5 reasons why the Kansas City Chiefs will regress in 2019

Last season the Kansas City Chiefs took the entire league by storm as they dominated their way through the season. Will they be able to repeat that again?

If we are all being honest, nobody really expected the Chiefs to perform the way they did last season. Especially with Patrick Mahomes leading the charge as a first-time starter, expectations were fairly low. While they had the roster talent to be a competitive team, it came as a surprise when the Chiefs went 12-4, got home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and saw their quarterback win MVP.

Even though they lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game, the Chiefs seemed like they were just a couple pieces away from being the next dynasty in the league.

As eyes start looking forward to the 2019 season, a lot of people will immediately consider the Chiefs as the favorite to come out of the AFC and represent in the Super Bowl. However, with just a few offseason moves, and a roster that has some holes in it, will Kansas City be able to be the same contender that they were last year?

5. Running Back Woes

Remember when the Chiefs boasted the four-headed monster of Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Kareem Hunt? With Hunt in the backfield, the Chiefs were almost unstoppable. Now? There are questions.

Let’s not forget that in just 11 games before Hunt was cut, he ran for 824 yards and seven touchdowns. Pretty good, right? But, it wasn’t just his running game. Hunt also caught 35 passes for 378 yards and another seven touchdowns. Not only was Hunt a machine on the ground, but he made an incredible impact in the passing game as well. Of course, Hunt is no longer part of their organization. His impact that he had on the team will be largely missed in the 2019 season.

So, as the Chiefs get ready to start the 2019 season, it leaves Damien Williams and newly-signed Carlos Hyde to lead the running charge. While Williams was impressive during the short stint that he had as the starting running back, there’s no track record of him carrying the load for a full season. Williams is more of a pass-catching back that should not be charged with the responsibility of being the guy all the time. Hyde could make an impact due to his bulldog mentality, but after his lackluster season last year in 2018, it is hard to really know what the Chiefs will be getting.

Williams and Hyde will do their best to support the running game for Mahomes, but do not be surprised if the running game struggles to find consistency next season.