I'm getting antsy, so here's 2014.

[Direckshun]

The Chiefs have an extremely difficult schedule ahead of them. Perhaps the most difficult schedule I can remember a competent Chiefs team ever having. Not only are they playing four very strong teams in the NFC West, they're playing all four of the conference championships. Two of the three teams in their division have Top 5 QBs, and two of the three teams will have Top 5 passrushing attacks (I'm bullish on Tuck & Mack in Oakland). The Chiefs are coming off an appropriately disappointing season where they bitchslapped their playoff opponent, only to lose when half their roster when down with injury. This year, they have a roster which has suffered a loss of 8 or so starters and critical contributors, adding virtually nobody to replace any of them, relying instead of their depth to save them. While last year's team was as deep as we've seen, it remains to be seen what, exactly, we have this year with more of these depth players getting daylight.

Our weakness is all the IFs this season is riding on. Will Fisher emerge from injury as anything better than last year's colossal disappointment. Will Sorensen and Commings be the quality depth at safety we need. Will Allen Bailey, Vance Walker, or Mike Catapano show up. Will we develop a true #2 WR. Will any CBs play well -- and I do mean any.

The Chiefs lost Albert, Asamoah, Schwartz, McCluster, TJax, Akeem Jordan, Quentin Demps, and Kendrick Lewis. Whatever your opinions of those players, they were critical, and the Chiefs will need a ton of roster surprises in order to fully replace them, which would cement John Dorsey as the personnel whiz we'd hoped he'd be when we acquired him as GM. But while the NFL is full of surprises, it's unusual a team gets that many all at once.

The good news is, we discovered last year that we do have a QB who, at his highest level of play, is a Super Bowl caliber QB. His play against the Colts in the playoffs was perhaps the best Chiefs QB performance we've had since Lenny the cool, as he single-handedly carried an offense bereft of Jamaal Charles. The fact that he was let down so often -- Bowe failing to score and going down on the 1 yard line, Cyrus Gray failing to run the wheel route perfectly, Bowe stepping out of bounds on the final play of the game, and half the defense going down with injury... -- is not Smith's fault. If Smith can replicate that performance, the Chiefs can be much, much better than anybody expects. But Alex Smith is a known quantity at this point: he will do enough to win most games, so long as the rest of the team cooperates, and he'll play better in the tougher games, but he's not going to become Playoff Alex until the playoffs. Which is unfortunate, because that Alex is incredible.

The rest of the AFC West is a minefield of trouble. The Broncos return Peyton and a really good receiver corps, as well as a jacked up defense. The Chargers are decent everywhere except at QB, where Rivers had arguably his best season as a pro last year with 2nd and 3rd string WRs, cementing him as one of the league's best. The Raiders have rebuilt in the short term, with a strategy that isn't going to give them a lot of long-term success, but will give them moderate success in the short term. So long as Peyton stays upright, the Chiefs have a 0% chance of winning the division. If Peyton goes down, our odds probably only shoot up to 40% or so as Philip Rivers is peaking. Unless, like I said, we get Playoff Alex, who looks an awful lot like a guy who can hang with Rivers at his best.

At this point, the Chiefs are still working to extend Alex Smith, Justin Houston, and Eric Berry. They need all three extended before 2015 comes around, and they will get Alex Smith signed to an ungodly contract before the season starts, because they are the Chiefs, of 6 years, $100m, with $45m guaranteed. About halfway through the year, they will sign Eric Berry to an extension of 5 years, $45m, with $30m guaranteed. Houston, who has been difficult at the negotiating table ever since he was brought into this league, will have to be franchise tagged in 2015.

The Chiefs understand the challenges ahead of themselves this year, and cut Chase Daniel to make room for promising, potential long-term answers in Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray. Demetrius Harris ends up as the 3rd TE, and Ryan Harris is the team's swing tackle, joining Eric Kush and Rishaw Johnson as the backup OL. Duvarney-Tardif will either be frequently-deactivated or practice-squadded, assuming another team doesn't scoop him up.

