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The surprise team of 2013 was undoubtedly the Kansas City Chiefs as they powered through to a phenomenal 9-0 start to the season with quality wins over the ... yep, there it is, the Philadelphia Eagles. However, they should have just skipped the Bye Week, because coming off the Bye they would lose five of their final seven games to limp into the playoffs only to be humiliated by the Indianapolis Colts in an unbelievable playoff comeback win for Andrew Luck and the Colts, 45-44.
15. Kansas City Chiefs (2013 Record: 11-5)
I know I will personally be attacked as a hater and/or hack, but that is mostly because the truth hurts. The Chiefs ran a gauntlet of cup cakes and once faced with real competition, folded. They "challenged" the Denver Broncos for the AFC West most of the season, at least until they played a game against each other. The Broncos were never really challenged and won both games handily averaging 31.5 points per game against their vaunted defense.
Key Losses: Branden Albert, Akeem Jordan, Kendrick Lewis, Dexter McCluster, Geoff Schwartz, Quintin Demps, Jerrell Power, Jon Asamoah, Tyson Jackson
Key Acquisitions: Jeffrey Linkenbach, Vance Walker, J'Marcus Webb, Corey Grissom, Joe Mays, Chris Owens
The facts of 2014 are simple. There are very few cup cakes on their schedule and they had about the worst offseason of any team in the NFL. When you have your own koolaid drinking fans trying to make sense of your draft and your head coach is already on the verge of giving up on his number one overall pick, Eric Fisher, from 2013, then you may just have a recipe for a disappointing season. Imagine if Elway had drafted Von Miller only to have him be a complete bust? Yikes!
With the Chiefs 2014 schedule a certifiable nightmare compared to last season, I just can't see this team getting past eight wins. Heck, even a respected news outlet like the USA Today could only find four wins for this team. That might be a little low even for me, but as far as I am concerned, they will again be the third best team in the AFC West. Sure they had a better regular season record than the San Diego Chargers in 2013, but the Chargers actually did something in the tournament.
Projected Record: 7-9
MHR Rankings
| AVG | StDev | Kyle | Tim | Ian | Topher | Pete | Scotty | Jacob | Jon | Mike | Laurie |
| 16.1 | 5.20 | 15 | 23 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 27 | 11 |
MHR Commentary
Kyle: I liked the Chiefs offseason as a Broncos fan, meaning I don’t expect they improved themselves in 2014.
Jon: After a Cinderella season for Kansas City in 2013, the Chiefs may be in for a reality shock in 2014. This offseason, KC lost players including Brandon Albert, Tyson Jackson, and Dexter McCluster. Running back Jamaal Charles remains one of the best running backs in the league, but it will be hard for the Chiefs’ offense to keep up with San Diego and Denver this fall.
Topher: The Chiefs have quality coaches, strong run game and a good defense, that is enough to help them remain in contention for the #2 spot in the AFC West but the Chargers have improved a lot this off-season and look to pass the Chiefs up. Hard to see the Chiefs falling much but some drop off is expected as they fall to the #3 spot in the division.
Mike: This is the most disappointing team of the offseason. They lost key members along their line, used draft picks as insurance policies against losing other players, and did absolutely nothing to provide Alex Smith with more playmakers to throw the rock to. The Chiefs will be fighting with Oakland to stay out of the AFC West cellar in 2014.
Jacob: The Chiefs lost OL Brandon Albert and Geoff Schwartz, as well as big-play man Dexter McCluster to free agency, and didn’t really bring in any contributors. That being said, the Chiefs had a great draft on paper, and still have a strong base unit to fall back on. The Chiefs’ running game and defense will put them in contention for #2 in the AFC West again, but they may have troubles with San Diego, who improved much more in the off-season. 9-11 wins.
Laurie: Never count out a team with a smart, hungry coach.
Pete: The Chiefs were a complete fluke last year. They barely beat teams that were starting their 3rd string QBs on a consistent basis. Let me put it this way, even the Broncos from the magical 2011 season are calling the Chiefs "lucky". This team has 5-11 written all over it.