smith can be trusted to keep the picks at a minimum, but multiple errant passes have bounced off opposing players' numbers this year. Some of those drops will inevitably turn into interceptions, so keep holding your breath. Those drops are just one of many factors keeping the Chiefs unbeaten that are out of KC's control.

Some critics will point to all of Houston's injuries and tout them as the reasons Kansas City won last Sunday. While it's hard to argue with Schaub, Foster, Cushing and others not influencing the game, their replacements weren't slouches. Case Keenum looked way more NFL-ready than virtually anyone would have expected, Tate is a respectable, sturdy back, and the defense still had enough firepower to hold Kansas City to two touchdowns and a field goal. No one can say how the game would have played out with the aforementioned starters in their normal roles. They can only say that Houston put a competitive team out there at game time, and the Chiefs beat them.

A lot of things have gone the Chiefs' way, but that shouldn't take away anything from their 7-0 start. When the decisive moment came in every game this year, whether on offense, defense or special teams, this team stepped up. The gritty, often-ugly fashion in which they've won should simultaneously act as a reminder that the team is imperfect and a statement that they know how to do whatever it takes to get a win.

Whether or not fans in Chiefs Kingdom will admit it, this will to win is going to be legitimately challenged again this Sunday. Each level of competition poses a different psychological challenge, and losing to the lowly Browns is just poetic enough to be feasible. I keep telling myself that this team will lose as soon as they expect winning to be automatic. After a successful but emotional start to the season, this Browns game are as close to that psychological hurdle as they've come so far.

I'll guess that this mental weariness makes the game close in the first half, yet again, but that Andy Reid and the rest of the coaching staff know this issue well enough to prepare the team for it. Reid has been around for a long time, and this potential trap game won't sneak up on him or the Chiefs this Sunday. The first half may be aggravating, but I'm predicting that another win should be comfortably within grasp by the beginning of the 4^th quarter. Official prediction: the Chiefs go 8-0 to start the season, as I do my damnedest to get the Broncos matchup off my mind long enough to prepare for the upcoming Bills game.

Doug LaCerte is a freelance journalist and a writer for Rant Sports. Argue with him on Twitter @DLaC67, leave him a disparaging comment on Facebook, and add him to your circle on Google.