SI’S 2019
PREDICTION
11 – 5
2018 RECORD 12– 4
SEP T. 8
@ JAX
SEP T. 15
@ OAK
SEP T. 22
VS. BAL
SEP T. 2 9
@ DET
OC T. 6
VS. IND
OC T. 1 3
VS. HOU
OC T. 17
@ DEN
OC T. 2 7
VS. GB
NOV. 3
VS. MIN
NOV. 10
@ TEN
NOV. 18
(in Mexico City)
@ LAC
NOV. 25
BYE
DEC. 1
VS. OAK
DEC. 8
@ NE
DEC. 15
VS. DEN
DEC. 22
@ CHI
DEC. 29
VS. LACThis offense, with Mahomes leading the way, is the NFL’s most talented and
highly schemed. A defense that is merely decent makes K.C. a Super Bowl contender.74
× THE 2018 MVP IMPROVES. Last season
Patrick Mahomes put up some numbers—
5,097 yards to go along with a league-high
50 touchdowns—that were amazing, espe-
cially when you take into account the inac-
curacy and pocket impatience he shows on
one or two drop-backs each
week. These glitches might
be a by-product of his abun-
dant talent; Mahomes can
simply do—and therefore
attempt—tricks that oth-
ers can’t. But as the Packers
have learned with Aaron
Rodgers, there’s a fine
line between electric and
undisciplined at quarter-
back. Andy Reid’s scheme
is immensely more intri-
cate than Green Bay’s has
been, which helps the coach
keep his wunderkind on track. Mahomes
gradually develops into an aggressive on-
schedule quarterback who only freestyles
as a Plan B, giving the Chiefs the best of
all worlds.
× K.C. ELEVATES ITS RPO GAME. This year
Reid’s offense, already the most schemati-
cally diverse in football, integrates more
run-pass options. The RPOs play perfectlyto Mahomes’s quick and flexible release,
as well as to the speed and athleticism of
this offense’s key pass catchers, receiver
Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce.
× THE DEFENSE TAKES A SMALL STEP UP.
Even after overhauling half the lineup, this
is a flawed unit, marred mainly by incon-
sistent field-reading linebackers who can
either play only in traffic (Reggie Ragland)
or in space (Darron Lee, Dorian O’Daniel),
and by corners who struggle in man-to-man
coverage. But new coordinator Steve Spag-
nuolo at least partially spackles over these
holes with disguised five-man pressures in
front of two-deep match-zone coverages.
The unusual combination
works better some weeks
than others, but even a mild
amount of progress makes a
difference, given that Kan-
sas City’s NFL-best scoring
offense can be counted on
for 30 points a game.
× THE D-LINE ASCENDS.
Chris Jones , whose ex-
plosive power makes him
the best interior pass rusher
not named Aaron Donald,
builds on last year’s 15^1 / 2 -
sack season, and the play-
ers around him also bring juice. Former
Seahawk Frank Clark moves multidirec-
tionally with rare quickness at defensive
end, and second-year pro Derrick Nnadi
blossoms into an outstanding three-down
inside fighter, bringing about the long-
awaited (though still only modest) im-
provements to Kansas City’s historically
hot-and-cold run defense.WHAT LIES AHEAD
We
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ne
ssQB
2
RB
32
WR/TE
3
OL
9
FRONT 7
19
DB
28
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