The Kansas City Chiefs have made it clear they're still strong believers in their own product. Quotes from inside Arrowhead all season long—from players and coaches and execs—have clarified the point over and over: that while some changes were necessary (and implemented), they were also closer than some might believe after winning only six games a year ago.
Outside of Kansas City, however, the doubts loom large. After three straight Super Bowl appearances (and two wins), the Chiefs crashed hard last season. A 6-11 record ushered the Chiefs home in early January for the first time in over a decade. Patrick Mahomes spent his entire offseason rehabbing. A roster that once dominated the NFL looked like years of drafting last in every round finally caught up with it.
Despite the retooling of a full offseason, complete with some coaching changes, a rebuilt defensive interior and a completely gutted backfield, it seems as if the Chiefs have lost the benefit of the doubt after one miserable season. Insiders point to it as an anomaly. Outsiders aren't convinced.
Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated is the latest to come forth with his unbelief. His latest column highlights the 14 NFL teams he believes have a realistic chance to claim a Super Bowl title next winter. Despite having enough teams to field a complete postseason format, Orr has a couple of surprising teams sitting away from other contenders. That's not to say that Orr believes K.C. will miss the postseason again. Rather, he's saying that a Lombardi isn't a realistic view.
To give Orr credit, even he admits that it might sound silly to count Kansas City completely out after their dynastic run. "I want to be as open as possible when it comes to the Chiefs in particular, as it may look like a “troll” of some kind to leave them off this list," he writes. But he also goes on to state that concerns about the secondary and offensive line bring up enough doubts to go with the demonstrated decline of a year ago to do them in.
What's important here is not to take down Orr (or even agree with his take). Those points are all debatable at this stage of the offseason. The games will be played. The results will speak for themselves. Orr will or will not be proven wrong, and it won't happen in July.
What is important, however, is that last year's collapse has been given complete credibility. The Chiefs weren't just unlucky. It's not just about getting a player back from injury or two. K.C. faces very real questions about coaching makeup, roster issues, and organizational fallout from certain decisions that allowed them to rise in the first place.
The Chiefs hope they can be reborn in an offseason. Others will need to see it to believe it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google