The Kansas City Chiefs and the Wild, Wild AFC West
As Week 5 in the NFL draws to a close–and the Kansas City Chiefs return from their in-season vacation–we really have no idea what is going on in this division.
The Chiefs haven’t really shown themselves to be the run-away choice to win the division as many thought they might in the preseason. After playing 16 quarters of football, they’ve only really played about five–maybe six–really well. The rest of the time they’ve looked like, arguably, the worst team in the division.
The Denver Broncos–who many thought would drop off this season, suffering from a post-Super Bowl/post-Peyton Manning retirement hangover–have been dominant through the first quarter of the season. However, yesterday the Atlanta Falcons proved they are humans after all, and managed to provide other teams a blueprint on how to beat the reigning world champions.
The Chargers, who are currently the basement dwellers in the division, are just a few plays from being in first place. One almost has to feel sorry for the team from Sunny San Diego. They’ve had more season-ending injuries than just about any team in the league thus far this season, losing several starters to torn ACLs and Achilles tendons and fake, dead girlfriends, and…well, you get the point.
The Oakland Raiders, many thought would be a dark-horse challenger for the division title at the outset of the season. Most pundits touted the Raiders’ defense as their route to the title, but so far that defense hasn’t showed up. However, the Raiders’ young quarterback Derek Carr, and his receiving corps have been on fire. They’ve been what has catapulted the Raiders into a tie for first place in the division.
So, where does that leave the Chiefs?
As they start the second quarter of the season, their schedule gets much easier. With the exception of the aforementioned Raiders–who could prove to be a tough opponent–the Chiefs play the New Orleans Saints, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Combined, those three teams have a record of 4-9 and the Chiefs play two of the three–the Saints and Jaguars–in the confines of Arrowhead Stadium, where they’ve won their last eight contests.
If the Chiefs can finish the next four games at 3-1, they would be 5-3 overall and in good shape. Obviously though, the goal would be to win the next four games and get back on track. So what exactly do they need to do?
The defense has to buckle down. Period. Dot. End of story.
The Chiefs are getting ready to face three franchise quarterbacks in the next three weeks. Drew Brees, Andrew Luck and Derek Carr are guys who generally instill fear in opponents. It’s amazing that two of these teams are doing as poorly as they are. Which brings us to the next thing the Chiefs have to do in order to get back on track.
The offense has to step it up. Period. Dot. End of story.
Here’s where the good news starts. Three of the four teams the Chiefs are playing in the next four weeks have the three worst defenses in the league. The Raiders, Saints and Colts have the bottom of the stat sheet on lock. If this offense can figure out where the mojo isn’t happening during the bye week, they might be able to have three “softball” games lined up for them, ready to be hit over the fence–if you’ll excuse the cross-sports analogy.
This is where the secret to the Chiefs’ success will lie. Alex Smith needs to sacrifice a whole chicken. Spencer Ware has to figure out how to hold onto the damn ball and not let go. I think the immediate injection of some Jamaal Charles voodoo magic into this offense could help. I think Andy Reid had better figure out how to find the right mix of pass and run to make this thing work. This defense has to figure out how to manufacture a pass rush. This secondary…well, frankly, they need to keep doing what they’re doing, because they’re pretty damn good.
In the end, the next four games are winnable. They’re more than winnable. In looking at the Chiefs’ schedule holistically, they should be four sure things. However, after what we saw to start the season, we know they’re definitely is no such thing as a sure thing.
But, never fear, fellow Chiefs fans. It’s Raider week! And that’s the best week of the year. Time to show these black and silver convicts who the real professional team around here is.
Okay, that was corny. Do what I’m going to do and pray to the football gods for a win.