In a relative shocker, Zach Fulton will start at RG. Kelce can't stay healthy long enough in training camp to overtake Fasano at TE, but he may as the year progresses. The Chiefs have no real backup to Poe, so they will move DeVito over if they have to. Kyle Love ends up as anoter backup NT option, and Mays wins the ILB job over Nico Johnson, who sounds like he is thankfully starting to get it. Your starters at CB are Sean Smith and Marcus Cooper, with Chris Owens at NCB. Ron Parker gets a lot of time on the field as well, as ChiefsPlanet starts getting really nervous over Phillip Gaines.

After four preseason games, here's the roster:

QB: Smith, Bray, Murray
RB: Charles, Davis, Thomas, Gray
FB: Sherman

WR: Bowe, Avery, Jenkins, Dressler, Hemingway, Thomas
TE: Fasano, Kelce, Harris

LT: Fisher, Stephenson
LG: Allen, Johnson
C: Hudson, Kush
RG: Fulton, Johnson
RT: Stephenson, Harris

DE: DeVito, Catapano
NT: Poe, DeVito, Love
DE: Bailey, Walker

OLB: Hali, Ford
ILB: Mays, Johnson
ILB: Johnson, Johnson
OLB: Houston, Martin

CB: Smith, Cooper, Owens, Parker, Gaines
S: Berry, Abdullah, Commings, Sorensen

K: Succop
P: Colquitt
LS: Gafford
KR: Thomas, Davis
PR: Thomas, Davis

Week 1: vs. Titans W
Week 2: @ Broncos L
Week 3: @ Dolphins W
Week 4: vs. Patriots L
Week 5: @ 49ers L
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: @ Chargers W
Week 8: vs. Rams W
Week 9: vs. Jets W
Week 10: @ Bills W
Week 11: vs. Seahawks L
Week 12: @ Raiders L
Week 13: vs. Broncos L
Week 14: @ Cardinals L
Week 15: vs. Raiders W
Week 16: @ Steelers L
Week 17: vs. Chargers L

We finish the season 7-9 (only 4-4 at home...) against a schedule that starts brutal, but really sags in the middle. I always assume there is a game we should win that we will lose (in this circumstance, the Chiefs drop a game in Oakland that they should honestly win). I always assume there is a game we should lose that we will win (in this circumstance, I think the Chiefs bounce off the bye and take down the Chargers in San Diego). The Chiefs will amass a four game win-streak mid-season, making everybody wonder if The Chiefs Have Finally Gotten It at 6-3, only to lose six of our final seven games and be brutally reminded exactly how talented this team was all along.

Our young rookie crop yields what can only be assumed to be diminishing returns. Dee Ford looks really promising, but he'll only play on 40% of the snaps as Hali and Houston dominate snaps. Gaines hardly plays at all this year. DAT looks exactly like McCluster did McCluster's rookie year: a speedy talent that has trouble finding a spot in the offense. Murray never plays, hardly getting snaps in the preseason as Bray and Daniel duke it out. Duvarney-Tardif never plays in 2014.

Instead, the Chiefs will get two pleasant surprises. Zach Fulton will have an iffy but solid rookie year at RG. And Daniel Sorensen will look every bit the part as a heady supporting player at safety.

The offense ends up somewhere around the bottom third of the league -- which happens when you have iffy protection issues along the OL (Fisher will still look like a rookie as the year wears on), and no WRs aside from Bowe (although we're going to be very pleasantly surprised by Jenkins).

The defense, due to the offense's struggles, will end up around #13 in the league. They'll put up iffy numbers against the pass (as our secondary is very inexperienced) and the run (as teams will be running to burn the clock on us late in games).

