The Kansas City Chiefs made some questionable moves in the offseason but still remain one of the best teams in the NFL. Are the Chiefs the team to beat?
Are The Chiefs The Team To Beat?
We are halfway through the NFL season and there have been many surprises all year. To the pleasure of many St. Louis natives, the team that abandoned us is struggling out West, while the other team in the state looks strong.
The Kansas City Chiefs look like they might be the team to beat, not only in the AFC but the entire league. Can you really bet against Patrick Mahomes and company? Kansas City is legit, so let’s look ahead at their schedule as they chase the playoffs.
Eyes on the Prize
There is beauty in having a guy named Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs can win any game on their schedule and nobody would be surprised. Line them up against the juggernauts of the NFC (B)East we know as the Philadelphia Eagles, and they can get the job done.
On a short week, the scheduling gods really helped out the Chiefs in Week 10. They square off against the Jacksonville Jaguars after a grueling overtime victory against the Tennessee Titans. The Chiefs should not have won that game, but that is beside the point.
Week 10 will not be an easy game against the 3-6 Jaguars. Jacksonville has an impressive +21-point differential this year and always finds a way to keep this close. If Kansas City can win by 10 or more, that has a lot more merit than it might sound.
After Week 10, the Chiefs, still the team to beat, have to go through a three-team gauntlet of the Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. If they can survive this test, the rest of the NFL should be nervous.
Once Week 13 wraps up, things get a lot easier for the fans at Arrowhead. The Chiefs play against the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks, Broncos again and finally, the Las Vegas Raiders to conclude the regular season. November and early December will be a huge test for the hungry Chiefs, but it looks sunny on the other side.
No Hill, No Problem
A lot of noise was made in the offseason on whether the Kansas City Chiefs had the pieces to be a powerhouse in 2022-23, but it is a lot quieter now. Tyreek Hill was sent packing to Miami and everyone panicked, but the Chiefs are sitting at 6-2 with sky-high expectations.
As the season continues rolling, the Chiefs have the 17th hardest strength of schedule down the stretch. The combined win percentage of their upcoming opponents is .478. To no surprise, the Philadelphia Eagles have the easiest schedule remaining. The Buffalo Bills have the 7th hardest SOS, which should be noted as the battle for the No. 1 seed in the AFC heats up.
I am predicting the Chiefs finish out the season 13-4 and head into the playoffs as the top-ranked, team to beat in the AFC. Who knows what will happen after that; that’s a story for another time.
