Three bold predictions for the 2019 Chiefs season
By Byron Smith
With 100th NFL season upon us, Kansas City Chiefs fans are ready to roll. With high expectations, we take a look at the season ahead.
It has felt like an eternity since the end of last season and Super Bowl 53—an eternity where the most recent Chiefs memory is the loss at Arrowhead and Chiefs Kingdom wakes up in cold sweats remembering the words: “Offsides, Defense, Number 55.”
Fortunately, a new season is finally here. A new season means new opportunities, new outcomes, new faces, and, most importantly, new memories.
The offseason has given all the fans hope in their defense, with new players to cheer for like Tyrann Mathieu, Frank Clark, Alex Okafor, Emmanuel Ogbah, Darron Lee, and Morris Claiborne. The offense that broke franchise records and came close to breaking league records is coming back without a major loss.
Kansas City looks to be the team with the most momentum and potential going into the season, so it is important to look forward and ask what fans should be expecting from the next season.
Can the Chiefs finish continue to utilize the momentum they have been building for three season now? Is it Super Bowl or bust? A good number of players are waiting for deals. Who gets the money and who goes into free agency? Does Patrick Mahomes regress? Do the Patriots still own the AFC?
Let’s make some bold predictions for the Chiefs in the 2019 season.
1. Kansas City goes to the Super Bowl
Maybe not the boldest of predictions, as this seems to be a widely held assumption by many fans already. Vegas even seems to agree, as they favor Kansas City as one of the team’s most likely to head to the Super Bowl.
With a league-best offense, the potential for a much better defense, a special teams unit that executes flawlessly, a deep roster and an excellent coaching staff, this team seems destined to represent the AFC in Super Bowl 54.
The overall talent pool in the AFC has been drained by Andrew Luck’s retirement, surprising as it was, and other teams like the L.A. Chargers are dealing with serious injuries before the year even begins. The Patriots still own the AFC and the addition of Antonio Brown makes that matchup even more difficult, but the road already ran through New England as it was.
The Chiefs almost ended the 2018 season with a trip to Super Bowl 53, but were thwarted by a poorly timed offsides penalty. If some questionable calls by officials weren’t made or if the defense could have stopped the chains from moving even once when it counted, the Chiefs would have had a second shot at the L.A. Rams.
If the 2018 Chiefs went to the big game with the 31st defense in the NFL, how does this year’s version not get to Miami?
This is without mentioning that K.C. not only retained their offense but brought in even more talent by adding Mecole Hardman, Darwin Thompson, and LeSean McCoy. Mahomes is in better shape physically and mentally than he was last season. Damien Williams also got a full offseason to practice and learn as the starting running back.
Even if the defense fails and is 31st again, this offense is poised to take the load and outscore any other team in the NFL.