Going into the 2011 NFL season, I was not exactly sure what to expect from the Kansas City Chiefs.
The schedule looked favorable at the beginning of the season until the Chiefs lost tight end Tony Moeaki, running back Jamaal Charles and safety Eric Berry for the year with torn ACLs and got off to an 0-3 start.
While watching the Chiefs look absolutely pathetic was not fun, it seemed to be in the franchise’s best interest to keep losing and become a major factor in the #Suck4Luck campaign in hopes of being in position to draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck as the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. After the Chiefs defeated the woeful Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings to move to 2-3, they didn’t appear in position to draft Luck any more.
When the Chiefs went on the road to defeat the Oakland Raiders and then outlasted the San Diego Chargers in overtime on Monday Night Football, Kansas City was all of a sudden in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC West.
With Kansas City on a four-game winning streak, it appeared that it would be a guarantee for the Chiefs to defeat the 0-7 Miami Dolphins. I looked past the game against Miami and Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos and expected the Chiefs to be 6-3 going into a huge matchup with the New England Patriots, but I got way ahead of myself.
Kansas City looked the part of a winless team, and Miami played like it was one of the hottest team’s in the league, as the Chiefs fell to the Dolphins 31-3.
At the midseason point, the Chiefs are 4-4, and again I have no clue what to expect from them. If Kansas City plays like it did on its four-game winning streak, it should easily get back on track against the over-hyped Tim Tebow and the Broncos. Then again no one would have guessed that Miami quarterback Matt Moore was going to tear apart the Chiefs’ defense.
The Chiefs are still in a three-way tie for first place in the division because San Diego and Oakland have been inconsistent as well. All three teams have difficult schedules remaining, with the Chiefs probably having the toughest one.
After Sunday’s game against Denver, Kansas City will begin a grueling five-game stretch against New England, Chicago and the New York Jets on the road and Pittsburgh and Green Bay at Arrowhead Stadium.
If the Chiefs play to their best the rest of the season, they could repeat as AFC West championships, but they could also struggle to win another game if they play like they did against Miami.
I don’t know what to expect from the Chiefs for the remainder of the season, but if I have learned one thing from them, it’s to only look at their next game. That being said, please beat the Broncos, or it could be a long rest of the season.