Power ranking 2019 Chiefs opponents
 

With the offseason here in the NFL, it's worth taking a look at where the 2019 opponents of the Kansas City Chiefs stand and what they need to do in the months ahead.

The Chiefs face a challenging schedule in 2019, with six playoff teams on the slate (Ravens, Texans, Colts, Chargers, Bears, Patriots) and two others that came close (Titans, Vikings). Each of those teams have some key questions to answer this offseason, but each of them also has enough to be right back in the thick of things in 2019.

Those teams aren't the only roadblocks the Chiefs face, as each of the other teams on their schedule could be in a position to be better in 2019.

Here's a quick look at where each team stands, along with a set of rankings for these teams as a group.

There's a lot that will change once free agency and the draft arrive, so we'll be taking another look at this list down the line. But for now, here's their outlook heading into February.

13. OAKLAND RAIDERS (2018 RECORD: 4-12)

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The Raiders were improved over the final month of the 2018 season but still have a long way to go before putting themselves back in contention. They have a high amount of cap space ($71 million, per OverTheCap.com) to go with three first-round draft picks, so they should be able to make numerous improvements this offseason. They need a good bit of help on both sides of the ball, however, and still could be in for another year at the bottom of the AFC West.

12. DETROIT LIONS (2018 RECORD: 6-10

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The Lions were a disappointment in their first year under head coach Matt Patricia, dropping to 6-10 after posting winning records in three of the previous four seasons. They'll need to add some help at receiver and in quite a few spots on defense, while hoping for a more productive season from Matthew Stafford (3,777 yards, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions). On the bright side, they finally found a running back last season, as Kerryon Johnson rushed for 641 yards (5.4 average) and three touchdowns in 10 games before his season came to an end due to injury.

11. DENVER BRONCOS (2018 RECORD: 6-10)

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It's another offseason of coaching turnover for the Broncos, who will be giving Vic Fangio a try after Vance Joseph had two unsuccessful seasons as head coach. With Fangio on board, one would have to assume the Broncos will be able to field a quality defense. Offense will be the issue this offseason, particularly at quarterback. Case Keenum didn't have the type of season for the Broncos that he had in Minnesota in 2017, and now the question is if they'll be looking for a replacement in the draft (Drew Lock of Missouri is a name that has already been rumored to be on John Elway's list). There's also a question mark at wide receiver, where Emmanuel Sanders will be coming off a torn Achilles, and tight end, where Jake Butt was lost last season to a torn ACL.

10. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (2018 RECORD: 5-11)

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Are the Jaguars back to being a doormat again, or will they be able to make enough moves to bounce back from their massively disappointing 2018 season? An overhaul could be in the works on offense, where the team finally seems ready to move on from Blake Bortles and will also need to add more playmakers around whoever the next quarterback will be. Their ranking could rise noticeably depending on what players fill those needs.

9. GREEN BAY PACKERS (2018 RECORD: 6-9-1)

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It's really tough ranking a team with Aaron Rodgers this low, but we're adopting a wait-and-see attitude with the Packers at the moment. They'll have some holes to fill on defense after their rough 2018 season and will be under a first-time head coach in Matt LaFleur. The presence of Rodgers makes this team a playoff threat, as always, but in terms of power rankings, this feels like a good spot for them right now. Regardless, the Mahomes-Rodgers battle will be one of the most anticipated on Kansas City's schedule next year.

8. TENNESSEE TITANS (2018 RECORD: 9-7)

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The Titans fell just short of the postseason in 2018 but will need to improve in a number of ways to keep pace in the AFC South. It starts on offense, where Marcus Mariota needs to stay healthy and take the next step production-wise after putting up 5,760 yards, 24 touchdowns and 23 interceptions over the past two seasons. They could also use a bit more help at receiver and a healthy return from tight end Delanie Walker, who missed most of 2018 due to injury. The defense could use help on the edge, at defensive tackle, and at cornerback.

7. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2018 RECORD: 8-7-1)

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The Vikings were high on the list of Super Bowl favorites in 2018 after signing Kirk Cousins in free agency, but things didn't work out as expected. They'll be looking for more consistency from Cousins, which could come with more help on the offensive line. The Vikings return plenty of talent on defense but could be set to lose linebacker Anthony Barr and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson in free agency.

6. BALTIMORE RAVENS (2018 RECORD: 10-6)

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The Ravens were the AFC North's best team by the end of 2018, as the Chiefs found out during their overtime game in December. This team faces a good amount of question marks this offseason, particularly on defense, where Za'Darius Smith, Terrell Suggs and C.J. Mosley are free agents and Eric Weddle has mentioned the possibility of retirement. There's also a number of veterans the team may or may not move on from, starting with quarterback Joe Flacco. The Ravens could wind up being a handful yet again next season, but they'll have their work cut out for them in the next couple of months.

