Could the Kansas City Chiefs Really Be a Last-Place Team?
By Kyle Koster
The Kansas City Chiefs' defense let them down in the AFC Championship Game, allowing the Cincinnati Bengals to storm back and shock everyone assembled at Arrowhead Stadium. During the offseason, Patrick Mahomes lost Tyreek Hill, the scariest deep threat in all of football. The Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders fought to the bitter end for the last playoff spot and have made their own improvements. Russell Wilson is now a Denver Bronco. So assuming that the Chiefs are going to breeze to another AFC West title isn't entirely safe. But no one is as pessimistic about their chances as James Jones, who believes Kansas City will finish in the AFC West cellar.
The former wideout, currently part of the Green Bay Packers radio network, shared his unique take on The Ryen Russillo Podcast.
"I think the Chiefs are going to finish last in the West." — @89JonesNTAF 😳😳😳
— The Ringer (@ringer) August 3, 2022
We know it sounds wild, but he explains why to @ryenarussillo on the 'The Ryen Russillo Podcast'. pic.twitter.com/23ZSD227TX
"Everybody thinks I'm crazy, man, but I really think the Kansas City Chiefs are going to finish last in the West," he said. "I don't think they're better than the Denver Broncos. I don't think they're better than the Las Vegas Raiders. I don't think they're better than the Los Angeles Chargers. I don't. I think this is the worst team in this division and I know it sounds crazy because they done won it the last 15 years in a row, but they probably got the worst defense out of them all. They probably have the worst playmakers on the outside of their quarterback out of them all. You need Patrick Mahomes to be super, super, super, super special. He has shown us he can but can he do it consistently without Tyreek Hill out there for a full year?"
Jones added that the defense lost its captain in Tyrann Mathieu and fail to pressure the quarterback. Everything he mentioned is a valid concern. At the same time, it's really hard to imagine Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Andy Reid not figuring something out. It's hard to imagine a dynasty hitting a wall and stopping this far short of expectations.
Perhaps this is the fuel Mahomes needs. If he is to become the next Tom Brady, what better way than rising in the face of doubters?