2020 NFL Preview: Will Mahomes lead the Chiefs back to the promised land?

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The Champs are back with much deeper pockets than before. Can the Chiefs go back-to-back?

Patrick Mahomes has been far and away the best thing to happen to Kansas City in a very long time. When Mahomes is the starter, the Chiefs have gone 28-8. You expect that kind of record from a Superstar in Mahomes. But I was floored when I saw this next stat I am about to share. All 8 of those losses were by one possession. With Patrick Mahomes running the show, the Chiefs are never out of any game.

How about the rest of that offense? Murderer’s row with Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Sammy Watkins. They also retooled by investing high draft capital in Mecole Hardman (56th overall) and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (32nd overall). They also have one of the premier right tackles in the NFL in Mitchell Schwartz.

Simply put, this offense is ludicrous.

The defensive side has struggled at times, but they have improved a lot from 2018 to 2020. Chris Jones is an absolute unit in the trenches and is able to cause interior pressure consistently. Tyrann Mathieu and Juan Thornhill are an aggressive safety duo that have contributed in turning around this defense. Frank Clark enters his second season with KC, and looks to build off an impressive first showing.

Overall this Kansas City team is deadly on offense and solid on defense. Add on a legendary head coach in Andy Reid, and you got a team with dynasty potential.

Let’s take a deeper look at the Chiefs 2019 season, 2020 offseason, and what lies ahead in 2020.

2019 Team Ranks

Total Offense 6th (6067 yards)
Passing Offense 5th (4498 yards)
Rushing Offense 23rd (1569 yards)
Total Defense 17th (5594 yards allowed)
Passing Defense 8th (3543 yards allowed)
Rushing Defense 26th (2051 yards allowed)
PPG 28.2
PPG Allowed 19.3
Offensive Line Ranks
PFF 16th
Football Outsiders (Run Block) 28th
Football Outsiders (Pass Block) 4th

Coaching Staff Changes

No major coaching changes

Offseason Additions

Mike Remmers RT
Kelechi Osemele G
DeAndre Washington RB
Antonio Hamilton CB
Ricky Seals-Jones TE
Taco Charlton DE

Offseason Losses 

Kendall Fuller CB
Emmanuel Ogbah DE
Stefen Wisniewski G
Cameron Erving OT
Blake Bell TE
Reggie Ragland LB
Jordan Lucas S

2020 NFL Draft

Round 1 (32) – Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB LSU
Round 2 (63) – Willie Gay Jr. LB Mississippi State
Round 3 (96) – Lucas Niang OT TCU
Round 4 (138) – L’Jarius Sneed S Louisiana Tech
Round 5 (177) – Michael Danna Edge Michigan
Round 7 (237) – Bopete Keyes CB Tulsa

2020 Schedule with record vs opponents since 2017 

Week 1 – vs Houston Texans 8:20 PM ET NBC (Opening Game) 2-1
Week 2 – at Los Angeles Chargers 4:25 PM ET CBS 5-1
Week 3 – at Baltimore Ravens 8:15 PM ET ESPN (MNF) 2-0
Week 4 – vs New England Patriots 4:25 PM ET CBS 2-2
Week 5 – vs Las Vegas Raiders 1 PM ET CBS 5-1
Week 6 – at Buffalo Bills 8:20 PM ET FOX (TNF) 0-1
Week 7 – at Denver Broncos 4:25 PM ET CBS 6-0
Week 8 – vs New York Jets 1 PM ET CBS 0-1
Week 9 – vs Carolina Panthers 1 PM ET FOX 0-0
Week 10 – BYE
Week 11 – at Las Vegas Raiders 8:20 PM ET NBC (SNF) 5-1
Week 12 – at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4:25 PM ET CBS 0-0
Week 13 – vs Denver Broncos 8:20 PM ET NBC (SNF) 6-0
Week 14 – at Miami Dolphins 1 PM ET CBS 1-0
Week 15 – at New Orleans Saints 4:25 PM ET CBS 0-0
Week 16 – vs Atlanta Falcons 1 PM ET FOX 0-0
Week 17 – vs Los Angeles Chargers 1 PM ET CBS 5-1

Miscellaneous Notes

Last team to win back to back Super Bowls was the 04-05 New England Patriots
KC scored 30+ points 10 times in 2019-20
Patrick Mahomes had 8 games with 300+ Passing yards
2019 Offense Play Selection
Pass – 61.6%
Rush – 38.4%
PFF Top 5 Graded Players in 2019
1. Patrick Mahomes QB 90.2
2. Mitchell Schwartz RT 89.3
3. Chris Jones DT 87.6
4. Travis Kelce TE 86.1
5. Tyreek Hill WR 84.5
Players who opted out of 2020 season
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif RG
Damien Williams RB
Lucas Niang LT

 

Burning Question: Can anybody stop this offense?

Bottom Line: The firepower in Kansas City is simply too much for the rest of the AFC. It is likely that we have not seen the best of Patrick Mahomes. Let that sink in. We have probably not seen the absolute peak of Mahomes, yet it feels as if he has dominated for years.

I believe this team finishes at the top of the AFC once again. I also think they get to the Super Bowl once again for a shot at going back-to-back.

Predicted Win Range: 12-14