NFL playoffs: How your team can make it
. AFC. West. Kansas City Chiefs. 2. player. 124
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off consecutive winning season, and entering Year Three of the Andy Reid era. Reid and general manager John Dorsey has done a nice job with Kansas City, rebuilding a team that won two games in 2012 to make it a consistent contender. Last year, the Chiefs hammered the New England Patriots 41-14 on Monday Night Football, along with defeating the Seattle Seahawks two months later.
In the offseason, the Chiefs upgraded their offense with the acquisition of left guard Ben Grubbs and receiver Jeremy Maclin, who signed a five-year, $55 million deal. While quarterback Alex Smith remains a game-manager in every sense of the word, Kansas City has built a team tailored to his strengths; accuracy and intelligence. The Chiefs have a cavalcade of weapons at his disposal, including Maclin, Jamaal Charles, De’Anthony Thomas and Travis Kelce.
On defense, Kansas City ranked second in points allowed and seventh in yards. The unit only stands to be better with the return of All-Pro inside linebacker Derrick Johnson and defensive end Mike DeVito, both who missed the last 15 games of 2014 with torn Achilles. Up front, the Chiefs have a devastating pass-rush with Dontari Poe on the nose, and Justin Houston and Tamba Hali on the outside. Houston set the single-season franchise record last year with 22 sacks, only a half-sack shy of the NFL record set by Michael Strahan.
It would be surprising if Kansas City isn’t a playoff team in 2015. With considerable talent on both sides of the ball and a quality coaching staff in place, the Chiefs seem ripe for a double-digit win season. Smith isn’t going to throw for 4,000 yards, but he will do enough to keep the offense moving. If All-Pro safety Eric Berry can return at any point from his cancer treatments, that will be another massive boost to this group.
Next: San Diego Chargers