Fansided

5 darkhorses to make a run at the Super Bowl after NFL free agency

By John Buhler

Nov 26, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) rolls out to pass against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter of an NFL game on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) rolls out to pass against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter of an NFL game on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 14, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) talks with head coach Andy Reid during the first half against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 14, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) talks with head coach Andy Reid during the first half against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

. AFC. West. Kansas City Chiefs. 1. player. 124

The 2016 Kansas City Chiefs are almost certainly playoff bound with Andy Reid as head coach, that ferocious Bob Sutton defense, and a track star quarterback that doesn’t make mistakes with the football in Alex Smith under center.

Even though Kansas City should be the favorite to win the AFC West in 2016, the Chiefs won’t be one of the teams people put on their short list of realistic Super Bowl contenders this fall. But why?

Historically the Chiefs haven’t had great playoff success in recent years, but Kansas City got the monkey off their back in 2015 by annihilating the Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round in Houston. That was KC’s first playoff victory since Joe Montana was their quarterback in 1993.

Kansas City proved last season that they can ride a great momentum wave into the postseason. The Chiefs won 11 straight games before coming up a tad short against the AFC East juggernaut Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round in Foxboro.

Re-signing safety Eric Berry, pass rusher Tamba Hali, and linebacker Derrick Johnson gives Sutton the necessary bevy of defensive weapons he’ll need to disrupt the AFC en route to the Chiefs’ first trip to the Super Bowl in 47 years.

If anybody isn’t putting Kansas City on their short list of eight or so teams that can win Super Bowl LI, that would be a huge mistake. Now that the Chiefs have proven that they can win a playoff game, a trip to the Super Bowl isn’t an impossibility. The only thing stopping them might be Reid’s inability to read a clock, but that’s a story for another time.

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