2011 Kansas City Chiefs Predictions
The Kansas City Chiefs were one of the best stories in the NFL last season.
After winning a total of 10 games from 2007-2009, they went 10-6 during the regular season and won the AFC West division.
Now, the challenge is to prove it was no fluke.
Offense: Kansas City ranked 12th in the league in total offense in 2010 with 349.7 yards per game. It finished 14th in scoring with 22.9 points per contest.
The Chiefs boasted the best running attack in the NFL last season. Led by Jamaal Charles, who rushed for 1,467 yards on 6.4 yards per carry, they gobbled up 164.2 yards per game on the ground.
Veteran tailback Thomas Jones chipped in with 896 yards and led the team with six rushing scores.
Quarterback Matt Cassel took a big step forward last season. He threw for 3,116 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The next step in the maturation process is to improve his completion percentage and to look for more opportunities to stretch the field. He only completed 58.2 percent of his throws and averaged just 6.92 yards per attempt a season ago.
Dwayne Bowe is Kansas City’s No. 1 option through the air. He led the team with 72 catches, 1,162 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns grabs.
Tight end Tony Moeaki finished second on the team with 47 catches for 556 yards.
Steve Breaston, who had over 700 receiving yards the last three seasons for Arizona, has been brought in to give Cassel another weapon.
NFL vet Casey Wiegmann continues to anchor the line from his center post, but at 38 his days are numbered. Branden Albert is Cassel’s blindside protector, but some feel he is better suited to play guard. That’s something to watch as the year progresses.
The boys up front played extremely well in 2010, but do they have an encore in them?
Defense: Kansas City’s stop unit ranked 11th in the league in scoring defense last season with 20.4 points allowed per game. It ranked 14th in total defense with 330.2 yards allowed per contest.
Last season, former LSU star Glenn Dorsey finally earned his paycheck. Now, it’s time for the other former LSU standout, Tyson Jackson, to earn his.
In terms of rushing the passer, Wallace Gilberry outshined both players, finishing second on the team with seven sacks.
The second layer of the defense is led by outside linebacker Tamba Hali and inside backer Derrick Johnson. Last year, Hali led the Chiefs with 14.5 sacks and Johnson led the team with 147 stops.
The secondary became the strength of the defense with the addition of Eric Berry, who burst onto the scene and led the Chiefs with four interceptions. Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr are solid corner who get better every year.
Prediction: 3rd Place AFC West – A lot went right for the Chiefs in 2010. For starters, they didn’t put a single starter on the injured reserve list. In addition, they only played two teams that finished the season with a winning record (Colts, Chargers) and two teams that qualified for the playoffs (Colts, Seahawks). They won’t have it as good in 2011. Six teams that made the postseason last year are on the schedule, including the four teams that played in the conference championship games (Packers, Bears, Steelers, Jets). NFL odds makers have listed the Chiefs at +450 to win the AFC West.
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