Aug 21, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (19) celebrates with wide receiver Jason Avant (81) after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs presently rank #13 in the NFL in total passing yards. Now, we all know the problem with those numbers is that most of those yards came from Jamaal Charles and Travis Kelce and the rest of the RBs and TEs. In fact, the RBs and TEs have caught 47 passes this season while the WRs have caught 40 passes and that includes Jeremy Maclin’s 28.
If I’m slotting the Kansas City Chiefs current collection of wide receivers and comparing them to all the other groups of wideouts in the league… frankly it’s hard ot think of another group that is worse. While Jeremy Maclin is a difference maker, the Chiefs have no other wide receiver who they can claim that about. None. And, while Jeremy Maclin probably keeps this group from being ranked as the worst in the league, I’m going to have to say they are somewhere between #25 and #32 in the NFL.
I’ve said several times previously, that if the Chiefs were able to secure the services of another wide receiver with the capabilities of a Jeremy Maclin, then they’d have a top tier collection of wide outs. Now… although I think Maclin is a very, very good receiver… I would not even place him in the top ten of all NFL wideouts so it would take a lot more than “another Jeremy Maclin” to get this set of wide receivers to rise to that level.
Where do the Chiefs DBs Stand?
Hopping back over to the defensive side of the football, the defensive backs are a hot mess. With Sean Smith doing the team no favors by getting himself suspended for the first three critical games of the year, the impact of his return in game four was nearly invisible to the eye.
While rookie Marcus Peters has been a pleasant surprise and has stood out at moments, he’s also been a liability at other times, if we’re being truthful.
The Chiefs passing defense is ranked as the 28th best passing defense in the NFL while allowing 295.5 yards of passing per game. Nearly 300 yards per game. Yes, they have faced Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Andy Dalton but this was supposed to be one of the deepest and strongest aspects of the Chiefs make-up in 2015. So, for now, I am slotting them between #21 and #29.
As the schedule moves forward and reveals some less talented quarterbacks to face, the defensive backs should improve. Enough to get out of the bottom ten in the league. While I’m hoping they can rise to the level of #15 in the league, with Phillip Gaines out for the year, I just don’t see this as a top ten group of defensive backs. Especially not with guys like Tyvon Branch or Jamell Fleming playing corner, or the slot, for any time at all.
Although both Marcus Peters and Sean Smith will have some very good moments this year, if you’re wanting to gain a more realistic picture of what the Chiefs can accomplish this season, you should probably not think of the defensive backs as above average. If so, not by much.
Where do the Chiefs RBs Slot?
Ping-ponging back to the offensive side, the Chiefs running backs should be thought of as way above average. In fact, both FB Anthony Sherman and RB Jamaal Charles can be elite at their respective positions. So, I’m slotting the Chiefs RBs as a top ten group.
However… and this is a big H O W E V E R… the offensive line will not allow them to shine because they are such a poorly constructed group.
So, without spending time talking about a couple of great players like Charles and Sherman… it’s time to get down to slotting the offensive line.
In Part II, we’ll see where the Chiefs offensive line slots among all
other NFL offensive lines as well as where the coaches sit.
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For now… what do you say Addict fans? Are we coming to a better understanding of who these Chiefs really are by slotting them? Are there any position groups you’d like to slot?