We will have the following issues:

• The following injuries will have been incurred: Fisher (out in week 2, back in week 3), Poe (out in week 6, back in week 9), Bowe (will go out for the year with an ACL in Week 5), Knile Davis (out twice, in weeks 3 and 11), De'Anthony Thomas (will get crunched in week 12, returning week 17).
• Bowe will have had a really sterling opening month, but sadly the depleted WR corps will be even worse once we lose Bowe for the year. Fortunately, Avery and Smith will continue their rapport, and A.J. Jenkins will develop as a nice Jeremy Maclin-type talent. Jenkins will be used mostly in Percy Harvin-type roles for the opening month, but as the route tree opens for him following Bowe's injury, so will his progress. Jenkins will look like a true #2 by the end of the year.
• The mystery at CB will continue all year. Sean Smith will lead the way, playing lights out for the first month, before getting burned all year for 100-yard games. Marcus Cooper will be up and down all year, getting torched some games and playing well in others. Chris Owens will be a mess all year, as the slot will get repeatedly exposed -- it will get so bad that the Chiefs will bench Owens for Gaines in the final month. Gaines plays well, but looks like a rookie. The only promising CB we'll have on the roster all year will be Ron Parker, whom the staff refuses to start, even as Sean Smith and Cooper falter, because they are the Chiefs.

Pro Bowlers: Charles, Poe, Hali, Houston, Berry

All Pro: Charles

The offensive line plays poorly all year, but figure it out in the final month of the year. They allow the 9th most sacks in the NFL, but allow only 2 sacks in the final month. Fisher looks like he will shape up to be an average LT. Hudson and Stephenson both look really solid at their respective positions by the end of the year. Jeff Allen and Zach Fulton struggle all year.

The run game is on all year, with three talented backs coming out of the backfield in Charles, Davis, and Thomas. All three put up at least 4.0 yards on the ground all year. Charles stacks up 1,100 yards on the ground, and 450 yards through the air. Davis stacks up another 600 yards on the ground, and another 210 through the air. Thomas is a livewire; he "only" gains 190 on the ground on very few touches, with a couple game-breakers thrown in for good measure.

With such poor protection and receiving options, however, Smith can't capitalize on the run game. Smith will have a four-game stretch in the middle of the year where he'll revert to 2013 form: averaging 235 yards/game, with 12 TDs and 1 INT. The rest of the year is a massive struggle, however. He ends the year with 3,100 yards throwing, 25 TDs and 19 INTs.

Top receivers: Bowe is great out of the gate. In four games, he has 380 yards on 25 receptions. But in Week 5, he goes down with an ACL, which sends shockwaves through the entire offense. Because we are the Chiefs. Avery continues with his normal production, ending the year with 45 receptions 800 yards receiving. AJ Jenkins, as mentioned before, will flourish as the season wears on. He'll end the year with 850 yards receiving on 62 receptions. People will be wondering -- is this the guy the 49ers thought they drafted a couple years ago? Hemingway and Dressler will never quite step up, picking up about 30 passes each all year, both for 6 yard averages.

The Chiefs still, for the life of them, cannot figure out how to get a passrush from 3-4 defensive ends. Bailey will get 2 all year. Catapano 1. Vance Walker, once thought of as the answer to this particular question, will inexplicably fall off, and register zero sacks. Because we are the Chiefs. Poe will stack up a couple sacks here or there, and end the season with 6.

Hali, playing for a new contract with whatever team picks him up after the Chiefs cut him in 2015, will have a great year, stacking up 13 sacks. Houston, also playing for a new contract, will end up being a terror, to the tune of 11 sacks, 2 INTs, and 4 FFs, and excellent play against the run. DJ will chip in four more sacks, and secondary blitzers will add one more as the year goes on.

Leading tacklers: DJ gets 140, and doesn't seem to be slowing down... ever. Berry has an outstanding year with 90. Mays notches 80 more. DeVito hauls in about 35 throughout the year, and Sean Smith will lead all corners with 41.

Berry plays a lot more FS this year, and ends up notching way more INTs. He'll have 6 by the end of the year, with two returned for TDs. Cooper will have two INTs, as well Sean Smith. The only other corner to register an INT will be Ron Parker in spot duty.

Notes about the upcoming offseason:

The Chiefs will let Rodney Hudson and Allen Bailey walk. They will end up cutting Tamba Hali and Sean Smith.

Houston is franchised.

As the Chiefs defense struggled all year, questions will arise about whether Bob Sutton should retain his job as DC. After a small media hullabaloo, Sutton will be retained. Because we are the Chiefs.

