The Kansas City Chiefs’ 6-11 season left plenty of room for doubt, especially after Patrick Mahomes went down with a knee injury and the team unraveled late. Still, ESPN’s Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder weren’t ready to bury the roster. In their ranking of every NFL team’s talent, they placed Kansas City 12th.
That’s a notable spot for a team that finished so far from where it usually expects to be. The ESPN trio also broke down each roster’s strengths, weaknesses and a few other factors, and their view of the Chiefs leaned heavily on one familiar idea: faith in Mahomes.
“The two-time league MVP had led his team to 10-plus wins and the AFC Championship Game seven seasons in a row. He has won the Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP three times each and is still only 30 years old."
That argument comes with a catch, though. Mahomes is also recovering from a serious knee injury, and the injury is expected to limit the mobility that has long been such a big part of his game. For now, that leaves the conversation in a wait-and-see place until he gets back on the field.
The ranking also reflects how much uncertainty still hangs over the roster. Kansas City could have been viewed through the lens of its receiving group or its rebuilt secondary, and the fact that the Chiefs still landed 12th suggests there’s enough talent across the board to keep them in the upper half of the league.
There was also a separate note in the discussion about Esa Pole and Kahlil Benson getting positive mention, which at least points to some optimism about the roster’s depth.
Not every part of the roster drew that kind of confidence, though. The Chiefs’ backup running back situation remains a concern, and Demercado was brought up as a possible answer.
But that case doesn’t really hold up. He offers intriguing athleticism, but he was an afterthought in Arizona and also had serious mental mistakes with the Cardinals, which is exactly the sort of issue Kansas City does not need.
Demercado is not the solution there.
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Travis Kelce Hit With Serious Off Field Twist At Brutal Time
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The timing adds another layer to an already awkward situation, with the legal back-and-forth arriving just as Kelces personal life has been in the spotlight for another reason. The sneaker company says the players can be sued in New York because of national advertising campaigns, while Kelce and Mahomes are pushing back on the case there, leaving the venue question as the next key wrinkle to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Nearly Pulled Off The Most Absurd Broncos Move Yet
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It is the kind of concept that sounds more like a late-night what-if than an actual staffing plan, and apparently it never advanced because it was simply too complicated. Still, it says plenty about the lengths some coaches will consider when legacy and history are in play, especially with Belichick now at North Carolina after his long run in New England. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Kelce Wedding Snub Has Chiefs Fans Eyeing One Friendship
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Will Comptons reaction has only added to the chatter around who made the cut and who did not, while Taylor Lewan also weighed in on the guest list and the possibility that some absences carried more meaning than others. For Kansas City, it is another reminder that Kelces personal life still has a way of spilling into the football conversation, and this latest round of speculation has people around the league looking hard at one friendship in particular. [Read more 🡒]