Ranking the Biggest Threats to the Kansas City Chiefs' Hopes of Repeating
Can any team stop the NFL's reigning champions?
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes engineered a game-winning drive over the Las Vegas Raiders to lead his team to 9-1 last Sunday. He's also in the conversation for a second league MVP with 27 touchdown passes and only two interceptions for the season.
Aside from the Raiders, who handed the Chiefs their only loss of the year in Week 5, a handful of clubs can thwart the league's first repeat championship run since the New England Patriots' reign between 2003 and 2004. These squads can compete offensively, and some of them provide challenges defensively as well.
The Chiefs will have a steep hill to climb. Who's standing in their way? We'll take a look at five teams that could ruin Kansas City's pathway to back-to-back titles.
This isn't a ranking of the top squads leaguewide; rather, it's a look at clubs that match up favorably with the Chiefs.
You'll notice a common thread. All the selections have a top-10 scoring offense capable of keeping pace with Kansas City's explosive unit and breaking through a defense that allows the seventh-fewest points.
5. Seattle Seahawks (7-3)
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At first glance, the Seattle Seahawks seem like a head-scratcher. Their defense ranks 28th in scoring and has given up the most yards. The Chiefs should run through this contender if they meet in Super Bowl LV, right? Not necessarily.
The Seahawks rank second to the Chiefs in points scored. If both defenses struggle to make stops, Seattle could win a shootout. At the beginning of the season, quarterback Russell Wilson had the hot hand, throwing for 19 touchdowns and just three interceptions through Week 5.
After Week 5, Wilson has thrown for 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Seahawks lost consecutive matchups to the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams in Weeks 9 and 10, but they didn't have key players in those defeats.
Seattle's lead running back, Chris Carson, suffered a foot injury in Week 7. Head coach Pete Carroll anticipates his return for Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
If Carson can stay healthy, he'll serve as a major component to the Seahawks' top-10 rushing attack. Seattle can exploit the Chiefs' 26th-ranked run defense and dominate time of possession, which would keep Mahomes on the sideline.
The Seahawks have also played without starting cornerbacks Shaquill Griffin (concussion) and Quinton Dunbar (knee) since Weeks 8 and 10, respectively. The former could suit up against the Eagles, while the latter remains on injured reserve without a timetable but has not been ruled out for the season.
Lastly, despite the Seahawks' defensive lapses, they're third in quarterback pressures (107) and 11th in sacks (25). Before the October trade deadline, Seattle acquired defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who's recorded three sacks in as many games after his departure from Cincinnati.
If the Seahawks welcome some of their key starters back and Dunlap continues to push the pocket, they're equipped to limit Mahomes' impact and win a high-scoring battle.
4. Las Vegas Raiders (6-4)
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Clearly, the Las Vegas Raiders belong on this list. The Silver and Black beat the Chiefs in Week 5 and went down to the wire with them in a 35-31 loss Sunday.
Quarterback Derek Carr has taken a significant leap in his third term under head coach Jon Gruden. Heading into Week 12, he has career highs in passer rating (108.7) and QBR (78.8), which rank fifth and fourth, respectively, across the league.
Although the Raiders didn't pound the ball at a high volume against the Chiefs' vulnerable defensive front in the last matchup, they're certainly capable with a ground attack that's eighth in yards per game and features Josh Jacobs and Devontae Booker.
As is the case with the Seahawks, the Raiders have a bottom-tier scoring defense, but Patrick Mahomes has only thrown interceptions (two) against Vegas this season. In the first meeting, the Silver and Black held him to his lowest pass completion rate (51.2 percent) for the year.
If the playoffs started today, the Chiefs and Raiders would battle at Arrowhead Stadium for a 2020 tiebreaker. Based on the flow of the first two matchups, we'd have to put the reigning champions on upset alert.
The Raiders rank outside of the top three because they have a tougher road to the playoffs, which lessens the probability of a third game against the Chiefs. They're hanging on to the seventh seed via a tiebreaker with the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins. The following clubs are well within the playoff picture and field top-10 scoring units on both sides of the ball.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4)
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In Week 12, we'll see a potential Super Bowl preview between the Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the latter's turf.
Quarterback Tom Brady has gone head-to-head with Patrick Mahomes four times in his career, including the playoffs, and split those meetings 2-2.
Now in Tampa Bay, Brady has an offense chock-full of offensive playmakers. At wide receiver, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown would pose a threat to the Chiefs defense.
Despite the loss of tight end O.J. Howard (ruptured Achilles) for the season, the Buccaneers have two viable red-zone threats at the position in Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate. They've recorded a combined six touchdown receptions for the year.
With six weeks left in the regular season (the Bucs have a Week 13 bye), Tampa Bay has enough time to iron out the wrinkles from some of its uneven offensive performances.
The Buccaneers don't have a top-10 rushing offense to control the game flow, but they rank 18th in total carries. If the coaching staff commits to the ground attack, the unit can take advantage of the Chiefs' bottom-tier run defense. Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II are both capable of rushing for 100 yards. The two ball-carriers have eclipsed the century mark for a total of five times in 2020.
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2. New Orleans Saints (8-2)
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Similar to the Buccaneers, the New Orleans Saints have a top-10 defense to match a high-octane offensive attack, but the latter has shown more consistency in moving the ball with fewer turnovers.
For at least a few weeks, the Saints offense will look different with Taysom Hill under center, but quarterback Drew Brees has a "realistic" chance to return for Week 15 against the Chiefs, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That contest would showcase another possible Super Bowl preview.
Whether Hill or Brees starts, the Saints could gain some confidence if they're able to beat the reigning champions. Aside from an attempt to outscore Kansas City with wideout Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara as key playmakers, New Orleans can take the ball away. It is tied for seventh in forced turnovers (15) and tied for fourth in interceptions (11).
The Chiefs' pass-heavy offense could encounter a tough match up against an opportunistic defense. The Saints may give up some yards in coverage (11th), but Marcus Williams, Malcolm Jenkins, Janoris Jenkins and Patrick Robinson all have multiple interceptions this season.
Assuming Brees returns to action at some point, the Saints' offensive continuity along with their sticky coverage pose the biggest threat out of the NFC.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-0)
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Undefeated going into Week 12, the Pittsburgh Steelers field a top-five scoring offense and defense. This squad can win games in a variety of ways, which would put the Chiefs on notice on multiple fronts.
In their first five games, the Steelers rushed for 109 or more yards. Since Week 8, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has thrown for 11 touchdowns and just one interception. Although not as flashy compared to Kansas City's offense, Pittsburgh can spread out the opposition and take advantage of matchups in the passing game.
The Steelers have three wideouts, Chase Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson, with at least 535 receiving yards and four touchdowns. After an injury-riddled 2019 campaign, tight end Eric Ebron has bounced back, hauling in 35 catches for 359 yards and four touchdowns.
Pittsburgh ranks atop of several impact categories on defense, listing first in takeaways (21), interceptions (15), sacks (38) and quarterback pressures (137). With a stifling unit, the Steelers can keep the score close while posing a threat to Mahomes via the pass rush up front and in coverage on the back end.
Similar to the Saints at No. 2, the Steelers can keep pace with the Chiefs in scoring, but Pittsburgh's defense compares closely to the 2019 San Francisco 49ers unit that applied relentless pressure and limited Mahomes for nearly three-quarters of Super Bowl LIV. If defense still wins championships, the Steelers have a chance to come out of the AFC.
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