With AJ Jenkins looking great, the Chiefs will need to figure out what to do at OL. Hudson is walking, and Stephenson will likely be gone next year. The Chiefs need more help at tackle, and will need to figure out if Catapano can start at DE in Bailey's place, because Vance Walker sure can't for some reason. The Chiefs will almost certainly be expected to go with a CB in the first round.

AFC Byes: Broncos, Patriots
Colts host Titans
Bengals host Chargers

The Broncos reach the Super Bowl against the 49ers and defeat them, 29-19. Manning announces his retirement at the press conference.

Any questions?

[kcxiv]

This is the first year that im not all that excited. I was always up on TC and reading every damn bit of info i could find. I havent done anything like that this year yet! Maybe when the preseason games come. I guess after years and years of frustration it broke me a little lol

[Schnitzel]

Originally Posted by tk13

The Direckshun trilogy

2014: Jamaalrats: The Lost Season
2015: A Christmas Carl: The Five Year Plan
2016: 50 Shades of Bray

[keg in kc]

A thread about a fantasy preseason. Okay then.

[Mav]

Originally Posted by Fruit Ninja

This is the first year that im not all that excited. I was always up on TC and reading every damn bit of info i could find. I havent done anything like that this year yet! Maybe when the preseason games come. I guess after years and years of frustration it broke me a little lol

No. The reason is the Dodgers. Congrats on the sweep.

[Halfcan]

kinda depressing outlook

Not only does Bowe get hurt, we cut Hali after a 13 sack season and then you have the Cheating Donks winning the ****ing Superbowl???

Just shoot me now if this is how the season will be. ****ing nightmare!!!

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

Not only does Bowe get hurt

Because

Originally Posted by Halfcan

we cut Hali after a 13 sack season

we are

Originally Posted by Halfcan

the Cheating Donks winning the ****ing Superbowl???

the Chiefs.

[CallMeSquidwad]

I respected your supposed football "acumen" until this post, get off the rocking chair and wake up to reality. Teams move on and they get younger, and young guys step up. This will be a defining year for this regime because the talent is there despite being younger. I believe we have a much better roster than last year, a more athletic o-line, and one of the deepest in the league. Success breeds confidence, and Jamaal Charles breeds success. He will make these young talented guards feel good about themselves, and 4 of our 5 I already know are good. Did anyone watch the Seahawks last year? They lost Harvin, lost Okung along with most of that o line missing games throughout the year, Bruce Irvin, they cut Winfield who everyone was so exited about in training camp, and he didn't even make the 53? A lot of growth happens in camp, especially with a young team and I think ours will grow with a ceiling of being last years Seahawks and a floor of being our D last year with signs of greatness with inconsistency sprinkled in. We are set up just like the "Hawks", dominant d line, physical corners, and sharks up the middle. Give me our "problems" you morons are complaining about over most teams issues in the league, we are one of the youngest teams in the league, and our linebacking unit might be the strongest unit top to bottom of any teams unit at any level of their defense. Our backfield aint to shabby either...

[Halfcan]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Because



we are



the Chiefs.

Here is a similar prediction...

Donks have perfect season 19-0- chiefs don't win a game due to losing all of their stars to major injury. They draft a QB with the number 1 pick- that turns out to be the next Ryan Leaf-Chief fans suffering continues another 30 years before they win a playoff game-while manning plays ten more years winning the SB and MVP every single year.

Just as likely to happen.

[KC native]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

The Chiefs have an extremely difficult schedule ahead of them. Perhaps the most difficult schedule I can remember a competent Chiefs team ever having. Not only are they playing four very strong teams in the NFC West, they're playing all four of the conference championships. Two of the three teams in their division have Top 5 QBs, and two of the three teams will have Top 5 passrushing attacks (I'm bullish on Tuck & Mack in Oakland). The Chiefs are coming off an appropriately disappointing season where they bitchslapped their playoff opponent, only to lose when half their roster when down with injury. This year, they have a roster which has suffered a loss of 8 or so starters and critical contributors, adding virtually nobody to replace any of them, relying instead of their depth to save them. While last year's team was as deep as we've seen, it remains to be seen what, exactly, we have this year with more of these depth players getting daylight.

