Through nine weeks, regardless of how you feel about the overall record, it’s undeniable that there have been surprises with the Chiefs this season.
If you had asked Kansas City Chiefs fans before the start of the 2019 season where the team would sit after nine games of the schedule, the answers would have wildly varied from 9-0 to something like 3-6 or 4-5.
There were reasons for optimism, of course. The Chiefs returned the NFL MVP, in second year starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In addition they had just resigned standout wide receiver Tyreek Hill to an extension, Andy Reid was still manning the ship, Damien Williams was coming off a phenomenal end to the 2018 season, and the team still had the best tight end in football, among multiple other receiving threats. Finally, the team had just recently added LeSean McCoy and had drafted speedster Mecole Hardman in the second round of April’s draft. The offensive line also returned all five starters from 2018, and fans were excited about that continuity.
The defense is where most fans had their questions and concerns. The team had undergone a complete overhaul, changing coordinators and replacing seven of 11 starters. It was a Spring/Summer of change for the Chiefs’ defense, and fans were cautiously optimistic that new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could turn around the long beleaguered defensive unit.
The season has a way of radically altering everyone’s perceptions. The starting offensive line has played only two games together, and has since seen three different starters miss at least one game. The running game, despite the excitement around Williams/McCoy has been mostly non-existent. Tyreek Hill missed multiple weeks with an injury, as did Sammy Watkins (shockingly). And, Travis Kelce has dropped several catches (despite still leading the team in receiving).
The defense has played as everyone feared they might, just like the 2018 defense with different pieces on the board—for the first six weeks of the season. If you just looked at the on field product, you’d have sworn that the coaching and player changes all came after the loss to the team’s loss to the Texans in Week 6. Nothing like a game against the Broncos to make a defense feel better about itself.
But, the defense, too, has struggled with injuries with Frank Clark, Chris Jones, Alex Okafor and Kendall Fuller all missing time this season. We have seen very little game action with all eleven starters on the field at the same time.
So, surprises have been abundant. Some good, some bad, but numerous. Let’s take a look at the five biggest surprises for the Kansas City Chiefs so far in 2019.