You know that the AFC West has armed to the teeth to take down the Chiefs as Division Champions. Indeed, all are aware that the Chiefs once again suffer from our Strength of Schedule(SoS) predictions.
It is evident that the leveling of the NFL Powers east of the Hudson dirty best to raise a rampart they viewed as nearly insurmountable. So “faith in the Parity gods” arose as the hue and cry in Manhattan. It must have been the slogan. I should read that the King of the Hill falls aside. Our opponents have the number one aim in the AFC West: Don’t let the Chiefs win the division. The NFL has made sure that the Kansas City Chiefs begin the season with the deck stacked against them.
At the outset, the Chiefs face a mighty task to win the AFC West again. However, some Pundits are already chomping the bit to witness the Chiefs as a struggling franchise. Some predict that the team will fail to get to the post-season competition.
Is the AFC West the Strongest NFL Divison?
That is a callous question to answer. If I examine the mythical and separate it from the history of accomplishment, I would observe that the Chiefs are still the team to beat in the AFC West. The question should be framed around Five Major though not Easy, Pieces(Themes). Consider them all questions Except #4.
- Do our Division foes have the QB that can make it happen?
- Did they add the right weapons to mount an effective campaign?
- Is their defense strong enough to hold off all opponents of the West?
- All roads lead through Arrowhead Stadium until proven otherwise – A stated truth.
- Defeating one Divion foe will not be enough. Chiefs foes face each other twice as well. are the outcomes predictable?
I can answer some of the above questions; The AFC-West has considerable QB power. I cannot answer items two or three. Yes, the road to the playoffs will go through Kansas City. For Item five, I can say that the west will be tough for any team to win.
The Complex(The AFC West)
The Los Angeles Chargers will kick off the draft at SoFi for the fans: Draftfest. With Justin Herbert under center, you could state that the chargers have their Franchise QB. In his second season, Herbert threw for 5,014 yards and 38 touchdowns. That’s dangerous stuff. WR Kennan Allen has been a receiving threat for a decade. The Chargers also re-signed their own F/A Receiver Mike Williams and added former OSU WR KJ Hill. At the Charger fansided site, there is considerable excitement in Hill’s prospectus for 2022. At the same Williams is a very desirable pass catcher for Justin. Expect three WRs on the Chargers who will stress every opponent. Other upgrades were on the defensive side of the ball, which already boasted Joey Bosa, DE, and they also signed Bears Free Agent pass rusher Khalil Mack. The intent was to counter the top QBs and receivers in the AFCW. Why? The Chiefs, of course, have the next GOAT–Patrick Mahomes. Derek Carr is a threat at Vegas. Meanwhile, the Broncos made their pitch by acquiring former Seattle QB Russell Wilson. All four teams in the West will be a scoring threat with aerial attacks; Wilson is a legitimate Tier one quarter. By adding Mack, the Raiders now have a legitimate two-pronged pass-rush threat. Mack will improve their ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks. The Chargers are facing the top QBs of the Chiefs and Broncos. It is easy to determine their direction in 2022.
The Denver Broncos – Denver has been the lowly member of the division and has not won a game against the Chiefs since 2016. With Wilson, they shifted far to the positive side of the ledger. Wilson will make the Bronco passing game far more adept than in prior years. They have tried to work several QBs into the role since Peyton Manning. Nothing worked.
The Las Vegas Raiders have Carr throwing passes, and Now they have added a great WR, Former Green Bay Packer WR Davante Adams. It cost the Raiders a bundle to get him aboard. The Vegas team also traded for CB Rock Ya-Sin.
The Kansas City Chiefs – I have listed the Chiefs last of the group for a purpose. I have covered the WRs acquired via Free Agent signings in previous articles. Several articles have been written about The Chiefs losing Tyreek Hill, one of the most effective receivers in the game today. But his greatness with the Chiefs was offset by opponents figuring out how to prevent him from being a threat. At the same time, he came into spring with the NFL Huges WR signings. Instead of extending Tyreek, Brett Veach decided to allow him to exit the Chiefs, become a Dolphin, and Hill got the contract as the highest-paid WR in the NFL. The Chiefs acquired five draft picks in return. Veach turned around and signed Free Agent WR JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, bringing two top WRs to KC. Both players were #1 WRs for their respective teams. The Chiefs are in the process of figuring out whether they will sign a Veteran WR to replace part of what Hill gave them, or Veach will make a draft pick who will become part of the receiver equation. In addition, KC added RB Ronald Jones to bolster the running attack. Veach is still figuring out how to create QB pressure from the front four.
All four AFC West teams have made significant moves in Free Agency to build on the team’s prior season’s success. The Chiefs lost Hill to Miami but gained MV-S and JS-S. I will say this: This pair of wide receivers will make things exciting for the Chiefs.
The above summary identifies the AFC West teams and what they aim to accomplish. All Four teams are still a WiP.
Things Remain Unsettled Until After the Draft
All Four Teams are “not there yet’. With the Hill Trade, the Chiefs have twelve draft picks to help put it all together. After that, it will be a wide-open year. The AFC West is the Wild West of the NFL.
David Bell – ArrowheadOne