While it’s only midseason and not time to evaluate the team’s whole season, it should be a good time to ask whether or not these Chiefs can win the Super Bowl. You could certainly make the case that after the Chiefs first five games — with four of those coming from what was thought to be playoff caliber teams — that they were ready to make a run at a ring. Now, after going 1-and-3 in their past four games, not so much. Now, with Bye Week upon us, we can take stock of all that this team has accomplished so far, and perhaps get a better picture of their viability as a champion.
First, let me repeat something I’ve said recently. Philadelphia is the only dominant team in the league right now. It’s not that I think the Chiefs can’t beat the Eagles, they already have, but Philly has uno sole loss on their record, but they were missing a key piece to their defensive line at the time. Although I thin the Eagles would be a very tough out right now, the point the Chiefs need to focus on is making it to the Super Bowl… then we’ll see what happens. If that happens, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Andy Reid out-scheme his ex-OC all over again.
To get the Big Enchilada, Kansas City will need add some hot sauce to their recipe.
Will the softer schedule in the second half make it better or worse for the Chiefs come playoffs time?
Yes, Kansas City has one of the easiest schedules for the second half of the season. Without getting into why it might be softer, let’s talk about whether or not that will benefit the team or make them a weaker unit… when it counts most.
Terez Paylor has said recently that the number one goal of the Chiefs in the second half of the regular season should be to get RB Kareem Hunt enough rest so that when the playoffs roll around, he will be as fresh as he was for the first four games. I can here a bit of blame in their on Reid for over using Hunt and wearing him out. The next man up would have to be Charcandrick West. West has a total of 6 carries this year with no more than 2 carries in in specific game. That’s simply not enough. For a back who was the number one RB for the Cheifs jsut two years ago, there’s no reason not to sub him in the way Reid was planning to do with Spencer Ware and Kareem Hunt when the team broke camp.
If Kareem Hunt is rested and doesn’t have to face “The Rookie Wall” that many rookies face in their first season (because the NFL season is so much longer than in college), then I can support some of what Paylor is saying here. In any case, for the Chiefs to run the table come playoff time, Kareem Hunt is one player they can not do without. A fresh Hunt… keeps the Chiefs in the hunt.
I was looking back over the history of all Super Bowl Winners. Every single decade of Lombardi winners has at least two teams — more importantly, two QBs — that have won the big one, twice.
Green Bay (Bart Starr) did it twice in the truncated first decade of the 1960s. The 1970s had both Roger Staubach and Terri Bradshaw winning at least two. The 1980s had Joe Montana and Jim Plunkett. The 1990’s had Troy Aikman and John Elway, and the 2000s had Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger. Since 2010 we’ve had Tom Brady twice and to maintain this pattern of two QB-SB winners, with four Super Bowls to go in this decade, one of the following QBs must add another:
- Eli Manning (not going to happen this year, or any time soon)
- Russell Wilson (maybe the best chance, in my estimation)
- Aaron Rodgers (not this year)
- Drew Brees (has a shot)
- Joe Flacco (looong shot)
- Peyton Manning (never again)
Of all these possible candidates, only Joe Flacco’s Ravens at 4-and-5 are in the same division as the Chiefs but I don’t see them as the threat that the Chiefs are. All these other possible second time SB winners are in the NFC. While Wilson appears to have the best shot, it’s probably in the next four years because this season he’s spent more time running for his life (their OL is one of the worst in the league, even with the addition of Duane Brown) and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
Another point of exploring the Super Bowl winners is to see that 4 out of every 10 years is spoken for by teams with two very good QBs. If you want to make that list, first, you have to win one.
Sometimes the path has to open itself up for your team to make it to the Super Bowl. While the schedule appears to be weak in the second half of he year, it also allows for the team to repair some broken confidence. The pro game, as much as any college or high school game, is often dependent on momentum and believing your can succeed. If the Chiefs can reel off a winning streak and go into the post season with their heads full of “we-just-did-that” they are as capable as any team in the league right now.
Without focusing too much on what needs to be fixed right now, the defense needs some of this confidence building more than any unit on the team. The creep “here-we-go-again” is easy to allow back inside your head and I think one of the problems the defensive unit has had in the first half of the year is a feeling of certainty that come with some consistent success.
Our 2017 midseason NFL All-Pro team includes four Chiefs, two rookies and one G.O.A.T. https://t.co/5sgIwAPyQ9
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) November 8, 2017
Midseason accolades aside, many Chiefs are still have excellent seasons. Will it translate into team victories once the regular season is over? That’s the big question. However, at this point in the year, there’s nothing that tells me it’s impossible. If my team was the Browns, the Giants, the 49ers, or frankly, any other team in the AFC West… I’d wouldn’t feel like my team had a chance. However, I think there’s a very good chance the Chiefs get one of the First Round Playoff Byes and play all their post season games at Arrowhead. No, that didn’t work out so well last year but you got to keep on knocking on the door. Sooner or later you’re going to win the Publisher’s Clearing House Award. 1-and-3 is not going to keep me from thinking that’s still not possible.
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