Kansas City Chiefs: Best and worst-case scenarios
By Josh Calhoon
With the NFL season quickly approaching and the start of OTAs already in the book, I wanted to look at what are the absolute best and worst-case scenarios for the Kansas City Chiefs.
I know what you’re thinking, and yes it would be nice for the Chiefs to go 19-0 win the Super Bowl and outscore opponents 620-0. That would be nice but to my knowledge no team has never been scored on in an entire NFL season. (Feel free to fact check me on that). And on the flip side I don’t think any team has went an entire season without scoring. (Again feel free to fact check).
Worst Case
The only way I see the worst-case scenario playing out is if Kansas City gets the injury bug again this year. So knock on wood, avoid walking under ladders, or any other superstitions you may have. I have spent a lot of time thinking about how bad this season could actually be. The worst I see it being is 5-11, getting swept by both the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers.
I don’t see Kansas City losing to Oakland at all this year. I know a lot of people predicted the same thing last year, but that game was a fluke and the Chiefs win nine times out of 10. I also see them beating the Cleveland Browns, Minneosta Vikings, and Chicago Bears.
Best Case
The sky is the limit. The Chiefs won’t go undefeated on the way to the Super Bowl, but if they are playing their best ball at the end of the season, anything can happen.
During the regular season the best-case scenario for Kansas City will be 13-3 or 12-4, and I would be ecstatic with either outcome. The three or four games the Chiefs will struggle with the most will start with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Packers are a very tough team and playing them at home is no walk in the park. It would take an almost flawless game to go into Green Bay and beat Aaron Rodgers. The second toughest game on the schedule this year will be against the Broncos in Denver. I like our odds against the Broncos in Kansas City, but I don’t think Kansas City can go into Denver and beat Payton Manning.
The third game the Chiefs will struggle with is the Detroit Lions in London. I just have a feeling that Kansas City will struggle across the pond, and it may be a tough game for the Chiefs to win. I also have a weird feeling about opening with the Texans. I don’t know if this is because I am used to Kansas City opening the season poorly, but I see this game as a dog fight that could go either way.
Now that I have highlighted what I think will be the best and worst case scenario, I see Kansas City going anywhere between 9-7 to 11-5. If the Chiefs can come out and play consistently, I would be comfortable with an 11-5 or 12-4 prediction. Yet, given the consistency struggles the Chiefs have faced recently, 10-6 is appropriate.
Outside of the Broncos, Packers and Lions, the two other games that make me nervous is the Chargers. San Diego will likely not sweep the Chiefs but it can definitely steal a game. I am also a little nervous about going to Baltimore. The Ravens are always a tough team to beat, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they got the better of the Chiefs this season.
That all being said lets pray the Chiefs go 19-0 and bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Kansas City.