Kansas City Chiefs 2010 Schedule: Can They Contend for AFC West Title?
The Chiefs are not a trendy pick for the AFC West title. That doesn't mean they won't at least be able to contend in what is likely to be one of the worst divisions in the NFL this season.
The Chargers are without two of their best offensive players and will be relying heavily on young, unproven players to produce this season, from the opening kick tonight in Arrowhead Stadium and beyond.
Elsewhere, the Broncos have Tim Tebow, but lack any real weapons on the offensive side of the ball. The defense finds itself without sack-master Elvis Dumervil and could struggle.
The Raiders finally have a quarterback, but the offensive line hasn't shown any improvement and could get Jason Campbell knocked out in no time.
Suddenly, things don't look too bad in Kansas City after all.
Here's a game-by-game breakdown of the Chiefs schedule and an analysis of their chances in the AFC West this season.
Week 1: Chargers at Chiefs, 10:15 P.M. on ESPN
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Why Chiefs Could Win: The Chiefs open renovated Arrowhead Stadium tonight in prime time on ESPN, with a chance to show they have improved on both sides of the ball this season. The Chargers have plenty of questions of their own, meaning the game could be a low-scoring slugfest. That would favor the Chiefs, who should be ready to go and full of optimism as the season begins.
Why Chiefs Could Lose: The Chiefs have nowhere to go but up after last season, when the offense ranked 25th in total yards and the defense 30th in yards allowed. Not exactly a recipe for success.
The Chargers do have a recipe for success, and it starts with handing the ball to Ryan Mathews and getting Darren Sproles and Antonio Gates involved early and often. The Chargers clearly have more talent, a trend that will become all-too familiar for Todd Haley's bunch this season.
Prediction: The Chiefs get big production from Jamaal Charles and pull out a bit of a shocker in the first game of the season.
Record: 1-0
Week 2: Chiefs at Browns, 1 P.M. on CBS
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Why Chiefs Could Win: Cleveland had a golden opportunity to start the season with a bang, but played poorly in a tough loss to Tampa Bay. Like the Chiefs, the Browns have questions on both sides of the ball. Cleveland's offense might be the worst in the NFL this season.
Why Chiefs Could Lose: Kansas City's offense appears to be better than Cleveland, but Jake Delhomme is probably a bit more reliable than Matt Cassel at this point. Road games are never easy to win in the NFL, and the Chiefs have a small margin for error regardless of the opponent.
Prediction: Kansas City needs Cassel to play without making mistakes. If that happens, the Chiefs will be able to take advantage of the big-play talents of Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe to record a big road win.
Record: 2-0
Week 3: 49ers at Chiefs, 1 P.M. On FOX
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: San Francisco looked absolutely lost yesterday in the blowout loss at Seattle. It's only one game, but it could be the start of a disturbing trend of an underachieving team. Then again, are the 49ers really that good? The Chiefs once again face a below-average offense and should be able to focus on stopping the running game and containing Vernon Davis.
The only question is what the Chiefs will be able to produce against the 49ers' solid defense.
Why the Chiefs Could Lose: San Francisco's offense isn't great, but the defense is. Until Matt Cassel proves he can win a game by himself, let alone function as a game manager, Kansas City's offense will be a big question mark.
Prediction: The 49ers have the makings of a dysfunctional team. Alex Smith hasn't shown any consistency during his career, and Michael Crabtree looks lost after sitting out the preseason. Things will be better by Week 3, but it's never easy to win on the road. The Chiefs win a close game to go into the Bye Week undefeated.
Record: 3-0
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Week 5: Chiefs at Indianapolis, 1 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: Confidence breeds success, which might be the only thing Todd Haley can hang his hat on when the Chiefs visit Indianapolis in October.
Why the Chiefs Could Lose: Could the Chiefs really have a better record than the Colts heading into Week 5? It's very possible. Could they keep on rolling? Not likely.
Kansas City's defense has questions across the board and is young up front, which could allow Peyton Manning to have an easy day and pick apart the Chiefs' secondary. Indianapolis needs to shore up its run defense, but should have plenty of advantages against Kansas City.
Prediction: Arian Foster showed that the Colts' defense still can't stop the run yesterday in Houston. Don't count on Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles being able to duplicate the feat in Indy. The Colts win, and win big.
