2021 Kansas City Chiefs: Keep Mahomes Healthy

Is there anyone more important to a pro sports franchise than Patrick Mahomes? He is the driving force behind the Chiefs and he wins more games for his team than anyone else in the league. They are never out of a game with him at the helm. They have built an offense around him that is hard to stop and contend with but Tampa Bay showed it could be done in the Super Bowl (although it is my opinion that other than Mahomes the rest of the team didn’t show up and overlooked the Bucs). What does 2021 have in store?

Mahomes threw for 4740 yards for 38 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions in 2020. He also added 308 rushing yards to his total. Those are astonishing stats considering every team in the league was game planning specifically to stop him. The Chiefs running game lacks a game-breaker and features Clyde Edwards-Helaire who had a decent rookie season. They added free-agent Jerick McKinnon to add some versatility. The receiving room is loaded with playmakers led by Travis Kelce, the best tight end in the NFL. He caught 105 passes for 1416 yards and 11 touchdowns. Then add in the speedy, dangerous Tyreek Hill with 87 more catches and 15 touchdowns and opposing defenses have problems. They are searching for a third option. The Chiefs made a concerted effort to improve the offensive line and have 8 new faces to the group led by the signings of Joe Thuney and Orlando Brown Jr.

The defensive line is led by Chris Jones who had 7.5 sacks in 2020. They are hoping for more production out of Frank Clark. The linebackers are the weakest position group on the team and Anthony Hitchens is the leader with 78 tackles a year ago. The secondary forced 16 interceptions a year ago and are led by safeties, Tyrann Mathieu and Daniel Sorenson. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed had a good rookie season and he will likely team up with Charvarius Ward.

Must Wins: LA Chargers, at Philadelphia, at Washington, NY Giants, at Las Vegas, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, at Cincinnati, Cleveland

Toss Up Games: Buffalo, Green Bay, at LA Chargers, at Denver

Probable Losses: at Baltimore, at Tennessee

Summary in Two Sentences: The Chiefs are the best team in the AFC (if Mahomes is healthy) and their offense is difficult to stop. They are well-coached and they have bolstered their offensive line, but their defense is just average and that could be a problem in the playoffs.