Our weakness is all the IFs this season is riding on. Will Fisher emerge from injury as anything better than last year's colossal disappointment. Will Sorensen and Commings be the quality depth at safety we need. Will Allen Bailey, Vance Walker, or Mike Catapano show up. Will we develop a true #2 WR. Will any CBs play well -- and I do mean any.

The Chiefs lost Albert, Asamoah, Schwartz, McCluster, TJax, Akeem Jordan, Quentin Demps, and Kendrick Lewis. Whatever your opinions of those players, they were critical, and the Chiefs will need a ton of roster surprises in order to fully replace them, which would cement John Dorsey as the personnel whiz we'd hoped he'd be when we acquired him as GM. But while the NFL is full of surprises, it's unusual a team gets that many all at once.

The good news is, we discovered last year that we do have a QB who, at his highest level of play, is a Super Bowl caliber QB. His play against the Colts in the playoffs was perhaps the best Chiefs QB performance we've had since Lenny the cool, as he single-handedly carried an offense bereft of Jamaal Charles. The fact that he was let down so often -- Bowe failing to score and going down on the 1 yard line, Cyrus Gray failing to run the wheel route perfectly, Bowe stepping out of bounds on the final play of the game, and half the defense going down with injury... -- is not Smith's fault. If Smith can replicate that performance, the Chiefs can be much, much better than anybody expects. But Alex Smith is a known quantity at this point: he will do enough to win most games, so long as the rest of the team cooperates, and he'll play better in the tougher games, but he's not going to become Playoff Alex until the playoffs. Which is unfortunate, because that Alex is incredible.

The rest of the AFC West is a minefield of trouble. The Broncos return Peyton and a really good receiver corps, as well as a jacked up defense. The Chargers are decent everywhere except at QB, where Rivers had arguably his best season as a pro last year with 2nd and 3rd string WRs, cementing him as one of the league's best. The Raiders have rebuilt in the short term, with a strategy that isn't going to give them a lot of long-term success, but will give them moderate success in the short term. So long as Peyton stays upright, the Chiefs have a 0% chance of winning the division. If Peyton goes down, our odds probably only shoot up to 40% or so as Philip Rivers is peaking. Unless, like I said, we get Playoff Alex, who looks an awful lot like a guy who can hang with Rivers at his best.

At this point, the Chiefs are still working to extend Alex Smith, Justin Houston, and Eric Berry. They need all three extended before 2015 comes around, and they will get Alex Smith signed to an ungodly contract before the season starts, because they are the Chiefs, of 6 years, $100m, with $45m guaranteed. About halfway through the year, they will sign Eric Berry to an extension of 5 years, $45m, with $30m guaranteed. Houston, who has been difficult at the negotiating table ever since he was brought into this league, will have to be franchise tagged in 2015.

The Chiefs understand the challenges ahead of themselves this year, and cut Chase Daniel to make room for promising, potential long-term answers in Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray. Demetrius Harris ends up as the 3rd TE, and Ryan Harris is the team's swing tackle, joining Eric Kush and Rishaw Johnson as the backup OL. Duvarney-Tardif will either be frequently-deactivated or practice-squadded, assuming another team doesn't scoop him up.

In a relative shocker, Zach Fulton will start at RG. Kelce can't stay healthy long enough in training camp to overtake Fasano at TE, but he may as the year progresses. The Chiefs have no real backup to Poe, so they will move DeVito over if they have to. Kyle Love ends up as anoter backup NT option, and Mays wins the ILB job over Nico Johnson, who sounds like he is thankfully starting to get it. Your starters at CB are Sean Smith and Marcus Cooper, with Chris Owens at NCB. Ron Parker gets a lot of time on the field as well, as ChiefsPlanet starts getting really nervous over Phillip Gaines.

