The 2020 NFL season is just a month old, and with free agency and the NFL Draft on the horizon, the Chiefs are still a long way from a finished product. Here is a way to an early look at the 2021 season.
Super Bowl LV left a bad taste in the mouth of everyone in Kansas City, but as the weather gets warmer and spring approaches new optimism can start to form. Right now the Chiefs are in the process of going through the offseason, needing to find players in free agency and the draft that can help win in the future, and sure up weak spots. These moves will have a huge impact on the 2021 season outlook, but let’s take a preliminary look at how the Chiefs can turn out in 2021.
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Denver Broncos: Chiefs win 35-14
Denver is in no man’s land despite what happens in free agency and the draft. An aging defense and inconsistent offense is not the key to beating a Chiefs team that is still loaded with talent.
Los Angeles Chargers: Chiefs win 30-27
The Chargers have their QB of the future in Justin Herbert, and with a solid defense were able to give the Chiefs a run in week two of the 2020 NFL season. Mahomes and Herbert are destined to do battle for a long time. This one could be a shoot-out at Arrowhead.
Las Vegas Raiders: Chiefs win 31-17
The Chiefs will avenge their home loss to the Raiders in 2020, and ensure there is no victory lap at Arrowhead this year from Jon Gruden and company. The Raiders have shown flashes of talent, but when it comes down to Mahomes vs Carr it’s not hard to see who will win.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Chiefs win 37-10
The Steelers have a dominant defense, but they seem like a team set for a deep decline based on how bad their offense looked to end the 2020 season. They have major holes all over and more questions than answers at QB. The Chiefs route the Steelers.
Cleveland Browns: Chiefs win 28-24
The Browns are on the cusp of being a special team in 2021 and nearly knocked off the Chiefs after Patrick Mahomes suffered a concussion in the AFC Divisional round. This game is going to be tight across the board, but I don’t know that the Browns defense will improve enough in a year to be able to stop the Chiefs’ onslaught.
Buffalo Bills: Bills win 51-48
This will be a must-win game for Buffalo after the Chiefs dominated them in 2020, and a must-win for Josh Allen and his career vs Mahomes and company. A shootout of epic proportions will have the Bills winning, but this will not be the last time these teams see each other in 2020.
Dallas Cowboys: Chiefs win 33-10
The Cowboys seem like they are on pace for another dumpster fire of a season in 2021, and with Dak Prescott’s contract up in the air, they could be without a legit starting QB as well. Poor defense, old offensive line, I expect the Chiefs to take care of business.
New York Giants: Chiefs win 35-14
The Giants will be a long way away from competing in 2021, even with the return of Saquan Barkley. The Chiefs take care of business against a young unproven team.
Away
Denver Broncos: Chiefs win 28-10
The Chiefs’ dominating streak continues against Denver. A team with questions all over will be run over by a team that knows where it is headed.
Los Angeles Chargers: Chargers win 35-30
This game will be a big stepping stone in Justin Herbert’s career, and if the Chargers can continue to develop talent on defense they could be a thorn in the Chiefs side.
Las Vegas Raiders: Chiefs win 42-21
The Raiders will likely stick with Carr at quarterback again in 2021, but this will be the game that has to make Jon Gruden make a serious decision about who his starting QB will be moving forward.
Baltimore Ravens: Chiefs win 37-20
The Chiefs have owned Lamar Jackson and the Ravens the past three seasons and not much will change in 2021. The Chiefs defense knows how to stop Lamar, and they know how to carve up the Raven blitz happy defense.
Cincinnati Bengals: Chiefs win 40-10
The Bengals are still going to be building around Joe Burrow, but this game shouldn’t even be remotely close if the Chiefs come out and play a complete football game.
Washington Football Team: Chiefs win 28-20
The Washington Football Team was one of the biggest underdog stories of the 2020 NFL season, and their defense is legit enough to make life hard on Patrick Mahomes. They don’t have the talent on offense yet to be an elite team, but it should make for an interesting game.
Philadelphia Eagles: Chiefs win 33-14
Andy Reid returns to Philadelphia for the second time as head coach of the Chiefs, in what will be the third overall meeting between Reid and his former team. The Eagles are about to be in a major rebuild, and Reid has owned his former team.
Tennessee Titans: Titans win 31-30
Despite the 2020 AFCCG win by the Chiefs, the Titans have been a thorn in the Chiefs side, and in particular Derrick Henry has been the major key in that. The Chiefs have not faired well in Tennessee in the past and this one feels like one the Titans will be hungry to win for playoff seeding in the regular season.
Chiefs final record: 13-3
AFC Playoff Seeding:
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Cleveland Browns
- Buffalo Bills
- Tennessee Titans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Miami Dolphins
