The Kansas City Chiefs got good news in the Rashee Rice matter while also getting rid of another receiver that didn’t reach expectations. But when you’re the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, the rest of the league likes you doubly less, and that’s why the Kansas City Chiefs bold predictions for the 2024 NFL season start with a negative one.
The Kansas City Chiefs not only won’t win the Super Bowl, but they’ll be bounced from the playoffs because of a coaching decision.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid's trick play will backfire to end season
The Chiefs roster is good enough to get into the playoffs. And with Patrick Mahomes having more threats at the wide receiver position, the Chiefs have enough offense to get back to the big game. Plus, the Chiefs defense looks the part of Super Bowl quality, especially when paired with Mahomes.
However, Reid is gonna mess up history. And it’s going to be almost as dramatic as the boneheaded decision by Pete Carroll and staff to pass the football from the 1-yard line with Marshawn Lynch in the backfield at the end of the 2014 season Super Bowl.
The Chiefs will be at the 2-yard line with Patrick Mahomes on the verge of a playoff career-high in passing yards. They’ll trail by five points with 24 seconds left and one timeout remaining. At this point, Reid will call for a play where Mahomes goes out to the wide receiver position and tries to start a conversation with the line judge. Travis Kelce will shift from his tight end position to shotgun quarterback. At this point, Isaiah Pacheco — who has three short TD runs in the game — will go in motion and line up like the outside man on the field goal unit. The ball will be snapped and as Kelce rolls out hpitches the ball to Mahomes — who falls down and fumbles. The Buffalo Bills recover and win the game.
Three-peat pressure is real
It stands to reason the Chiefs will fall short this year because no team has ever won three straight Super Bowl titles. Mahomes said the team is aware of the pressure, according to espn.com.
“You have to come in knowing that we're going to get everybody's best shot,” he said. “We know that, but at the same time, I think we were a young team last year and we kind of grew up as the season went on, and I think this year you have to learn from those mistakes you made last year.
“It is a brand-new season. I've dealt with it a couple times now, and we know it's going to be, every week, it's going to be a big week. We start off with some great opponents early in the season.”
QB Patrick Mahomes will threaten 5,000 yards passing
During his impressive career, Mahomes has throw for 5,000 yards twice. He did it with 5,097 in 2018 before adding 5,250 in 2022. This year, he will get close again. But miss it because the Chiefs hold him out in Week 17 as their playoff position is already locked.
Mahomes said he knows the 2024 season won’t be easy. The Chiefs will carry such a big target, according to bolavip.com via Pro Football Talk.
“You’ve got to come in with that same mentality you had the year before — even a higher intensity,” Mahomes said. “And even though we won the Super Bowl last year, we felt like we didn’t play our best football — especially offensively. So, it’s our goal to be better that way. And come in with that mentality every single day.”
The Chiefs offense sputtered at times last year. But Mahomes said expects the offense to roll at a high level this season.
“Obviously the end result was awesome, but I think a lot of us still have a weird feeling in our mouth because we really didn’t play football the way we wanted to play all year long,” Mahomes said. “It wasn’t fun. Every single week, trying to just continue to get better and better and results not paying off the way you want them to — it wasn’t a lot of fun.”
One thing that will make Mahomes’ numbers get high this year is the willingness to push the football deep because of new receivers. Mahomes said Reid is pushing the deep attack, accoridng to espn.com.
“If I don't, he throws little jabs at me like, ‘Oh, you want to throw the checkdown here?”' Mahomes said. “I'm like, ‘I got you, Coach; we're going to push it.' It has been fun.”
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Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy will be a star
It’s very unfair to compare Worthy to Tyreek Hill. Worthy is a rookie while Hill is arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver.
But it’s not unfair to say Worthy has a chance to be the Chiefs’ best receiver before the year is over. Remember, the Chiefs struggled at the wide receiver position last year. The group simply didn’t make a lot of plays. So Worthy doesn’t need to supplant an established star.
And while he’s not Tyreek Hill, Worthy does possess some of the same attributes. Included in that mix is speed, according to William Schwartz of Pro Football network.
“Expect Worthy to click perfectly in the Chiefs’ offense, inhabiting something similar to the former Tyreek Hill role,” Schwartz wrote. “He’s one of the few players in league history with the pure speed to do that and unlike other recently drafted speedsters like John Ross, he’s displayed a broader skill set than just running fast in a line. Of course, playing with Mahomes won’t hurt either — with enough established skill players to stop Worthy from receiving top coverage from defenses, expect him to seriously flourish.”
As for Worthy, he said he’s ready to mix it up, according to nfl.com.
“Yeah, I definitely feel like there's no time to ease in,” Worthy said. “It's all go. Once you're here, you're here. I understand definitely what Pat's saying, and just to build that connection with him is going to be key here.”
