The AFC West crown has eluded the Kansas City Chiefs since 2010, and most will agree that it is about time to bring the crown back to One Arrowhead Drive.
If Kansas City wants to win the division this year, they are going to be need to be at least 11-5. Even at 11-5 some tiebreakers might have to go the Chiefs way. I would be more comfortable with Kansas City winning the division outright at 12-4. Not only would a 12-4 record more than likely seal up the division, but it would provide the coveted first-round bye. If the Chiefs want to get to 12-4 this season they are going to need to be more consistent from wire-to-wire than they have been in the past. Kansas City can’t afford to lose games to teams that end up with top 10 picks in April.
In order for the Chiefs to get to 12-4, they need to take care of their early-season games against the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals. These are all games Kansas City has a pretty good chance at winning. The Green Bay Packers are the only team to be really nervous about. You don’t waltz into Green Bay and beat Aaron Rodgers. If the Chiefs can sneak out of Lambeau Field and get to 4-0, they are sitting in a great spot heading into the latter part of the season.
I wouldn’t hold my breath, though. I think 3-1 is incredibly likely and would still be a great start. The Broncos game in Kansas City is a must-win. An early win over Denver would give the Chiefs a head start on the division and a ton of confidence going into Green Bay.
After an away game in Cincinnati, the Chiefs enter the easy portion of their schedule (if you can call this easy). They will face the Chicago Bears at home, the Vikings in Minnesota, the Pittsburgh Steelers at home and the Detroit Lions in London before the bye week. I am not getting my hopes up for the game in London, I think it is too easy for players to treat that like a vacation before the bye week and the Lions are a pretty good team. I am just going to chalk this one up as a loss and maybe I’ll be surprised later. Every other game during this stretch, the Chiefs have a great chance of winning.
The Bears struggled last year and didn’t improve enough in the offseason to be considered a real concern. The Steelers have absolutely dismantled their defense and may need to score 30 points a game to even have a shot at winning. With the Chiefs defense, I like our odds. The Vikings may be a little tougher this year, but with a disgruntled Adrian Peterson, who really knows what to expect? These are three very winnable games. This would put the Chiefs at 6-2 heading into the second half of the season.
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