Perception of KC Chiefs schedule starting to change

When the 2022 regular season began, the Kansas City Chiefs were immediately labeled as one of the franchises that would have a tougher hill to climb than others. That’s to be understood given that they are one of the league’s most successful franchises year to year. Every first-place team automatically faces a difficult schedule based on the previous year’s records, and the Chiefs were given what they always are.

Fast forward two weeks into this year’s regular season, however, and there are significant perspective shifts for some teams in the early going.

Now, we should note this happens every year. Some teams need a long time to get things moving thanks to new faces, new coaches, or injuries that take time to heal. Some teams just start cold for no other reason than bad luck, a few costly errors, and unfortunate timing.  But it’s also true that some teams that were very good the previous year are in for a frustrating year, which makes those opponents not so troublesome after all.

The perception of the regular season schedule for the KC Chiefs is starting to change in some respects as teams show some unexpected colors in 2022.

So far in 2022, it’s hard to know what to make of some of the teams involved but the perspective is shifting for sure. That starts with this coming week’s competitor for the Chiefs, a road contest to visit the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Before the regular season began, the Colts were chic picks for an underrated AFC contender and most were betting on them to rule in the weaker AFC South. They’d shed the frustrating skin of Carson Wentz and imported a still-talented Matt Ryan to lead a deep roster built by former Chiefs exec Chris Ballard. Two weeks into the season, however, they look much closer to the league’s worst overall team than any contender.

On Sunday, the Colts were shut out—yes, shut out completely—by the Jacksonville Jaguars—yes, the Jacksonville Jaguars. This came one week after they salvaged a 17-point halftime deficit to the Houston Texans—yes, the Houston Texans—for a tie in Week 1. In short, the Colts should have steamrolled two rebuilding franchises for an early division lead. Instead, they are staring up in the standings wondering just how bad things might get—and that’s before the Chiefs come for an early visit.

Looking around at the schedule, a mid-season stretch featuring the Chargers, L.A. Rams, and Cincinnati Bengals looked like perhaps the toughest three-game stretch of any section. Now, however, the Chargers will be tough but what about the rest? It’s hard to say. The Rams are looking soft to start the year and something may really be wrong with Matthew Stafford. The same questions can be asked of Joe Burrow and the Bengals who looked very mortal in games against the Steelers and Cowboys (who were without Dak Prescott).

Of course, those same Jags and Texans mentioned earlier also play the Chiefs, so it’s possible they prove to be tougher opponents than anyone figured in a late-season stretch that looked very easy for K.C. These things happen every year, as we said. But for now, it’s interesting to see how some of the perspectives change regarding teams, and that includes the way we will talk about and anticipate the Chiefs’ Week 3 opponent.