Record: 3-1
Week 6: Chiefs at Texans, 1 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: Like the Colts, the Texans are at least somewhat vulnerable on defense. Kansas City could be able to find success against a weak Houston secondary depending on how well Matt Cassel plays.
Why the Chiefs Could Lose: Like the Colts, the Texans are an absolutely prolific offensive team. Kansas City's defense faces three talented receivers, an All-Pro caliber tight end and the emerging Arian Foster.
Prediction: Although Houston has never demonstrated a great deal of consistency from week to week, there is simply too much firepower for the Texans to expect the Chiefs to record a road win in Week 6.
Record: 3-2
Week 7: Jaguars at Chiefs, 1 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: The Chiefs will be thrilled to be returning home and have a chance to play a winnable game after two tough road contests that aren't likely to go very well. The Jaguars are still a relative unknown, but aren't likely to pose huge challenges outside of Maurice Jones-Drew running the ball. If Kansas City's defense can stop the run, the Chiefs should have a huge advantage playing at home.
Why the Jaguars Could Win: Jacksonville has a proven quarterback and a collection of promising young defensive players, but Maurice Jones-Drew is still the straw that stirs the drink. If MJD is still healthy by the time Week 7 rolls around, the Chiefs will have their hands full.
Prediction: Kansas City's season could hinge largely on beating the Jaguars. The scrappy Chiefs pull it off in dramatic fashion.
Record: 4-2
Week 8: Bills at Chiefs, 1 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: Like the Chiefs, the Bills have questions at quarterback and only two legitimate play-makers on the roster. Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones' ability to run the ball could be the key to Kansas Citians having a happy Halloween.
Why the Chiefs Could Lose: The Bills don't figure to be able to hang with many teams in the NFL this season, but barring an unexpected explosion by Cassel and Co., Trent Edwards and C.J. Spiller should at least be able to make things interesting.
Prediction: The Chiefs' small margin of error is likely to cost them at least one win against a sub-par opponent this season. It just might not happen against Chan Gailey's Bills.
Record: 5-2
Week 9: Chiefs at Raiders, 4:15 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: The Raiders will remain dysfunctional until further notice. With that in mind, Kansas City could easily come out of the Bay Area victorious. It's not often the Chiefs have more play-makers than their opponents, but that is the case in this particular matchup.
Why the Chiefs Could Lose: Oakland's defense can play. Assuming the Raiders' defensive unit hasn't grown tired of compensating for the woeful offense, nothing will come easy for the Chiefs against their hated rivals.
Prediction: The play of the offensive lines will have a big factor on the team left standing after this one ends. The Chiefs will be a confident team, but the Raiders figure to get up for their rivals and pull off the win.
Record: 5-3
Week 10: Chiefs at Broncos, 4:05 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: Depending on how things are going by the time this game rolls around in mid-November, the clamoring for Tim Tebow could cause Josh McDaniels to insert his prized possession. If that happens, Kansas City's defense should be able to do enough to limit Denver's porous offense.
Why the Chiefs Could Lose: The small margin for error will make road wins difficult to come by for the Chiefs. Knowing they might not have a chance for many more wins, the Broncos are likely to give Kansas City everything it can handle.
Prediction: The Chiefs aren't good enough to win too many road games, meaning Denver pulls off a win at Invesco Field.
Record: 5-4
Week 11: Cardinals at Chiefs, 1 P.M. On Fox
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: After two tough road losses, Kansas City returns home to face a beatable team that could somehow find itself in the divisional race. That said, the Arizona Cardinals are littered with problems and aren't likely to have an easy time against their former offensive coordinator's team.
Why the Cardinals Could Win: There's good Derek Anderson and there's bad Derek Anderson. If the former shows up on November 21, the Cardinals should be able to put up points on the mediocre Chiefs defense.
Prediction: Both teams could actually have a lot to play for when they tangle, adding intrigue to the battle. The Chiefs will need to move the ball against the Cardinals defense to pull it out, but some home cooking always seems to work wonders. Kansas City wins and solidifies a spot in the AFC West race.
Record: 6-4
Week 12: Chiefs at Seahawks, 4:05 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: Unfortunately for Pete Carroll and the Seahawks, it won't always be as easy as it was on Sunday. Seattle remains one of the least talented teams in the NFL, and not even the 12th man can compensate for a lack of weapons on both sides of the ball. Assuming Cassel is still quarterbacking the Charlie Weis offense in Week 12, his abilities to manage the game could be the difference between a win and a loss.