5. HOUSTON TEXANS (2018 RECORD: 11-5)

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Houston came out on top in the AFC South in 2018 but their playoff appearance ended with a thud, losing 21-7 at home to the Indianapolis Colts. They have a few key free agents to address, such as Jadeveon Clowney, Tyrann Mathieu, and Kareem Jackson, but they've got cap space to work with ($64 million, per OverTheCap.com) to bring back who they want while adding from the outside. They'll also need to stay healthy at receiver after losing Will Fuller (torn ACL) and Demaryius Thomas (Achilles) to season-ending injuries.

4. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (2018 RECORD: 10-6)

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The Colts were better than expected in 2018, and with a league-leading $100 million-plus in projected cap space, they're a popular pick to take another step forward in 2019. The offense could use another receiver for Andrew Luck, while the defense will be on the look out for a high-end pass rusher. If they add those two pieces along with depth in other areas on defense, this team will be a popular pick in the AFC South next season.

3. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (2018 RECORD: 12-4)

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The Chargers will have much of the same core back in 2019, but now it'll be a matter of taking another step in both the AFC West and in the playoffs. They ended a long streak of misery against the Chiefs with their December win at Arrowhead only to blow their chance at a division title with a home loss to the Ravens, then followed it up with a humiliating exit in the Divisional Round at the hands of New England. With Philip Rivers now 37 years old, how much longer their window of opportunity stays open remains to be seen. The Chargers obviously have talent and will be able to add more to it this offseason, but they'll still have doubters after how their 2018 season came to an end.

2. CHICAGO BEARS (2018 RECORD: 12-4)

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The Bears could wind up being a popular Super Bowl pick out of the NFC in 2019. They have a couple key free agents on defense (Adrian Amos, Bryce Callahan), but there's little reason to think they won't be rugged on that side of the ball again next year. They also seem to have at least some interest in the idea of reuniting Kareem Hunt with head coach Matt Nagy, who was Hunt's offensive coordinator in Kansas City. Hunt will likely be sidelined early in 2019 due to suspension, but adding him might be the type of move that could put the Bears over the top.

1. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2018 RECORD: 11-5)

NSFW

There's no shortage of questions surrounding this team heading into the offseason (Will Gronk retire? Will the team re-sign Trey Flowers and Trent Brown? Will age catch up to Tom Brady and/or any of their other older players?) but they obviously proved in 2018 that as long as Brady and Belichick are together, they're a force to be reckoned with. The Patriots always find a way to answer their offseason questions and put themselves back in the same spot every year, and there's little reason right now to think they can't do it again.

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Jags too low, Chargers too high.

Colts depends where we play them. If its in Arrowhead that's another blow out, if its in their dome they could be our toughest opponent.

14-2 or 13-3 with losses to the Patriots and Bears and maybe the Chargers.

Not really a daunting schedule to be honest.

Arrowhead. We'll smoke them again.

2019

Home
Denver Broncos
Oakland Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
Baltimore Ravens

Obviously the Chiefs have a huge advantage at home, but that's a tough group. The Chargers, Texans, Colts, Packers, and Ravens are not going to be fun. The Vikes are a toss-up (depends on which team shows up).

Away
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
New England Patriots
Oakland Raiders
Tennessee Titans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Chargers

Not a bad away schedule. The Bears and Patriots are obviously the toughest ones there but none of those are unwinnable.

I think 13-3 is a reasonable estimate although depending on how things break it could easily go 15-1 or 11-5.

There will be no unwinnable games as long as we have Mahomes.

19-0

For me, the Texans are a HUGE regression candidate. They had an easy schedule and were in a LOT of tight, one score games. Teams that win a lot of those games tend to not do the same a season after. Their o line is shit, their weapons are mediocre, and Bill o'Brien runs an offense that would be easy for a high school team to understand.

Watson is good, but unless they fix their offense, I don't think he's good enough to make up for their deficiencies.

If the Chiefs can hold them to 25 or less we’ll win every game.

I've been thinking about this and once the pain left this season was pretty damned impressive.

We only lost 4 games, none were by more than 7 points, and none were to losing teams. In fact all the teams KC lost to were playoff teams and two of those made the ****ing super bowl.

And I don't know if it's true or not but someone told me the other day that KC opened as Vegas favorites to win the super bowl in 19.

I don't know if that's ever happened in my lifetime...:)

13-3 with hfa in the afccg, 6-0 in the AFC West and they kick Pats asses at Foxboro like 2 years ago.

Yeah I agree. Watson was my FFL QB and he had MANY weeks where he scored single digits. Guy is inconsistent. Look at him in the Wildcard game this year.

I hope the Pats sleepwalk through the regular season again. We need them at Arrowhead once more.

Hoping the Pats are game 1. Reid seemed to do pretty well when he had the whole off-season to plan. Can Spags can do the same? Yes he can. Imagine the players are going to want some payback this time.

nsfw

Add the colts. They had an easier schedule than the texans.