After four preseason games, here's the roster:

QB: Smith, Bray, Murray
RB: Charles, Davis, Thomas, Gray
FB: Sherman

WR: Bowe, Avery, Jenkins, Dressler, Hemingway, Thomas
TE: Fasano, Kelce, Harris

LT: Fisher, Stephenson
LG: Allen, Johnson
C: Hudson, Kush
RG: Fulton, Johnson
RT: Stephenson, Harris

DE: DeVito, Catapano
NT: Poe, DeVito, Love
DE: Bailey, Walker

OLB: Hali, Ford
ILB: Mays, Johnson
ILB: Johnson, Johnson
OLB: Houston, Martin

CB: Smith, Cooper, Owens, Parker, Gaines
S: Berry, Abdullah, Commings, Sorensen

K: Succop
P: Colquitt
LS: Gafford
KR: Thomas, Davis
PR: Thomas, Davis

Week 1: vs. Titans W
Week 2: @ Broncos L
Week 3: @ Dolphins W
Week 4: vs. Patriots L
Week 5: @ 49ers L
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: @ Chargers W
Week 8: vs. Rams W
Week 9: vs. Jets W
Week 10: @ Bills W
Week 11: vs. Seahawks L
Week 12: @ Raiders L
Week 13: vs. Broncos L
Week 14: @ Cardinals L
Week 15: vs. Raiders W
Week 16: @ Steelers L
Week 17: vs. Chargers L

We finish the season 7-9 (only 4-4 at home...) against a schedule that starts brutal, but really sags in the middle. I always assume there is a game we should win that we will lose (in this circumstance, the Chiefs drop a game in Oakland that they should honestly win). I always assume there is a game we should lose that we will win (in this circumstance, I think the Chiefs bounce off the bye and take down the Chargers in San Diego). The Chiefs will amass a four game win-streak mid-season, making everybody wonder if The Chiefs Have Finally Gotten It at 6-3, only to lose six of our final seven games and be brutally reminded exactly how talented this team was all along.

Our young rookie crop yields what can only be assumed to be diminishing returns. Dee Ford looks really promising, but he'll only play on 40% of the snaps as Hali and Houston dominate snaps. Gaines hardly plays at all this year. DAT looks exactly like McCluster did McCluster's rookie year: a speedy talent that has trouble finding a spot in the offense. Murray never plays, hardly getting snaps in the preseason as Bray and Daniel duke it out. Duvarney-Tardif never plays in 2014.

Instead, the Chiefs will get two pleasant surprises. Zach Fulton will have an iffy but solid rookie year at RG. And Daniel Sorensen will look every bit the part as a heady supporting player at safety.

The offense ends up somewhere around the bottom third of the league -- which happens when you have iffy protection issues along the OL (Fisher will still look like a rookie as the year wears on), and no WRs aside from Bowe (although we're going to be very pleasantly surprised by Jenkins).

The defense, due to the offense's struggles, will end up around #13 in the league. They'll put up iffy numbers against the pass (as our secondary is very inexperienced) and the run (as teams will be running to burn the clock on us late in games).

We will have the following issues:

• The following injuries will have been incurred: Fisher (out in week 2, back in week 3), Poe (out in week 6, back in week 9), Bowe (will go out for the year with an ACL in Week 5), Knile Davis (out twice, in weeks 3 and 11), De'Anthony Thomas (will get crunched in week 12, returning week 17).
• Bowe will have had a really sterling opening month, but sadly the depleted WR corps will be even worse once we lose Bowe for the year. Fortunately, Avery and Smith will continue their rapport, and A.J. Jenkins will develop as a nice Jeremy Maclin-type talent. Jenkins will be used mostly in Percy Harvin-type roles for the opening month, but as the route tree opens for him following Bowe's injury, so will his progress. Jenkins will look like a true #2 by the end of the year.
• The mystery at CB will continue all year. Sean Smith will lead the way, playing lights out for the first month, before getting burned all year for 100-yard games. Marcus Cooper will be up and down all year, getting torched some games and playing well in others. Chris Owens will be a mess all year, as the slot will get repeatedly exposed -- it will get so bad that the Chiefs will bench Owens for Gaines in the final month. Gaines plays well, but looks like a rookie. The only promising CB we'll have on the roster all year will be Ron Parker, whom the staff refuses to start, even as Sean Smith and Cooper falter, because they are the Chiefs.

