Five Kansas City Chiefs players who must step up in 2022

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off an interesting season where they finished 12-5, earned a No. 2 seed in the conference, won the AFC West for a sixth consecutive year, and hosted the AFC Championship Game for the fourth year in a row. The Chiefs were an overtime period away from the Super Bowl.

When you describe Kansas City’s season like that, it sounds like the team had a fantastic year. Any fanbase whose team reaches the conference championship game would feel the same way.

However, when you look at Kansas City’s 2021 season, there were a plethora of issues throughout the regular season. There was inconsistent play on both sides of the ball.

As the team goes through several roster changes, five Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in an interesting position and must step up and have a better 2022.

The offense finished in the top five in total yards, passing, and scoring. However, there were times when the offense looked far from a top-five team. There were plenty of moments where the offense was unorganized and completely out of sync.

Kansas City’s defense could hardly stop anyone, especially during the 3-4 start to the year. The unit improved heavily during the eight-game winning streak. However, toward the end of the season and in the playoffs, the defense reverted back to how it played during the first seven games.

Despite some key losses this offseason, the Chiefs have a chance to cover up for those losses in the 2022 NFL Draft as the team holds 12 picks at the moment. Even prior to the draft, the standard is still high. Despite the rest of the AFC West making big splashes this offseason, the Chiefs are still expected to do a lot for the upcoming NFL season.

In order for the Chiefs to live up to expectations, there are a few players who must step up and do their part. In fact, it might be fair to say that these players are on the hot seat going into the 2022 season. 2022 could be a make-or-break year for these five players.