The Kansas City Chiefs are heading toward their season opener with a lot less buzz than usual, and that silence may be working in their favor.
Kansas City is still the favorite to win the AFC West, but the conversation around the division has tilted toward the Broncos and Chargers. For a team that has spent years setting the standard, that shift is enough to rattle fans. It also makes sense on paper.
The Chiefs are coming off their worst season of the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes era, finishing with just six wins and missing the playoffs for the first time since before either man arrived in Kansas City. That alone would change the way people talk about the team.
Add in Patrick Mahomes’ serious injury in December, and the doubts only grow. He has been cleared for the opener against Denver, but there’s still no answer on whether he’ll look like himself right away.
There are real concerns elsewhere, too. Rumors suggest Josh Simmons won’t play in Week 1 and could be dealing with a back injury, which would leave an undrafted rookie protecting Mahomes’ blind side.
On defense, the Chiefs took another hit this offseason. Trent McDuffie was traded to the Rams, Jaylen Watson also went to Los Angeles, and Bryan Cook signed with the Bengals.
That’s a lot of talent out the door, and it leaves Brett Veach with a younger, thinner group to sort through in the secondary.
That’s a big part of why the Chiefs are being pushed to the background while other teams get the attention. The Chargers brought in Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator, and Denver’s defense is drawing plenty of praise. From the outside, it’s easy to understand why people would lean that way.
Still, Mina Kimes offered a reminder that the Chiefs may be getting discounted too quickly. As she put it, "What if the Kansas City Chiefs are just the Kansas City Chiefs again?"
She pointed to the kind of regression signs that could swing back in Kansas City’s favor, saying, "Every nerd regression sign is pointing towards positive regression this year. The close games, the missed field goals, all of it.
On top of that, the offense for all of the like, you know, hand wringing, and oh my god, they're running it back. They were 12th in offensive DVOA," Kimes said on The Mina Kimes Show.
"I'm starting to talk myself into this defense potentially being good."
Kimes also singled out the defensive additions the Chiefs made this offseason, including R Mason Thomas and Khyiris Tonga. She said the Tonga signing was one of her favorites of the entire offseason.
So while the skepticism is easy to understand, the case for Kansas City is still sitting there. The Chiefs added Kenneth Walker on offense to help the running game, and they brought in new pieces to shore up a defense that dipped last season.
Maybe the quiet around them is justified. Or maybe it’s exactly the kind of setup a team like the Chiefs can use to remind everybody who they are.
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