Pro Bowlers: Charles, Poe, Hali, Houston, Berry

All Pro: Charles

The offensive line plays poorly all year, but figure it out in the final month of the year. They allow the 9th most sacks in the NFL, but allow only 2 sacks in the final month. Fisher looks like he will shape up to be an average LT. Hudson and Stephenson both look really solid at their respective positions by the end of the year. Jeff Allen and Zach Fulton struggle all year.

The run game is on all year, with three talented backs coming out of the backfield in Charles, Davis, and Thomas. All three put up at least 4.0 yards on the ground all year. Charles stacks up 1,100 yards on the ground, and 450 yards through the air. Davis stacks up another 600 yards on the ground, and another 210 through the air. Thomas is a livewire; he "only" gains 190 on the ground on very few touches, with a couple game-breakers thrown in for good measure.

With such poor protection and receiving options, however, Smith can't capitalize on the run game. Smith will have a four-game stretch in the middle of the year where he'll revert to 2013 form: averaging 235 yards/game, with 12 TDs and 1 INT. The rest of the year is a massive struggle, however. He ends the year with 3,100 yards throwing, 25 TDs and 19 INTs.

Top receivers: Bowe is great out of the gate. In four games, he has 380 yards on 25 receptions. But in Week 5, he goes down with an ACL, which sends shockwaves through the entire offense. Because we are the Chiefs. Avery continues with his normal production, ending the year with 45 receptions 800 yards receiving. AJ Jenkins, as mentioned before, will flourish as the season wears on. He'll end the year with 850 yards receiving on 62 receptions. People will be wondering -- is this the guy the 49ers thought they drafted a couple years ago? Hemingway and Dressler will never quite step up, picking up about 30 passes each all year, both for 6 yard averages.

The Chiefs still, for the life of them, cannot figure out how to get a passrush from 3-4 defensive ends. Bailey will get 2 all year. Catapano 1. Vance Walker, once thought of as the answer to this particular question, will inexplicably fall off, and register zero sacks. Because we are the Chiefs. Poe will stack up a couple sacks here or there, and end the season with 6.

Hali, playing for a new contract with whatever team picks him up after the Chiefs cut him in 2015, will have a great year, stacking up 13 sacks. Houston, also playing for a new contract, will end up being a terror, to the tune of 11 sacks, 2 INTs, and 4 FFs, and excellent play against the run. DJ will chip in four more sacks, and secondary blitzers will add one more as the year goes on.

Leading tacklers: DJ gets 140, and doesn't seem to be slowing down... ever. Berry has an outstanding year with 90. Mays notches 80 more. DeVito hauls in about 35 throughout the year, and Sean Smith will lead all corners with 41.

Berry plays a lot more FS this year, and ends up notching way more INTs. He'll have 6 by the end of the year, with two returned for TDs. Cooper will have two INTs, as well Sean Smith. The only other corner to register an INT will be Ron Parker in spot duty.

Notes about the upcoming offseason:

The Chiefs will let Rodney Hudson and Allen Bailey walk. They will end up cutting Tamba Hali and Sean Smith.

Houston is franchised.

As the Chiefs defense struggled all year, questions will arise about whether Bob Sutton should retain his job as DC. After a small media hullabaloo, Sutton will be retained. Because we are the Chiefs.

With AJ Jenkins looking great, the Chiefs will need to figure out what to do at OL. Hudson is walking, and Stephenson will likely be gone next year. The Chiefs need more help at tackle, and will need to figure out if Catapano can start at DE in Bailey's place, because Vance Walker sure can't for some reason. The Chiefs will almost certainly be expected to go with a CB in the first round.

AFC Byes: Broncos, Patriots
Colts host Titans
Bengals host Chargers

The Broncos reach the Super Bowl against the 49ers and defeat them, 29-19. Manning announces his retirement at the press conference.

Any questions?

tl;dr I just like to quote long OPs.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Direction got crack for Christmas

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

Direction got crack for Christmas

And optimism...

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by Rausch

And optimism...

This team is a playoff team once again, so...

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by KC native

tl;dr I just like to quote long OPs.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

This team is a playoff team once again, so...

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by Rausch

Have you seen the AFC rosters? Weren't we gonna bet on 8 and 8 or better?