Andy Reid and the perils of his proscrastinating Chiefs
There’s no way to undersell the 10-game win streak that catapulted the red-hot Chiefs into the postseason, but just how likely are they to happen upon another favorable set of conditions? Think about it for a moment. Kansas City ran the table, but that required two AFC North teams without their starting quarterbacks, a wilted Peyton Manning, a Lions team that’s only posted winning seasons twice in 15 years, an uncharacteristically bad Chargers team that hadn’t lost 12 games in a single season since 2003 and a game with a third AFC North team led by one Johnny Football. Ten straight is ten straight, but the Chiefs are unlikely to face such an accommodating slate of games down the 2016 stretch.
It’s far too early to write this team off, but it’s impossible to dismiss Kansas City posting just six points in four first half quarters thus far. How many good teams can they reasonably expect to hang with in spite of such offensive lethargy? How likely are they to survive wasting 30 minutes of football against a quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger? If things don’t soon change, they’ll find out the hard way in Week 4.
It’s time for the Chiefs to put a complete game together. Sunday presents an excellent opportunity with the New York Jets coming to town. They currently boast the NFL’s seventh-best offense and a talented defense that’s better than the statistics suggest. If the Chiefs are serious about a return to the NFL playoffs, they’ll stop taking the early part of the 2016 season lightly. The next three opponents could all be in the thick of the AFC playoff picture two months from now. These conference games could be immensely important to the team’s postseason chances.
Which Chiefs team do you expect to show up on Sunday when the Jets visit Arrowhead Stadium? The one that rebounded from a 21-point deficit, or the clumsy, muddled group that repeatedly shot itself in the foot this past weekend? Use the comment section below to begin the conversation. As always, we appreciate your readership and support.
Until next time, Addicts!