Just last season the Kansas City Chiefs were AFC West Champions. Heading into the 2018 season it appears repeating that feat will be much more difficult. Seasoned quarterback Alex Smith was traded away to the Washington Redskins during the offseason, and now the reigns have been handed over to inexperienced sophomore Patrick Mahomes. Additionally, the Chiefs were 28th in total defense in 2017 which means that there are major question marks all throughout this football team for the new season.
(USA Today)
1st Down: How will Patrick Mahomes handle being the starting quarterback?
The aforementioned trade of Alex Smith to Washington has opened the door for Mahomes to run the show. Mahomes was selected 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by Kansas City, meaning they planned for him to one day be their guy at QB - that day has come. Starting quarterback is the most important position in all of football. Playing for an offensive-minded head coach in Andy Reid, and having weapons like Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill, and Sammy Watkins should make Mahomes’ life much easier. If Mahomes is able to step in this season and perform like the flashy armed kid he was at Texas Tech, the Chiefs will have lots to smile about with their versatile offense.
2nd Down: Can the defense turn things around?
Another big move the Chiefs made during this offseason was trading cornerback Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams. Peters was without a doubt the best defensive playmaker for Kansas City last season, especially after safety Eric Berry was lost to a season-ending injury. With Peters now gone and Berry trying to bounce back from an Achilles injury, the Chiefs need guys to step up all around the defense. Linebackers, Dee Ford and Anthony Hitchens will be key now that longtime Chief Derrick Johnson has moved on. Also, cornerback Kendall Fuller will need to play like a top defensive back considering he was a big part of the return from Washington in the Alex Smith trade. Kansas City can’t do much worse than 28th defensively, so there is hope that this unit will improve its efforts.
3rd Down: Which Sammy Watkins will show up this season?
Let’s not forget that Watkins was the 4th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. When a skill position player is taken that high he is projected to pan out as a perennial Pro-Bowler, and here we are four years later without Watkins having one on his professional resume. Watkins definitely possesses game-breaking talent, but his career has been hampered by nagging injuries and offensive schemes that have not necessarily catered to his style of play. If there were ever a time for Watkins to start balling out like a top-five pick, it is now with Andy Reid finding ways to get him the ball. Kansas City’s offense can really achieve something special this year if Mahomes and Watkins can both put it all together alongside the proven talents the Chiefs already have.
4th Down: Is Kareem Hunt in store for a sophomore slump?
Hunt burst onto the scene last season as a rookie back starting Week 1 against the Patriots, when he accounted for 3 touchdowns and over 200 yards of total offense. He would go on to rush for 1,327 yards and 8 touchdowns on the season, while also finishing with 455 yards receiving with 3 touchdowns. Sophomore slumps are a real thing in the NFL, and last season we saw just that in the case of Dak Prescott. The Chiefs will need Hunt to look like the electric playmaker he was out of the backfield in order to once again compete for the AFC West crown. If Hunt’s numbers drop significantly this could be a long hard season for Kansas City.
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