Chiefs Top Five Questions for 2018:
The Yea and the Nay
by Laddie Morse
Every team enters the season with questions. Even the New England Patriots… or the Philadelphia Eagles, who not only won the most recent Super Bowl but, sit atop NFL.com’s Power Rankings by Elliott Harrison. Chiefs come in at #17.
The biggest questions appear to begin with the defense, and none bigger than the participation of Safety Eric Berry.
I. Can the Chiefs D be a success this year if Eric Berry can’t go?
The Yea: if one of the Chiefs young guns steps up or breaks out, the Safety position could be at least average. In preseason game 4, rookie Armani Watts had two INTs and if he gets significant time against Philip Rivers that same result is not out of the question as long as the front seven can get real pressure on him.
The Nay: many have their doubts that this Bob Sutton defense can succeed without Eric Berry. The past two years would seem to indicate not. Last year without Berry the Chiefs D was historically bad, or so it seems. Berry had a Pro Bowl year, the year before, in 2016, and the past two years the Chiefs D has been almost identically horrible, specifically in the playoffs.
II. QB Patrick Mahomes will throw 15 or more INTs this year?
The Yea: Mahomes had 29 INTs in 32 games at Texas Tech. That averages out to 0.9 INTs per game. IOW, almost 1 INT per game. So, it seems reasonable to expect that a rookie QB with a big arm who takes risks throwing the ball downfield and into tight windows, is going to throw about one INT per game. At least in his first season.
The Nay: fans should expect more INTs than Alex Smith had, a QB typified as a game manager. While Mahomes threw 29 INTs in college he also threw 93 TDs. It’s a risk/reward situation and while he may throw more INTs, once he gets more acclimated to Andy Reid’s offense, those INTs numbers should go down.
III. Can the tag-team of Xavier Williams and Derrick Nnadi stop the run?
The Yea: Chiefs fans are well aware of the relationship between NT Dontari Poe’s declining health and his increasing pitch count… meaning, the max number of snaps he was being asked to play. A rotation of X. Williams and Nnadi appear to be a big positive and the contribution of 7-year veteran Jarvis Jenkins should help as well.
The Nay: Nnadi is a rookie, Williams has always been a backup and Jenkins may be past his prime. If Reggie Ragland and Anthony Hitchens can’t step up and fill the gaps that X, Nnadi & Jenks are narrowing, then the run defense may end up ranked even lower than it was last year (25th in yards allowed).
IV. Will WR Sammy Watkins prove his worth in 2017?
The Yea: Sammy Watkins has had 5 offensive coordinators and the guys throwing him the ball were Tyrod Taylor and Jared Goff (a second year QB). Watkins hasn’t been able to stay in one place long enough to flourish and express his considerable talent. I think Sammy Watkins is an incredible talent – the 4th pick overall in 2014 — and we may not see his best early in the Chiefs season because of the deep and difficult playbook, but when he “gets it” and he and Mahomes make that on-field connection… oh, watch out!
The Nay: fantasypros.com called Watkins a “train wreck” last year and from a fantasy standpoint was a disaster. He has averaged less than 800 receiving yards per year and although he makes a lot of yards after the catch, he appears to have trouble getting open at times on his own… meaning, he needs a scheme to help set him free. For the amount of money the Chiefs paid him over the offseason, he very easily could end up a bust for the team.
V. Will Andy Reid ever learn to “go for it” when he’s ahead on the scoreboard?
The Yea: Reid watched his younger protégé, Doug Pederson, win the Super Bowl vs everyone’s hated nemesis, the New England Patriots, who know how to come-from-behind better than any team in the league. Also, prior to 2017, Reid was a known “Clock Management Nincompoop” but… he apparently did much better on that horizon last year, than he ever has, so… if he can self-correct in one area of his coaching duties, it’s reasonable to assume he could improve in other areas.
The Nay: Andy Reid is a known control-freak when it comes to calling plays and seeing him actually relinquish his offense to his own Offensive Coordinator happens about as often as McDonald’s offers the McRib. Reid has a considerable coaching tree growing in the NFL but, he never seems to do as well in the playoffs as many of those coaches who have blossomed across the league. Reid traditionally maps out the first 15 plays of a game, but so very often the rest of the play calls in a game are mystifying, out of sync, and never as well thought out as the scripted plays. If Reid could design 15 plays to run when he’s up by more than 10 points, it would be earth shattering. We know he could… but hasn’t… yet.
Getting favorable answers to these questions will go along ways towards the Chiefs overall success in 2018. Is there one of these questions that you think is more important than the other? Do you have an even bigger question that needs answering about the 2018 Kansas City Chiefs? If so, let’s hear it. Go Chiefs!
If you are viewing this in Apple News and would like to join the Discussion, [GO HERE.](http://arrowheadone.com/chiefs-top-five-questions-for-2018-the-yea-and-the-nay/#disqus_thread)