James Jones predicts KC Chiefs will finish last in AFC West

Former NFL wide receiver James Jones says on the Ryen Russillo Podcast that the Chiefs will finish last in the AFC West this season…what?

Speaking to Ryen Russillo on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast”, former Green Bay Packers and Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver James Jones argues that the Kansas City Chiefs are unlikely to be amongst the AFC’s elite in 2022.

It starts reasonably enough, with Jones arguing that the Buffalo Bills are finally ready to take the next step to become the top team in the conference. Josh Allen and the Bills pushed Kansas City to the limit in January and added significant pieces this offseason including, most notably Super Bowl champion pass rusher Von Miller, to an already stout defense (13 seconds notwithstanding, of course). It makes sense to argue that they could finally ascend to the top this season.

That seems to be where reason exits the interview and Jones goes off the rails when talking about the Chiefs’ prospects. “Everybody thinks I’m crazy, man. But, I think Kansas City gonna finish last, man. I think they gonna finish last. I don’t think they’re better than the Denver Broncos.” Perhaps Jones spent one too many hours sitting next to Aaron Rodgers during his time in Green Bay and has now (also) lost all of his marbles.

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Jones makes roughly four “arguments” for why Kansas City is the worst team in the West heading into the 2022 season.

First, he argues that the Chiefs have the worst defense of the four teams in their division.  Are we sure this is accurate? If camp reports are true that Frank Clark looks faster and quicker, that the secondary is making plays and looks stout, and that the linebackers have continued their ascension, the case can be made that Kansas City could have the best defense in the division. The truth probably lies someone in the middle, though, and the Chiefs will not be the best but also probably not be the worst. Even if they are the worst defense in the division, Mahomes has led the team to the AFC West title when that was true in 2019. As long as Kansas City has Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid running the offense, the defense need only be passable for the team to be successful. It is difficult to conceive of them being less than that in 2022.

Next, Jones argues that Kansas City has the worst playmakers in the group. This is probably his worst argument. Sure, the team has less star power heading into this season than years past, given that they did trade away an All-Pro wide receiver in Tyreek Hill. But the team still has a surefire Hall of Famer in tight end Travis Kelce. They do not have the best running back in the division (that’s Austin Ekeler), but they probably have the deepest running back group with five potential playmakers at the position (Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerrick McKinnon, Ronald Jones, Derick Gore, and Isiah Pacheco). They’re likely to cut a rusher that gets significant reps for another team in 2022. The Chiefs also do not have the best WR1 in the West—in fact, they probably have the worst—but they probably have the second-best WR2 (MVS ranks behind the Chargers’ Mike Williams), and almost certainly have the best WR3 (Hardman, with the Broncos’ loss of Tim Patrick for the season), WR4 (Skyy Moore), and WR5 (Justin Watson). So no, Kansas City doesn’t have the best wide receiver in the division, or the best running back, but they do have the most talent amongst all playmakers of any team in the division.

For his third point, Jones states that Mahomes will struggle to “be special” without Tyreek Hill. According to Statemuse, Patrick Mahomes has a passer rating of 103.1 with 1,737 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 1 interception in five games without Tyreek Hill in his career. That seems good, right?

And finally, the former Packers standout says that without “the captain” of the defense (Tyrann Mathieu) and no consistent pass rush, the team will struggle. There is no denying the two points here. Kansas City will miss the presence of Tyrann Mathieu at the back end of the defense, and, the pass rush is the biggest question mark on the roster heading into the season. However, the Chiefs have every reason to believe that Justin Reid, whom they signed in the offseason, is capable of filling in for the loss of The Landlord. In addition, the team believes in second-year linebacker Nick Bolton’s ability to lead the defense this season. And, while the pass rusher is not going to be as prolific as any of the other three teams in the division, the additions of first-round pick George Karlaftis and veteran Carlos Dunlap are likely to (at least) improve the team’s ability to get after the quarterback this season.

None of the statements made by Jones on the podcast has any real credibility behind them. They all lack warranted explanations for why they may be true and frankly, that’s because the details are nonexistent when dissected through a lens of reality.

Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs have won six consecutive AFC West Championships. Patrick Mahomes has led this team to four consecutive AFC Championship games. No one in the division has come close to challenging the Chiefs for the title in the last five years. And, Mahomes is still the best quarterback on the planet.

Ryen Russillo can collect his clicks from this (and other) garbage takes. Perhaps James Jones can even spend some time trading conspiracy theories with his former quarterback Aaron Rodgers. (I mean, he goes on to say that the Minnesota Vikings are a threat to win the NFC, too). But, until proven otherwise, any talk of the demise of the Kansas City Chiefs is not only premature, it is downright laughable.