Kansas City Chiefs - Super
Bowl Champions!
2019 Record: (12-4) 1st
AFC West
2019 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 28.2 (5th)
Yards: 379.2 (6th)
Pass Yards: 281.1 (5th)
Rush Yards: 98.1 (23rd)
Defense
Points: 19.2 (7th)
Yards: 349.6 (17th)
Pass Yards: 221.4 (8th)
Rush Yards: 128.2 (26th)
First and foremost – Congratulations once again to the Kansas City
Chiefs for becoming Super Bowl Champions!
Diving into that magical 2019 season, the Chiefs avoided complete disaster
when Patrick Mahomes knee cap was dislocated on that quarterback sneak. That was
a massive point of the year as this club was on a two-game losing streak and at
that time weren’t playing their best football. Defense was the major concern as
they really struggled to maintain, while the opposition found holes and scored
many points. During that week seven contest, many fans and onlookers believed
Mahomes would be lost for the entire season.
On the following Monday, word broke that no structural damage had occurred
and Mahomes would only miss a hand full of games. Upon Mahomes return to the
field in week 10, the Kansas City defense again let the team down losing the Titans.
After that contest, something happened to this team that would set the stage
and sustain for the rest of the year. The defense managed to correct its inadequacy
which was led by Tyrann Mathieu. Pulling the secondary together, the adjustments
allowed the Chiefs to blitz more often while becoming more opportunistic in
creating turnovers.
Winning their last six games while being crowed division champion –
the stage was set for the Chiefs to cruse to the super bowl. Hosting the Houston
Texans in the divisional round, more tragedy struck this club as they found themselves
down early to the tune of 24-0 in the first quarter. With luck on their side, Kansas
City managed to engineer turnovers of their own and pull a massive comeback to
win 51-31. Moving on to the Tennessee Titans the following week in the AFC championship,
it again appeared that becoming victorious would not be on their side. Trailing
early 10-0, then again 17-7 – the Chiefs flipped that switch and couldn’t be
caught. Beating the Titans 35-24 and stamping their ticket to the super bowl
for the first time in 50 years was the outcome.
As we geared up for the big game, the contest remained tight throughout
the first half locking both clubs at 10 heading into the locker room. Jumping
into the third quarter, the 49ers defense was clearly in the driver seat as San
Francisco managed to hold a 10-point lead heading into the final frame. With
that, we again witnessed something which became so common with this Chiefs run
and that should be classified as resilience! Patriack Mahomes called a play
that opened up the comeback with a deep toss to Tyreek Hill. Finally moving the
ball on what was a stifling 49ers defense, Mahomes carried the weight of the team
on his back and completed yet another comeback to take the lead and never look
back.
For how talented this offense is and was in 2019, it was the
defense that we suspected to be a major problem in getting them over the top.
In the end, the fortitude of the defense was the game changer while the offense
and Mahomes laid the final nail in the coffin. Hoisting that super bowl trophy
was a beautiful sight to see for long time Kansas City Chief fans!
2020 Offseason
WorkBook:
The Offense
With the smell of victory not likely to wash off anytime soon, we’ll
start at the quarterback position and Patrick Mahomes. While we all knew he was
something special in the making after his record setting season a year ago,
this season proved how tough he was and how much respect he pulls from the locker
room. Hearing Mahomes in an interview saying he believes he has much room to grow
in the mental aspect of the game – that truly should be a scary thought for the
rest of the league. Obviously, he is looking to be the new face of the NFL and
should be playing for the Chiefs for many years. His contract situation will be
a high priority and could break the back when all is said and done. Keep
smiling Chiefs fans, you have a great youthful one behind center.
As for the running back position, we can’t be as optimistic and generous
with our opinion. Its not that we don’t like Damien Williams, but we feel he’s
benefited far more in playing in this offense over his talent dictating terms. With
that said, he did play a heavy role in getting the team the championship – but we
have no question that Coach Reid will be in the market to upgrade. With Lesean
McCoy likely moving on to free agency, we can absolutely see a first-round
runner added with the last pick in the first round of the NFL draft. Williams
may continue to have a role in 2020, but there is no question the search will
be on for that full time back this off-season.
Heading toward the receiving core and what they hold on the roster,
we begin with Tyreek Hill. Here was another situation where off field trouble could’ve
derailed the Chiefs from keeping the star talent, but circumstances changed and
it appears Hill should remain with the team if he can stay out of trouble. With
Sammy Watkins playing a decent secondary role (more so in the playoffs) – he has
intimated that taking a year off could be in the cards as he would enjoy a
break from the game. Having Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle looking to take
the next steps in their progression, we still could witness a receiver drafted
from a class loaded with ability. Coach Reid has been a master in finding
receivers and should manage to snag another one.
