Bold Predictions for Chiefs' Individual Stat Leaders in 2022 NFL Season

The Kansas City Chiefs are poised to begin their pursuit of a seventh consecutive AFC West title, but it's unlikely to be an easy path this season.

This division has the potential to be the most competitive in the NFL. The Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos are all possible playoff contenders. And the Chiefs, while still a strong team, no longer have some of the recent staples of their roster, such as wide receiver Tyreek Hill and safety Tyrann Mathieu.

Make no mistake about it, though: Kansas City is set for more success in 2022. And it will be out to prove that when it opens the season with a road matchup against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 11.

As the Chiefs ramp up preparations for that opening contest, here are some bold stat predictions for several players for the upcoming season.

Patrick Mahomes Will Throw for 40 or More TDs

AP Photo/Ed Zurga

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes passes during a preseason NFL football game against the Washington Commanders Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

No Hill to throw to? That's not going to be a problem for Patrick Mahomes, one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

Sure, the new Miami Dolphins player is an elite wide receiver who helped make the Chiefs' offense dynamic, but Mahomes is still going to put up big numbers without him.

Since throwing 50 touchdown passes in his first season as a starter in 2018, the Kansas City quarterback hasn't had more than 38 in any of the past three years. But last year (37 in 17 games) was also the first time since then that he hadn't missed any games in a season.

Even without Hill, Mahomes has plenty of great targets to throw the ball to, including star tight end Travis Kelce and a group of wide receivers with a host of breakout candidates. So the signal-caller should have no trouble making big plays happen, something he's had a knack for throughout his NFL career.

Mahomes will throw at least 40 touchdown passes in 2022, marking the second most he'll have had in a year in his career. It will be an opportunity for him to prove he can make the receivers around him better.

And it will help that the 26-year-old will likely be part of some high-scoring AFC West matchups in which he'll need to keep airing it out.

JuJu Smith-Schuster Will End Up Chiefs' Leading Receiver

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 13: JuJu Smith-Schuster #9 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on against the Chicago Bears during the first half of the preseason game at Soldier Field on August 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

JuJu Smith-Schuster showed what he was capable of early in his NFL career, particularly during his 2018 sophomore campaign when he had 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games.

However, his stats dipped in 2019 and 2020, before he was limited to five games in 2021, when he finished with only 129 yards and didn't score any touchdowns.

A change of scenery could be just what the 25-year-old receiver needs to get back on track. After spending his first five NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he is now in Kansas City, where he'll get to catch passes from an elite quarterback in Mahomes.

The Chiefs will be depending on wide receivers such as Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, a pair of free-agent acquisitions, and rookie Skyy Moore to emerge as top playmakers.

And if Smith-Schuster can play at the level he did in 2018, the potential is there for him to be among the most productive receivers in the league.

Let's not go that far yet, but the prediction here is he will at least be the leading receiver for Kansas City. That means he'll easily exceed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since 2018 and be a strong No. 1 option for Mahomes in the passing game.

George Karlaftis Will Make Pro Bowl as a Rookie

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 13: George Karlaftis #56 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on against the Chicago Bears during the first half of the preseason game at Soldier Field on August 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Kansas City selected George Karlaftis with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, and it seemed likely the defensive end would be an immediate starter. It's not yet known whether that will be the case, but he has built a convincing argument.

The 21-year-old had a sack in each of his first two preseason contests, which is the type of pressure the Chiefs will be hoping to see from him when the games count.

Karlaftis also earned a rave review from NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger for his sack of Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz in Week 2 of the preseason.

"He’s got power and strength," Baldinger wrote while also praising the defensive end for his technique.

So there's a high ceiling for the Purdue product in his rookie season, especially once he's a starter, which should happen sooner than later.

It's quite possible Karlaftis has double-digit sacks and makes enough of an impact that he'll be a Pro Bowler in his first year in the NFL.