Why the Chiefs Could Lose: Pete Carroll's enthusiasm is likely to wear off as the season drags on, but the noise in Seattle will not. Cassel's composure will be challenged, especially if Kansas City is unable to establish the run and forced to take to the air.
Prediction: The Seahawks probably won't have many wins left in the tank by late November, and the Chiefs steal a valuable win on the road.
Record: 7-4
Week 13: Broncos at Chiefs, 1 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: The December 5 matchup is likely to feature two teams headed in opposite directions. Kansas City will be a confident team and should be able to march up and down against the Broncos at Arrowhead.
Why the Broncos Could Win: Work your miracles, Tim Tebow. In all seriousness, a win by the Broncos isn't impossible to imagine. With a trip to San Diego looming the following week, the Chiefs could overlook the Broncos.
Prediction: It's somewhat difficult to imagine the Chiefs being in a position to overlook anybody, but a home loss to the Broncos could represent a critical loss at the wrong time.
Record: 7-5
Week 14: Chiefs at Chargers, 4:15 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: Kansas City could be in the driver's seat heading into the December 12 meeting in sunny San Diego. With all of the pressure on the Chargers, Kansas City could take advantage of mistakes and turn in a calm performance.
It probably won't be quite that easy.
Why the Chargers Could Win: The Chargers have become accustomed to making a late push in the season, and this year could be no different. San Diego's talent figures to win out in at least one of the two meetings between the teams this season.
Prediction: The Chargers win, and win big against Todd Haley's team. The AFC West is going to come right down to the wire...
Record: 7-6
Week 15: Chiefs at St. Louis, 1 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: The Rams are not going to be very good this season. That obvious fact coupled with a sense of desperation as the season winds down should be enough to lift the Chiefs. It's not often Kansas City has such a big edge on both sides of the ball.
Why the Chiefs Could Lose: It really doesn't seem likely, but the same sense of desperation could work in favor of the Rams, who would be able to play free and easy while the Chiefs scoreboard-watched and tried to win on the road.
Prediction: Under normal circumstances, it would be tempting to consider picking the Rams. In the end, Kansas City will have too much to play for and won't let down.
Record: 8-6
Week 16, Titans at Kansas City, 1 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: Kansas City should start rooting for the Titans to keep on winning. By Week 16, the Titans could be in a position to begin resting starters, most notably Chris Johnson, in an effort to get healthy for the playoffs.
Why the Chiefs Could Lose: The more likely scenario is that the Tennessee will need to win the game to improve or secure a playoff berth. That's not good news for Kansas City.
Prediction: Chris Johnson runs all over the Chiefs run defense to leave the folks in K.C. feeling blue with one week left in the regular season.
Record: 8-7
Week 17: Raiders at Chiefs, 1 P.M. On CBS
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Why the Chiefs Could Win: It all comes down to this. With Kansas City likely in need of a win while the Chargers travel to Denver in the final week of the season, the hated Raiders come to town with presumably nothing to play for. The chance to finish one of the most unlikely seasons in the NFL with a win should be enough to carry the Chiefs.
Why the Raiders Could Win: Rivalries change everything, and the small margin for error of the Chiefs can't possibly be overstated. If Kansas City is nervous and sloppy, look out for a crushing loss to end the regular season.
Prediction: The Chiefs wrap up the season with a close win and then turn their attention West to watch the Broncos take on the Chargers.
Record: A stunning 9-7
The 2009-2010 AFC Champion Is:
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The San Diego Chargers.
The Chargers' Week 14 win over the Chiefs proves to be the difference after a late push by Norv Turner's team. Despite a fantastic season, the critical loss to Tennessee on December 26 will eventually knock Kansas City out of the postseason.
It might be a stretch to expect the Chiefs to show such dramatic improvement this season, but the AFC West landscape is far from impressive. Every team seems to have more questions than answers, and the division as a whole is likely to compete with the NFC West for being the NFL's worst.
The Chiefs' success rests on the shoulders of many players, but none other than Matt Cassel, who needs to grab the starting job by the horns beginning tonight against the Raiders.
It's time to see what the Chiefs can do.
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