When it comes to the tight end position, Travis Kelce continues to
be the best in the business as proved that once again with mammoth numbers
filling his stat line. Securing a whopping 97 receptions, for 1229 yards and
five touchdowns, he is the true offensive mismatch on this offense. The great
positive in his game that even at the age of 30 years old, his play hasn’t seen
any drop off and should still remain elite for at least the next two to three seasons.
This unit overall is still very sound and will continue to be a dominating
force.
The Defense
Admittedly, we became very critical of this defensive unit during
the first half of the season, but as they adjusted their approach, we got on board
to see the many strengths they held. Being built with the blitz in mind, this Chiefs
group was able to expel the most of its abilities while locking down in the
most important times. Categorizing them as a true bend but don’t break squad is
how we choose to label them after how they finished the year.
Diving into the defensive line which is led by Chris Jones and
Frank Clark, they became the engine that drove the ship. Being responsible for
17 of the teams 45 sacks – this was extra important as both players missed time
to injury. Had they played an entire 16 games each, these totals could’ve jumped
over the 50-sack mark. Having Alex Okafor and Emmanuel Ognah chipping in with a
healthy 10.5 take-downs of their own, this group had a nose in finding the quarterback.
If there is room to improve it definitely rests at finding more run stoppers to
help round out the group. We should see the Chiefs try to fill these holes in
some shape or form.
When it comes to the line backer position, Anthony Hitchens still
should be viewed as the most important piece. While we did see his stats take a
drop off from the previous season, he still managed to lead the team in tackles.
Outside of Hitchens, we could suggest this team requiring upgrades to both
Damien Wilson and Reggie Ragland. With the limited amount of talent on this group,
its no question we witnessed a league bottom feeder in total rush yards allowed.
This unit should see change and become a priority this offseason.
As we review this defensive backfield, we had high hopes entering
the year but saw some level of struggle at times. With Tyrann Mathieu becoming a
true leader of the bunch, this crew managed to finish the season as the 8th
best in the league. With that said, we have always been supportive of Kendall Fuller
and his skillset, the only thing which has lacked in his overall game has been
the absence of interceptions. Nevertheless, he formed a decent tandem with
Bashaud Breeland which aided to that high-end statistical achievements from
this group.
With all that praise for this defensive back room, the Chiefs will
be somewhat hamstrung with Fuller, Breeland and to a lesser extent Morris
Claiborne all heading for free agency. This positional group could look very
different in 2020 and will need to be replaced with limited funds on the books.
Team Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
With the NFL ratifying the collective bargaining agreement on
March 15th, the added salary cap space from the league is a welcomed
sight to the Chiefs. With those extra funds added to the bottom line, Kansas
City still holds a meek 15.9 million in free space to first resign their hefty
27 team free agents.
Highlighting the list of players the Chiefs would covet to bring
back to the fold – Chris Jones, Kendall Fuller, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Brashaud
Breeland all look to be the top commodities. Adding to that, Damien Williams
and Damien Wilson both fall under the club option contract stipulation and will
be decided on in the coming days. As for Chris Jones, he may have priced his
way out of town with his market value skyrocketing to an enormous 19.2 million
per season on what could be a five- or six-year deal. At this point, Kansas
City doesn’t have the money and would have to get very creative to bring him
back to the team.
For the purpose of this team evaluation, it is always our objective
to find more funds for clubs to utilize from poorly built contracts. In review
of the books, Sammy Watkins is a prime candidate to be cut from the roster as
his ridiculous 21-million-dollar cap hit comes with a minimal seven million in
dead funds. We can’t envision a situation where Damien Wilson’s club option
will be extended which would save nearly all of his 3.8 million on the books. Daniel
Sorenson is another player that could hit the open market as his 4.75 million
dollars would only place one million in dead funds – every dollar counts for
the Chiefs at this point.
With these few possible transactions, Kansas City would save an
additional 20.7 million dollars to extend their open cap to 36.6 million for
2020. For our appetite, making these roster cuts is truly a no brainer and
would give options to bring back at least Chris Jones.
The NFL Draft
The more likely situation for the Chiefs rests in the NFL draft to
restock and reload their roster. The issue here also is limited ammunition for
them to work with. Holding only five picks in this year draft, Kansas City is
missing their sixth and seventh rounders to begin with.
The Chiefs obviously hold the 32nd pick in the first
round and we wouldn’t be shocked to see them trade down to garner more capital.
If the Chiefs do stay the course and choose to make that pick at 32 – could we
see a player like Deandre Swift added to this offense? Coach Reid would definitely
favor a true three down runner with the ability to be dangerous in the pass
game.
Other options to keep this club a top end contender would include –
adding to the defensive line (if Jones is lost to free agency) and shoring up
the defensive backfield with the plethora of players that could walk out the
door. Let’s not forget the possibility to add more receiver depth if Watkins is
cut from the club.
All-in-all, the Chiefs will have a lot of work to do to bring this
team back to what they were in 2019. However, there is more than enough proof
that their scouting department can hit gold in any round of the draft. The
defense of their championship begins on March 18th – get ready!
great work dear keep it up best football short
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