The Kansas City Chiefs have been to four consecutive AFC Championship Games, and two Super Bowls in that time frame, winning one and losing one. Through it all, they’ve been led by the dynamic trio of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.
If they are to make it five consecutive AFC title game appearances and three Super Bowl appearances in five seasons, it’ll be minus Hill. The aforementioned “Cheetah” was traded to the Dolphins in one of the many offseason blockbusters.
They will also have to get past the Buffalo Bills and quarterback Josh Allen who pushed the Chiefs to the brink in the 2021 playoffs. Buffalo is favored by many sports outlets to win the Super Bowl.
While many believe the loss of Hill may hurt the Chiefs, former NFL Rookie of the Year RGIII isn’t one of them. The former Heisman Trophy-winning signal caller at Baylor is “very high” on the new look Chiefs. He recently gave his take on the upcoming early season matchup between the Chiefs and Buccaneers.
𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Tom Brady, Buccaneers host Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs in Week 4 Super Bowl rematchhttps://t.co/KzS2zXCJX3 pic.twitter.com/GtJQMZdLNn
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) May 12, 2022
“I’m never going to bet against Tom Brady when it comes to a Super Bowl. But I will in this game. I think the Chiefs are going to be the team to beat early in the season. Not that they didn’t need Tyreek Hill, but the additions of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, SKyy Moore is going to actually add some elements to their offense that they have been missing with the primary focus on Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.”
Chiefs Defense Will Improve, Which Helps Offense
After years of having bend-but-don’t-break type of defenses KC will finally have a unit capable of making consistent stops. Returning is All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, along with pass rusher Frank Clark. The team drafted Purdue edge rusher George Karlaftis with the 30th overall pick of the first round.
He’s often compared to another former Boilermakers edge rusher, Ryan Kerrigan, who’s recorded 95.5 sacks in his 11-year career. Karlaftis is actually a bit more athletic than the aforementioned “Showstopper,” who spent 10 years in Washington before signing with Philly last season.
In the secondary the Chiefs signed safety Justin Reid to replace Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu. They also drafted cornerback Trent McDuffie, a ballhawk from Washington, with the 21st pick in the first round. With the addition of middle linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr, who’ll be flanked by rising outside backers in Willie Gay and Nick Bolton, this could be Andy Reid’s most complete defense since he’s been in K.C.
“I think the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes are like that hoodie-Kermit meme,” RGIII said. “He doesn’t care who he’s going against. He’s going out there every single time trying to dominate, and I think they’ll have a dominant game against the Bucs. I never bet against Tom Brady winning the Super Bowl, no matter how much money he’s got waiting for him on the other side.”
Mahomes Will Look To Rebound From Shaky Second Half In AFC Title Game Loss
The last time we saw Mahomes he was struggling against an average but inspired Cincinnati Bengals defense. His struggles, along with a porous defense, played a huge role in K.C. not making its third consecutive Super Bowl.
Patrick Mahomes threw 5 Pass TD in a span of 10:30 of game time. It's easily the fastest span in NFL postseason history.
The next fastest? Tom Brady did it in just under 25 minutes in 2011.
h/t @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/85KneA6ms0
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 17, 2022
Expect a huge bounce-back season for Mahomes, the best quarterback in the game. He has plenty of weaponry at his disposal, and teams won’t be able to just play two deep safeties with Hill gone. This group of pass catchers are complete route runners. That in itself will change how teams defend them. That will favor KC immensely, and it may even help “Mr Ketchup On Errthang” add another MVP to the mantle.
