Predicting Which Kansas City Chiefs Players Will Be Voted to 2014 NFL Pro Bowl
We have reached the bye week, and Kansas City Chiefs fans have seen some players make a big impact on the field. Some players continue to play at a high level, while a couple of players have risen to help the team.
Every fanbase wants to see its top playmakers voted into the Pro Bowl. Chiefs fans may not see 10 players from their team voted in, but they can surely expect some of them to make it. There is a strong possibility that at least one Chiefs player will make his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Let’s look at which Chiefs players will make the Pro Bowl, and who will fall short.
RB Jamaal Charles
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Pro Bowl experience: 2010, 2012 and 2013
Jamaal Charles had a rough start to the season. It began in the opener, when he rushed for just 19 yards, and was followed by an ankle sprain early in Week 2 which forced him to miss the following week.
In his return against the Patriots, Charles made a lot of noise when he scored three touchdowns. Among all non-kickers, Charles led the league in scoring in 2013 and has a chance to do it again, despite the late start.
With his breakaway speed and agility, Charles remains one of the most explosive backs in football today.
TE Travis Kelce
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Pro Bowl experience: N/A
Travis Kelce has a great opportunity to punch his first Pro Bowl ticket. He shined on ESPN’s Monday Night Football in front of a national audience when he caught eight passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Kelce has 18 catches on the year, picking up a first down in 15 of those receptions. He has moved the chains 83 percent of the time, second-highest among all active tight ends in the league behind the Eagles’ Zach Ertz.
He missed his rookie season due to a knee injury, but the former Cincinnati product is making the most of his second season, scoring a touchdown in each of the last three games.
He currently places 11th in catches and seventh in receiving yards out of all tight ends.
LT Eric Fisher
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Pro Bowl experience: N/A
Here is the surprise player in this slideshow.
Eric Fisher has been no stranger to criticism since the Chiefs drafted him. He allowed 8.5 sacks as a rookie, per Stats, while playing right tackle last season. With Branden Albert’s departure, Fisher shifted back to left tackle, which is what he played while prepping at Central Michigan.
Fisher has yet to commit a penalty while giving up just 1.5 sacks on the year, working with an offensive line that has improved the past couple of weeks.
He has gone up against some of the better pass-rushers in DeMarcus Ware, Olivier Vernon and Chandler Jones, keeping all of them quiet and away from Alex Smith for the most part.
In addition to protecting Smith, he has paved the way for Knile Davis and Jamaal Charles; the two ran for a combined 199 yards, with most of their key runs coming on the left side.
He has recently played like a more complete left tackle and deserves a spot in the upcoming Pro Bowl.
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NT Dontari Poe
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Pro Bowl experience: 2013
As a pass-rusher up the middle and a run-stopper, Dontari Poe has evolved into one of the most feared interior defensive linemen in the NFL.
As part of one of the most dominant front sevens in the league, Poe has managed to beat interior offensive linemen and invade the backfield, pressuring quarterbacks and bringing them down or tackling a run for either no gain or a loss of yards.
He currently has two sacks, on pace to surpass last year’s total of 4.5. He also has one tackle for a loss.
OLB Justin Houston
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Pro Bowl Experience: 2012 and 2013
Justin Houston quickly turned into one of the most fearsome outside linebackers in the NFL. In 2011, he recorded all of his 5.5 sacks in the final five games of the season. Since then, he’s collected double-digit sacks each year and has been rewarded with a trip to the Pro Bowl.
Houston ties first in the NFL with six sacks and has brought down opposing quarterbacks in four of the five games the Chiefs have played. In addition, he ties fifth for most quarterback hurries with six so far in 2014 according to Sporting Charts.
Houston’s name is well-known to football fans; he should not have any problems earning his third Pro Bowl invitation.
OLB Tamba Hali
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Pro Bowl experience: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013
Tamba Hali is one of the more unique pass-rushers in the game today. Although he weighs 275 pounds, more than most players at his position, he is still one of the fastest defensive players to play up front.
While sharing the load with Houston, Hali has come up with three sacks. Despite being on the same team as another elite pass-rusher, Hali has had no problems meeting opposing quarterbacks. Hali and Houston have formed the best pass-rushing duo in the league and have been voted into the Pro Bowl together the past two years.
Expect the two to do it again for the third straight year.
Missed the List
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QB Alex Smith
Alex Smith made the Pro Bowl last year, but even with the possibility of alternates there are plenty of players who will have more votes this year.
RB Knile Davis
This one is tricky, as Knile Davis is seventh in rushing while recently splitting duties with Charles. He will get votes, but probably not enough to get in.
WR Dwayne Bowe
If Dwayne Bowe plays like he did against the New England Patriots on a consistent basis, he will attend his second Pro Bowl. But he has not shown any signs of consistency.
S Eric Berry
Eric Berry has been out with an ankle injury for most of the season. However, I might be proven wrong, and Berry could become a Pro Bowler simply based on name recognition when fans go to vote.
P Dustin Colquitt
Dustin Colquitt might be an alternate who gets a late invitation. He is fourth in the league with 11 punts inside the 20-yard line, just one shy of tying first. Fans usually vote for punters based on statistics, but Colquitt will be a candidate as he seeks his second appearance.
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