The Kansas Chiefs (8-3) sit in second place in the loaded AFC West behind the 9-2 Oakland Raiders. The Denver Broncos, at 7-4, are in third place in the division . The AFC West is wide open and the division could realistically go to any of these three contenders. But, in the bigger picture, where do the Chiefs realistically fall in the race for a chance at a Lombardi Trophy?
Kansas City Chiefs Eye Super Bowl Shot
The wide open AFC West may be completely shaken up by season’s end. Every team in the division, besides the Broncos, has a favorable schedule remaining. Here’s how the division may fall with the remaining match-ups:
Kansas City Chiefs: 13-3
Oakland Raiders: 11-5
San Diego Chargers: 8-8
Denver Broncos: 8-8
How Will it Happen?
Broncos
The Broncos beat the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13, and that will likely be their final win on the season. Their remaining games on the schedule are against the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, Chiefs, and Raiders. All four of those teams pose major challenges that Denver will likely not overcome.
Chargers
The Chargers are a very talented team who have beaten themselves time and time again. San Diego just lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but they should be able to beat the Carolina Panthers, Raiders, and Cleveland Browns. The only game remaining on their schedule this season that could be a realistic potential loss is their game against the red hot Chiefs. There is a high likelihood that San Diego ties Denver for third in the division at .500. Despite Denver having a high powered defense, the Chargers are much more well rounded and have a talented offense spearheaded by Melvin Gordon along with a decent defense.
Raiders
The Raiders are red hot right now. They have an explosive offense, a talented defense, and keep winning football games. However, with the schedule ahead that’s about to change. The Raiders will most likely win only one more game this season. That final win will come against the weak defense of the Indianapolis Colts.
The other three remaining games for Oakland this season are against the Chiefs, Chargers, and Broncos, all division games. The way all these teams have been playing, the Raiders are going to lose every single one of the remaining divisional match ups. They won’t be able to overcome the stout defense of the Broncos, the opportunistic play making of the Chiefs, or the talented and well-rounded Charger squad.
Keys to Chiefs Winning Out
The Chiefs are playing some incredible football. The defense is filled with opportunistic play makers who are coming up big in all the right moments. The defense is making all the big stops and keeping their team in games. Th offense has also opened up a new dimension with the blossoming super star rookie Tyreek Hill. The incredibly talented speedster is burning defenses in almost every way imaginable. Against the Broncos he had a receiving, rushing, and return touchdown, something that hasn’t been done since Gale Sayers did it as a member of the Chicago Bears.
The remaining match ups for the Chiefs are against the Raiders, Titans, Broncos, and Chargers. All of those games are winnable. Andy Reid‘s team already beat the three division opponents once this year and they are now playing even stronger football than they were earlier in the season. If the Chiefs can play the way they have been recently, they have a good chance of being 6-0 in division games. Tennessee is a good young football team, but they’re fairly one dimensional. They rely on a strong rushing attack and mobile quarterback Marcus Mariota. The extremely talented pass rush of the Chiefs is going to neutralize Mariota and Tennessee’s ground game should be slowed down as well.
The Playoff Picture and Chiefs Road To the Super Bowl
Projected AFC Teams
The teams from the AFC that will most likely make the playoffs are the Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Titans, Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers and Raiders. The Patriots and Chiefs will both get a first-round bye and fourth seed Tennessee will take out fifth seed Oakland while third seed Baltimore falls to the sixth seed Steelers. In the divisional round the Patriots will then take down the Steelers in a tight game while the Chiefs defeat the Titans. This will lead to a rematch of last year’s AFC Divisional Round matchup in the AFC Championship game. But this year will see a different outcome. The Chiefs will edge out the Patriots by three points to earn their trip to the biggest stage in football.
The talented Seattle Seahawks will represent the NFC in Houston, setting up a matchup with the Chiefs in Super Bowl LI.
The Big Game
Both the Chiefs and Seahawks would be very deserving of a championship. This would be a game that could go either way but the clutch playmaking abilities of the Chiefs defense just might come through in the biggest way possible. If the Chiefs could keep dynamic Russell Wilson under control and find ways to score, this is a highly winnable game. This just might be the year of the Chiefs.
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