Three Important Questions for Chiefs Heading Into the Season
For a team that has been to the AFC Championship Game four years in a row and also has a pair of Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl win mixed in, the Kansas City Chiefs sure find themselves in an interesting spot as the 2022 regular season arrives.
This version of the Chiefs isn't what many would expect to see in regards to a top-shelf contender. Sure, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce remain elite pieces, but that's about it. Chris Jones is great, but fellow supporting cornerstones such as Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu are gone. Despite that, general manager Brett Veach has restocked the cupboard with youth and depth instead of star power. It's a bold strategy, but one that should — in theory — set the team up for long-term success.
Did Veach do enough, though? Can Kansas City remain ultra-competitive in the present while also considering the future? What could this year's Chiefs team look like? Those three questions are important, and here are three more key ones to consider as the Chiefs' season opener against the Arizona Cardinals looms large.
How long will the Chiefs' defense take to settle in?
As recently as last season, Steve Spagnuolo's defense took quite a while to round into form. The same element of delayed improvement has taken place in prior seasons under Spagnuolo as well, and it's become apparent that his defensive scheme leads to its pieces and parts taking a while to jell. In the first seven games of the 2021 campaign, Kansas City surrendered a combined 203 points (an average of 29 per game). In Weeks 8-18, however, that average was just 16.1 points per outing. What will the "fixing point" be this year? That answer is impossible to predetermine.
In addition to the aforementioned loss of Mathieu, the Chiefs are banking on a ton of internal development to take place and leadership to emerge in 2022. Up front, rookie George Karlaftis is tasked with adding pass-rush juice to Spagnuolo's defensive line. Up the middle, linebackers Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr. are expected to take flight and emerge as a borderline elite duo. In the secondary, the Chiefs did a near-complete overhaul of the unit and look totally different now than they did earlier this calendar year. Kansas City has a brutal early slate on its schedule this season, so things won't be easy out of the gate. If it takes too long for the team's defense to solidify, it could impact the final standings in a major way. If things move ahead of schedule, the Chiefs may be better than expected.
Will the next evolution of Patrick Mahomes take place this year?
By pretty much all accounts, the 2021 season was the worst of Patrick Mahomes's career thus far. He put up impressive numbers that most quarterbacks would give up a lot to secure but for his standards, it was a bit of an underwhelming performance from a player many believe is the best at his position. At various points throughout the year, Mahomes struggled to maintain good pocket presence, trust his receivers and simply take what opposing defenses gave him. He did settle in towards the end of the regular season, however, posting a 114.5 passer rating in his last five games.
With that said, Mahomes is coming off what was hands-down the most embarrassing half of football of his career and his wide receiver group looks vastly different than it did in Kansas City's AFC Championship Game loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. As Mahomes turns 27 in September, perhaps a newfound — or finalized — maturity within his game will emerge. There isn't much left for him to improve on but if he takes more concise drops in the pocket and displays an unwavering trust in the trinity of his offensive line, fellow offensive weapons and head coach, the 2022 season could showcase the best version of Mahomes yet. There's a next evolution to be witnessed.
Did the rest of the AFC completely close the gap?
One of the downsides of the Chiefs setting themselves up in a terrific position for the future is that they may have taken a small step back in the present. Even if they prove to be on par with last season's team, though, they will be challenged just as much as they were before — if not more. Reigning contenders such as the Bengals and Buffalo Bills project to be back like they never left, and even the Baltimore Ravens have a shot at making a deep playoff run if things break their way. Right off the bat, there's a shortlist of teams the Chiefs should be keeping an eye on.
There's also another trio within the AFC West itself. The Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos each made big efforts to improve during the offseason, and all three will be looking to dethrone Kansas City in 2022-23. That, combined with the rest of the contenders' stellar quarterback play and outright hunger to knock the Chiefs off their block, will be something to watch this season. The gap is undoubtedly closed by some amount, but there's room for interpretation on either side of that spectrum.
