Chiefs things I think – 2016 Kickoff Edition

The regular season is here. another offseason of changes has come and gone and the Kansas City Chiefs have another, unique 53-man team to field.

Some things change, while others stay the same. The Chiefs are still reliant on there defense. They are still trying to get their offense to the elite level. Now, they have to add the dire need to avoid getting off to a slow start again in 2016.

Playing San Diego off the bat helps. They can get off to a good start with a home game against a team they have beaten four games running now. We went behind emery lines to talk to Derek Togerson of NBC 7 San Diego about the Chargers. Here’s the show:

Here are the top Ten things I think about the Kansas City Chiefs as they start the 2016 season.

1st Quarter of the Season

10. The 1st quarter go 2016 is going to be tough without two key Pro Bowlers. Its rare to go into a season missing this significant amount of a team’s top stars. The expectation all summer was to have Tamba Hali and Jamaal Charles back at full strength. Unfortunately, neither is now that week one is upon us.

9. Andy Reid’s toy box is full to overflowing. Reid and John Dorsey have more talent at the offensive skill positions that they ever have since they came to Kansas City. He has big athletic tight ends to run his Triple-TE sets, he has multiple shifty slot receivers in Albert Wilson and De’Anthony Thomas and he has an emerging Chris Conley to draw coverage from Jeremy Maclin. Adding the talented running backs tot he mix, look for Reid to bring some new wrinkles to the offense this season.

8. Dee Ford has a chance to get his season off to a good start. There is something about Dee Ford playing the Chargers. He seems to have their number. That’s a great thing for him and the Chiefs. After a lackluster preseason, Ford could use a jumpstart game. The Kansas City defense is going to have a much harder hill to climb if Ford cannot be an impact player starting Sunday.

7. I am not sold on Tyreek Hill as a wide receiver yet. He had some moments in the preseason, but struggled in a prime role against backups in preseason game 4. His better plays were with the 1s and 2s, so there is hope he can do something with the few snaps he’s likely to get early on. I think most of his work will come as a returner. I’d hope to see him start contributing to the offense after mid-season.

6. I’ll feel better when this game is over and Philip Gaines is still healthy. There are few things that could be worse for this team than losing Gaines early on… again. There is precious little experience beyond him at cornerback. Only Kenneth Acker has any starts in his career and he has struggled to get caught up on the Chiefs defensive scheme.

Next: Top 5 Things for 2016 First Quarter