Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #9
by adelfish | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #9
Welcome to the 2020 Red Zone Power Ranking Preview. In this long-running preview, I will be going team at a time, ranking them 32-1, discussing the user, the team, the schedule, etc.
COVERED TEAMS: Lions, Jaguars, Bengals, Patriots, Bears, Vikings, Dolphins, Seahawks, Rams, Giants, Cowboys, Saints, Steelers, Panthers, Raiders, Browns, Texans, Jets, Cardinals, Falcons, Bills, Washington Football Team, Chargers
Rejoice, for SINGLE DIGIT NUMBERS!! Yes, we have arrived into the single digits, and our next team in the 'Contenders' list. Enjoy this one, and pray for me. I head out for my bachelor party, I will come back alive hopefully.....
#9 - Kansas City Chiefs (Spittah)
(11-5 Projected Record)
6th Seed, Loss in Wild Card Round
Yep, we stay in the AFC West, with another 11-5 team that doesn't win their division. As I discussed in the Chargers preview, regardless of how it all shakes out, the talent in this division cares about getting into the postseason. With the way the Chiefs are set up, they are the best team in the AFC West, due to the fact that they have #15 pictured above, but can Spittah top Astin?
Once again, that question is the theme for all other AFC West teams that are not named the Denver Broncos, and now you know I project Denver to win the West, despite having two 11 win teams behind them.
So why do I have the Chiefs higher than the Chargers? Well, the way the seeding played out they did end up with the 6th spot due to tiebreakers, meaning they win more games against common opponents than the Chargers due. But, the Patrick Mahomes effect is so important, I would have ranked them higher regardless.
Let's take a look at the Chiefs, how close they are to topping Astin, and what I expect from Spittah this season.
One Big Question
With a disappointing cycle in the rear-view mirror, Coach Spittah hits the lottery with his new marriage to Patrick Mahomes. With his offensive struggles all last cycle, is he going to take advantage of the embarassment of riches the Chiefs have?
Is it harsh to say that Spittah was a disappointment with his stint in Los Angeles? In a division with Coaches Cave, Adel, and Tauph, it seemed as though he was consistently battling for third or fourth in the division, albeit he did have a few seasons in which he made playoff appearences.
The offense seemed to be the reason he was always missing out on the tournament, or making a run deep. Yes, we have names like Mason Winkler, Todd Gurley, but was it an offense that was consistent? It was turnover heavy, and prone to making mistakes.
Now enter the Kansas City Chiefs. The best quarterback, and arguably best player in the league, Patrick Mahomes leads the group. He is a phenom going into his fourth year in the league, with a ring and a MVP trophy already. Coach Spittah must find a way to harness his talent, and shake the cycle he had last year.
With the way this roster is currently constructed, I envision the best offense in Coach Spittah's history. With the aforementioned MVP under center, and this group of weapons around him, I don't see how he will sputter out of the gate. The key will be the protection, with an elite right tackle, a really good left tackle, and solid guard play, this is the best offense on paper that this regime has coached.
I do envision a success in terms of statistical play for the Chiefs this season, but ultimately, how does this success translate into wins in big games?
One Big Schedule Issue
Do I need to remind you that the AFC West in itself is a bloodbath? Going against the Broncos, Chargers, and Raiders a total of 6 times is brutal enough, but the biggest issue for the Chiefs lies in their opening schedule, as all four of the games they open the season with are a challenge in their own way.
vs. Texans (Metal) (Kickoff Game)
@ Chargers (IJ)
@ Ravens (BP)
vs Patriots (Glenn)
The 'easiest' of these four games is against the Patriots and Glenn, and we all know how talented that defense is, and how much of an enigma (winky face emoji @ Glenn) he is as a coach. How will Spittah fare through this opening stretch? Going to Los Angeles and Baltimore back to back is brutal, two of the best secondaries in football against the high-flying Chiefs offense.
The kickoff game with Metal and the Texans is a wild card as well, who knows how these teams will be in Week 1? The Texans are no slouch, with Watson, J.J. Watt and company, this is not a gimme for the Chiefs.
If they can come out of this at least at 2-2, they will be fine for the stretch, but only winning 1 game would be a disaster. As I mentioned in the Chargers piece, falling too far behind in this division is nearly a death sentence.
Reasons for Optimism
Do I really have to breakdown how optimistic you should be about the reigning champs? Well, let's start with Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has been the most dynamic quarterback in football for the past two seasons, winning MVP his first year as a full-time starter, and a Super Bowl the next. Mahomes signed a mega deal this offseason, tying him to the Chiefs until he is 35 years old, meaning he cannot see unrestricted free agency until the age of 36. Safe to say, Mahomes is a Chief for life.
I mentioned earlier how the Chiefs have an embarassment of riches around him, and it starts with the weapons. Tyreek Hill is a track star, one of the fastest receivers in football, along with Travis Kelce who makes a case for the best or second best tight end in football. Sammy Watkins is a fantastic #2, along with speedsters Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson.
The offense line makes it work, with All-Pro right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, the really solid left tackle Eric Fisher, and the up and coming guard Andrew Wylie, along with stud (and great name) Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
The Chiefs selected running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire with their 1st round pick, who figures to be a workhorse for this offense, but the depth behind him is impressive, with Damien Williams and Darwin Thompson.
Defensively, the Chiefs aren't as splashy, but do have some big time players. Chris Jones is the star of the defense, the elite defensive tackle who disrupts plays in the pass and run game. He just inked a massive extension to stay with the Chiefs for four more seasons. Around Jones there are some really solid rushers, Frank Clark came from Seattle last season to impact the pass rush, and Alex Okafor has a ton of upside, despite play limited from injuries.
The secondary is shaky, but they do have Tyrann Mathieu, who is the heart of that group. He makes plays everywhere, and Spittah will no doubt utilize his skillset.
Reasons for Negativity
One of the more common narratives about the Chiefs is the lack of money they will have after the massive Mahomes extension, but would you have it any other way? Do you not want Mahomes under contract for the entire cycle?
With the way the contract is structured, it is very team friendly, but near impossible to move off, if things were to go south with his play in a hurry.
The Chiefs free up only $10 million in cap heading into Season 63, but free up $60 million heading into Season 64. The problem is, the amount of players they will have to extend. Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson, Travis Kelce, Duvernay-Tardif, and a ton of depth in their defense. The big problem for the Chiefs going forward is going to be keeping veterans around.
Keeping their draft picks and using them wisely will be key, cheap talent around Mahomes and comapny is going to be paramount for this team to be successful.
Depth on this roster is already a concern, especially on the defense. The linebackers are a mess, with the horifically overpaid Anthony Hitchens making $12 million a year, along with Damien Wilson, and not much else. This group is going to need a complete overhaul next offseason.
The secondary isn't great outside of Honey Badger, as Kendall Fuller departed in free agency. Meaningful snaps will be played by Breshaud Breeland and Charvarius Ward. Yikes.
Last Word
The Chiefs are in a great position to challenge the Broncos, with their high-flying offense, their superstar quarterback, and the surplus of weapons they have. The question with Kansas City and this regime is always going to be, can Spittah get past Astin?
As the cycle goes along, Astin's team building will truly take effect, Spittah can't afford any mistakes like he made last year, or things will go south for him fast. He has to find the most efficient way to utilize this Mahomes window.
I think he will have a lot of success this cycle in the regular season, when the Chiefs get to the postseason, it will be on his ability to play turnover free football. I think this is Spittah's best chance since Cincinnati to win a title.