Why Chiefs Are the Most Dangerous Team to Emerge from NFL Wild Card Weekend

The opening round of the 2015-16 NFL postseason is now in the books, and what a Wild Card Weekend it was.

In fact, wild is probably the only way to describe much of what went down. The Seattle Seahawks needed a missed field goal from the Minnesota Vikings to pull out a win. The Green Bay Packers stormed back from an early 11-0 hole to win their matchup with the Washington Redskins. The Cincinnati Bengals had their game in hand, but one of the most epic late-game meltdowns in postseason history allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to steal it.

The Kansas City Chiefs, on the other hand, won handily in a 30-0 romp over the Houston Texans. Of the four road teams to win over the weekend, the Chiefs were the only one to dominate from the opening whistle to the final gun.

Kansas City is also looking like the most legitimate contender to advance to the divisional round.

What Happened?

If you didn't catch Saturday's game between the Chiefs and the Texans, well, it wasn't much of a contest. Chiefs running back Knile Davis took the opening kickoff back 106 yards for a touchdown, and Kansas City never looked back. 

However, the game did give us a glimpse at exactly why the Chiefs have to be considered a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The team's talent, its poise and that smothering playoff-caliber defense were all on full display against a Texans team that was pretty much rendered helpless.

That defense is something we're going to come back to often here, and for good reason. It's one of the team's biggest strengths. On Saturday, it pitched a shutout, held the Texans to 226 yards of net total offense and forced five turnovers (four interceptions, one fumble). It also produced three sacks for 24 lost yards.

The Chiefs showed plenty of talent on the other side of the football, too. Quarterback Alex Smith went 17-of-22 for 190 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West combined for 93 yards and a score on 24 carries, and tight end Travis Kelce racked up a whopping 128 yards receiving.

It's worth noting that the Texans are rated fourth in overall defense by Pro Football Focus.

The team also showed poise when star receiver Jeremy Maclin suffered an apparently serious leg injury (it turned out to be a high ankle sprain). Other players stepped up, and the offense was able to close out the game with 10 fourth-quarter points.

The Chiefs go home with a win, their 11th straight, while the Texans simply go home. 

What's Next?

As a "reward" for besting the Texans, the Chiefs get to travel to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to take on the vaunted New England Patriots in the divisional round. The Patriots certainly provide a daunting challenge—they're the AFC's No. 2 seed for a reason—but the Chiefs actually match up with them quite well.

For starters, the Kansas City defense (I told you we'd be going back to it) should be giving Tom Brady and Co. nightmares heading into the game. The unit is coming off a five-turnover performance and has shown the ability to get to the quarterback with regularity. 

Linebacker Justin Houstin leads a pass rush that has produced 47 sacks in the regular season alone. It will be going up against a Patriots offensive line that is rated second-to-worst in the league by Pro Football Focus. This could wind up being one of the biggest mismatches of the entire divisional round.

Even if the Patriots figure out how to beat the Chiefs pass rush, they are likely to have difficulty moving the football. The Chiefs are rated third overall in run defense and fifth overall in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.

The Chiefs also match up relatively well with the New England defense, despite potentially missing Maclin. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, his status is still uncertain:

Kansas City has other weapons, though, especially at tight end and running back. Kelce (875 yards, five touchdowns in the regular season) is a Pro Bowler for the first time in his career. Ware and West have combined to lead the league's sixth-ranked rushing attack (127.8 yards per game). 

If Maclin can't go, the Chiefs will have to attack the Patriots the way New England often attacks its opponents—with screens, short passes and downfield throws to a playmaking tight end. Fortunately, Kansas City also has a weapon at quarterback.

Alex Smith is usually thought of as a game manager under center. Yet, this term sells short the skills that Smith possesses. Yes, for many years now he has run a run-based offense, but he has the talent to make plays on his own. In the regular season, he completed 65.3 percent of his passes, produced 3,486 yards and 20 touchdowns with seven interceptions.

Smith also rushed for 498 yards and two more scores, proving that the "game manager" is really a dual-threat quarterback. Though he has only appeared in four postseason games, Smith has performed quite well in them.

"

1st 4 playoff games: ALEX SMITH: 265.8 YPG / 10 TD / 1 INT / 107.0 Rating / 2-2 TOM BRADY: 193.3 YPG / 2 TD / 1 INT / 76.1 Rating / 4-0

— Joe (@SportsTalkJoe) January 10, 2016"

The Chiefs are also coming into this game with momentum. They've won their past 11 games, while the Patriots stumbled into the postseason losing four of their last six.

Even Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has admitted that the Chiefs are going to be an extremely tough out. He recently said the following, per Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star:

"

The fact they haven’t lost in so long, it’s not like you can go to a game and say, ‘Here’s how this team has defeated them.' That just doesn’t exist. So we’ve got to figure out a way, and there’s not a great example on film. There are different things we can point to and different ideas or concepts of a certain part of the game that went well for one of Kansas City’s opponents. But overall, there’s nothing really to say, 'This team found a way to do it.'

"

If the Chiefs keep doing what they've been doing, there's a good chance they walk away with consecutive victory No. 12.

Who Else Is Out There?

We've taken a look at what the Chiefs did on Saturday, and we've taken a look at what awaits in their next matchup. However, there were three other teams who won on Wild Card Weekend, and we're sure you're wondering why they aren't more dangerous than Kansas City. 

Over in the NFC, we have to look at consistency issues. At different points in the regular season, the Packers and the Seahawks each looked like one of the toughest teams in the entire league. However, they haven't maintained that image on a week-to-week basis.

The Packers have had consistency issues on offense. Four different times in the regular season, they scored 30 or more points. Four different times, they scored 16 or fewer. They beat the Redskins 35-18 on Sunday, but they lost their last two regular-season games by a combined score of 58-21.

Seattle looked like it was going to head into the postseason as one of the league's hottest teams. However, it fell flat in a 23-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams in Week 16 and was again flat in Sunday's game against Minnesota.

Realistically, the Seahawks didn't deserve to win against the Vikings. Minnesota kicker Blair Walsh doesn't miss many 27-yard chip shots. Really, Seattle got lucky, and there's no way to count on it getting lucky for two more games.

Pittsburgh's real issue is on the injury front. The team had to play the Bengals without running back DeAngelo Williams, and both quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and receiver Antonio Brown were injured during the contest. 

Roethlisberger suffered a shoulder injury, while Brown was placed in the league's concussion protocol after taking a hard hit to the head from linebacker Vontaze Burfict. 

According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Roethlisberger and Brown could both suit up for their matchup with the Denver Broncos. However, if either or both are not 100 percent, the Steelers are going to have a very difficult time making it through the next two rounds.

What's After New England?

If Kansas City manages to knock off the Patriots, they will face either the Steelers or the Broncos in the AFC title game. The Chiefs faced both teams in the regular season, so there will be some familiarity there. 

If Denver manages to best the banged-up Steelers, then the Chiefs will be traveling to face their division rivals. The last time Kansas City played at Sports Authority Field, however, it lambasted the Broncos in a 29-13 rout. 

Should the Chiefs make it past New England, they should feel very good about facing whichever team remains between them and the Super Bowl.

The Bottom Line

There is always a bottom line when it comes to sports, and that bottom line is usually defined by wins and losses. During their past 11 games, the Chiefs have only experienced wins, and there is a reason for this.

The Chiefs are, and have been, a legitimate contender. They are two wins away from reaching the big one, and there is really no reason to think Kansas City cannot earn them. The Chiefs' dominant performance on Wild Card Weekend might just be the prelude to the perfect finish to an incredible season.