Four things I think, I think about the 5-0 Chiefs

As the Chiefs head into Week 6, here are four things Reach thinks he thinks about Kansas City as they attempt to beat the Steelers on Sunday.

Heading into Week 6, the Chiefs are still the NFL’s lone unbeaten team after another impressive primetime performance in a 42-34 win over the Houston Texans. There’s little doubt that the Kansas City Chiefs are currently the best team in the National Football League. With a two-game lead in a race for the top seed in the AFC, the biggest question is whether or not this team can keep rolling as the season wears on. The team’s headed for a tough stretch over the next month so I think the answer will become clearer by November.

The talking heads are starting to say all the right things about Kansas City. Today, let’s explore what I’m thinking about the Chiefs five weeks into the young NFL season. If all hearts and minds are clear, let’s begin.

Conley’s loss will hurt

Millions of people witnessed a gruesome injury to Chiefs No. 2 wide receiver Chris Conley on Sunday night. The former Georgia bulldog hard planted on his left foot and you could see a ripple in his sock. Conley immediately went down and had to be carted off the field. He’s believed to have ruptured his Achilles and is likely to miss the remainder of the regular season.

Conley’s not a big boxscore contributor, but make no mistake: losing him to injury will have an affect on the offense. He’s a quality downfield blocker, has logged extensive service time in the NFL and has long speed defenses have to account for. Albert Wilson and Demarcus Robinson are the players most likely to fill in for him in his absence, but neither brings a similar skill set to the table.

Reid is Coach of the Year

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Through five weeks of the season, the Kansas City Chiefs have the best offense in all of football. Andy Reid and company are averaging 32.8 points per contest thus far. Mind you, this is following the loss of Doug Pederson, Jamaal Charles and Jeremy Maclin. Reid’s reinvented himself as a play caller in 2017 and his play design has been impressing football analysts across the league.

The Chiefs have now scored 42 points TWICE in primetime road games. Kansas City is a Top 10 team in every meaning offensive category — 2nd in total yards (414.2 per game), 10th in passing yards (258 per game) and 2nd in rushing offense (156.2 per game). There’s some thought that he finally has the offensive pieces necessary to become one of football’s top offenses, but his creativity in 2017 has been something to behold.

A little fire from Peters won’t hurt

Protests aside (separate issue entirely), Marcus Peters’ fiery personality is good for this defense. He’s never satisfied, despite a lead and four victories coming into the week, and made that abundantly clear in a sideline tirade on Sunday Night Football that appeared to be directed at Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. It’s unknown just what set Peters off, but it may have been Sutton’s philosophy of never having Peters shadow an opposing team’s best receiver. DeAndre Hopkins feasted on Terrance Mitchell catching three touchdowns on the night.

A good defense needs some attitude and in years past, the Chiefs have often played uninspired, disinterested football. Having someone like Peters in the fold will keep the defensive side of the football hungry. Certainly the team has to control it and help Peters channel his anger into productive football, but any good defense needs an identity and with the third-year man out of the University of Washington, they have one.

Expect the Chiefs to be jacked up

Let players and coaches tell it, they take the NFL one week at a time. Don’t buy it this week with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to town on Sunday. Nearly nine months ago, the Chiefs’ postseason aspirations were dashed in a game where Pittsburgh failed to score an offensive touchdown. All throughout the offseason, there were subtle hints at just how much that loss affected this team. One can make the case that the new-look Chiefs are a by-product of that game.

Led by Alex Smith, this offense is the best it’s ever been under Reid. All anyone in the Kingdom could talk about over the past several months were the missed opportunities from that game. Tyreek Hill was wide open on a pair of plays in that contest and Smith never heard the end of it by failing to throw it his way. Something tells me this team will have a point to prove this time around. They’re the class of the NFL and will aim to prove that by beating a decent, although unspectacular, Steelers team which is currently leading the AFC North.

There’s still 11 games to play in the regular season, but the Chiefs have made it painfully clear they’re presently the best the NFL has to offer. We’ll find out more about just how good they are with forthcoming matchups with Pittsburgh, Dallas, Denver and Oakland. If they can navigate a rough patch with a +.500 record, they could secure that No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture by mid-December. On some level, there’s cautious optimism with this team due to a recurring set of postseason disappointments over the years. It’s an fair criticism of Reid’s Chiefs who have just one win in three playoff appearances. Although, something does genuinely feel different about this group.

Five weeks in, what are the biggest Chiefs storylines for you? Can the Chiefs make it to 6-0 with the Steelers coming to Arrowhead this week? Is there any stopping Alex Smith or Kareem Hunt? Use the comment section below to weigh in. As always, we appreciate your readership and support.

Until next time, Addicts!

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