Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp is just around the corner, and the anticipation for this season is off the charts. After back-to-back Super Bowl wins, Kansas City has a shot at making NFL history by winning a third straight title.
If they pull it off, the Chiefs would be the first pro football team to three-peat since the Packers’ run from 1965 to 1967 (pre-AFL-NFL merger). They’d also be the first team in any major U.S. sport to do it since the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-2002 in the NBA. The most recent team to have a chance, the 2022 Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL, fell just short in their third Cup final.
For the Chiefs to make this historic run, a few things need to fall into place. They’ll need some players to step up their game, and they need to handle business in the regular season.
If the Kansas City Chiefs are going to three-peat, let’s dive into five dream scenarios that will help. (Note: Obvious things, like winning the Super Bowl again and avoiding major injuries have been excluded.)
The Chiefs picked hometown talent Felix Anudike-Uzomah (FAU) with the 31st overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. His rookie season was quiet, with just 0.5 sacks and 14 tackles. That’s not surprising, given the Chiefs’ stacked edge rusher lineup last season.
Now, as we approach the 2024 season, expectations are higher for FAU. Even with the Chiefs’ depth at the position, another quiet year could be tough for both him and the team, considering they used a premium pick on him.
If Anudike-Uzomah steps up and becomes a starter-quality defensive end, the Chiefs’ D-line could be unstoppable. They’ve already got a solid rotation with Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, and Charles Omenihu (once he’s back from his knee injury). Adding a productive FAU to the mix? That’s a recipe for a nearly unblockable unit.
This scenario would give Steve Spagnuolo more options. He could rely on a four-man rush more often or mix up formations to keep offenses guessing.
FAU doesn’t need to become an All-Pro to make a big impact. If he can join the rotation as a solid starter alongside Karlaftis, Danna, and Omenihu, it’ll keep everyone fresh for another playoff push. That would amazing for the Chiefs’ quest for a three-peat.for the Chiefs.
With L’Jarius Sneed now on the Tennessee Titans, Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson have a chance to step up as full-time starters in the Chiefs’ elite defense. Both Williams and Watson performed well in their rotational roles last season, but Steve Spagnuolo will be asking more from them this year.
Trent McDuffie, coming off an All-Pro season, will remain CB1. But for the secondary to maintain its level of play from last year, whoever lines up across from him needs to bring to live up to the challenge.
If both Watson and Williams can thrive with increased responsibilities, we might even see the secondary improve, despite losing Sneed, which is saying a lot.
The defense won’t miss a beat if both JWs can perform as starting caliber players. And if one of them also develops into a high-end starter? Well, the sky’s the limit for this secondary.
Besides turnovers, the Chiefs’ biggest issue last year was their underwhelming receiving corps, especially their struggle to create big plays downfield for Patrick Mahomes. Enter Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Xavier Worthy to address this problem.
Hollywood Brown doesn’t need to do much to outperform Marquez Valdes-Scantling (no disrespect to MVS). But if he can be the game-changer Chiefs fans are hoping for, we might see a return of that threatening deep-passing game that they’ve been missing for a few years.
As for Xavier Worthy, the Chiefs aren’t expecting him to be WR1 right off the bat. Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice (suspension aside) are ahead of him on the depth chart, and that’s fine. Even if Worthy isn’t constantly catching deep balls, he can still make an impact. Think screens, jet sweeps – that kind of stuff. Of course, if he becomes a consistent deep threat immediately, that’s a bonus and the Chiefs offense might return to 2018 levels of explosiveness, but that’s a tall task.
If Hollywood Brown clearly outshines MVS and Worthy hits the ground running, the Chiefs could have their most potent offense in years. These two could bring back that explosive passing game that’s been MIA for a while. Imagine a more patient Patrick Mahomes with a lethal downfield attack – that’s the stuff of Chiefs fans’ dreams.
As we head into the 2024 training camp, all eyes are on the Chiefs’ left tackle battle. It’s shaping up to be the most watched position contest for the team.
Second-year player Wanya Morris and rookie second-rounder Kingsley Suamataia will duke it out for the honor of protecting Patrick Mahomes’ blindside in the quest for a three-peat.
While Chiefs fans are rooting for whoever wins to excel, the dream scenario is Suamataia taking the job convincingly. After all, the Chiefs didn’t spend a day two pick on him to be a long-term swing tackle. They’re banking on him as their left tackle of the future.
If Suamataia can outperform Morris fair and square (not just because Morris stumbles) and then put together a solid rookie season, the Chiefs might have found their answer for Mahomes’ blindside protection.
If Kingsley Suamataia can swiftly win the starting job over Wanya Morris (and not Morris losing the job due to poor performance) and have a strong rookie campaign, then the Chiefs will likely have found the answer to Patrick Mahomes’ blindside.
Suamataia winning the left tackle spot and having a strong rookie year isn’t just a win for now – it could set the Chiefs up for the next decade or so. Outside of bringing home another Lombardi Trophy, Suamataia stepping up might be one of the best outcomes for this season.
Arrowhead Stadium is known for its intimidating atmosphere, but believe it or not, the Chiefs haven’t had a perfect home record in the regular season since 2003. In fact, they’ve never gone unbeaten at home for an entire season in franchise history. Surprisingly, they’ve had more recent success on the road, going undefeated in away games in 2020 (not counting the Super Bowl).
Now, this is the only point I’ll make about wins and losses, but going undefeated at home would definitely strengthen the argument that Arrowhead is the NFL’s toughest place to play.
Looking at this season’s home schedule, it’s not too scary. The Chiefs open against the Ravens and Bengals, but they’ll be well-rested for both games. Then they’ve got the Saints and Buccaneers for Monday Night Football, and we all know how tough K.C. is at home in primetime. After that, it’s the divisional rivals: Raiders, Broncos, and Chargers, all of whom the Chiefs outclass. The regular season home finale is against the up-and-coming Houston Texans.
Are the odds in favor of a perfect home record this year? Probably not. But it would be awesome to see. Of course, another Super Bowl title would be even sweeter.
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Publish date : 2024-07-09 07:00:02
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