NFL: Projecting final records for all 32 teams
By Brad Rowland
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs had a weird off-season in that they basically took the summer off. Kansas City lost tackle Brandon Albert, guard Jon Asamoah and defensive lineman Tyson Jackson (among others), but did not highly invest in any free agents, and instead spent the relative savings on a long-term deal for Alex Smith.
Yikes.
Without taking a deep dive, Alex Smith is a perfectly fine quarterback. He is fairly accurate and good in ball security, and in all honesty, you can win with him, but he will never be the guy to “build around”, and his contract is now in the way.
Fortunately, Kansas City has Jamaal Charles. The former Texas running back was electric in 2013, rushing for 1,287 yards and adding 693 receiving yards (on 70 catches) and scoring 19 combined touchdowns. In short, he was the reason that the KC offense was league-average despite one of the worst pass-catching units in football. On the negative side, the Chiefs did nothing to fortify that group.
On the defensive side of the ball, Kansas City boasted a top-10 group last season according to DVOA, and with the duo of Tamba Hali and Justin Houston on the scene, they can wreak havoc. It will be interesting to see how the secondary performs this season against the likes of Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers inside the division, but aside from that, they should be fine defensively.
Unless Jamaal Charles is the 2013 Jamaal Charles again, the Chiefs have a below-average offense, and that spells trouble in today’s NFL. Here’s hoping.
The Pick: 7-9