Can the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl?

The Kansas City Chiefs scored another huge victory on Thursday night as they defeated the Oakland Raiders 21-13. It was just the latest of several impressive wins that the Chiefs have accumulated during the 2016 season.

The Chiefs now have a resume that boasts two wins over the 10-3 Raiders, a road win against the 8-5 defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, a road win over the 8-5 Atlanta Falcons, and a road win over the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers. They have one of the four best records in all the NFL and have won 20 of their last 23 regular season games. That is the resume of a team that MUST be considered a contender to win the Super Bowl. Period.

I don’t think you can make an intelligent argument for the Chiefs not being in the Super Bowl discussion. When you have one of the best records and have impressive statement wins you’re in the discussion. So why are there some people that still don’t believe (both inside and outside of the Chiefs Kingdom)? As I see it most people see three major obstacles standing in the way of the Chiefs being able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of this season.

1. Alex Smith and the low scoring offense

2. Andy Reid and his play calling/clock management

3. The defense’s reliance on big plays/turnovers

So are these legit concerns? Are they greater obstacles to overcome than those of the other top teams? Let’s take a second to address each of them starting with Alex Smith and the offense.