Earlier this week, ESPN revealed their latest NFL Future Power Rankings and the Kansas City Chiefs are in good shape at No. 8.
The typical NFL Power Ranking column is only about the current year, stacking up how well a specific team will do against the others in the given season. ESPN’s NFL Future Power Rankings looks up the next three seasons to see whether that fan base should expect to be competitive in the near future or whether it might be rough sailing ahead.
The Kansas City Chiefs are in good shape, per ESPN, with a head coach who has proved his ability to win year after year and a roster with plenty of young, developmental talent already in house next to proven Pro Bowlers. Field Yates gives an overall summary on the Chiefs, an interesting anecdote given he once worked for K.C., and writes:
"Is there a more balanced roster in the NFL? Kansas City has a defense with playmakers in the secondary, an offense that boasts budding stars such as Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, plus terrific core special teams. This team will stay in almost any game on any Sunday."
Moving forward will depend largely on the long-planned transition at the game’s most important position: quarterback. The passing of the torch from Alex Smith to Patrick Mahomes will either provide the hurdle or the catapult for the team’s continued success at or near the top of the AFC West in recent years. If Mahomes proves to be everything John Dorsey and Andy Reid believe him to be, the Chiefs will not only maintain their current playoff expectations year over year, but will also have reason to believe that a true playoff run is possible against the entrenched AFC powers like the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Only time will tell on that one, however, which means any sort of projection about the Chiefs ability to win (or not) is a complete unknown until Mahomes picks up the mantle. It is possible to predict the floor and believe the Chiefs will never fully bottom out with their defense in place and Andy Reid in charge, but the ceiling is all over until the transition is finished.