Kansas City Chiefs got more problems that we think!

It might be wise to put the brakes on expectations for increased Kansas City Chiefs supremacy in 2022 given all the significant roster changes for both the Chiefs and their divisional opponents. They might be in more danger than we realize.

Football fans have proclaimed the Chiefs to be the AFC West winners ever since the Patrick Mahomes era in Kansas City began. Kansas City was regarded as a participant in the AFC Championship game after his first season as a starter. The Chiefs have also consistently been among the favorites to win the conference, if not the Lombardi Trophy, following Mahomes and the team’s victory in Super Bowl LIV.

For the 2022 season, nothing has altered in that regard. The Chiefs are the favorites to win their division, have the second-best odds to win the AFC, and are among the top three favorites to win the Super Bowl, according to the majority of sportsbooks’ betting odds.

However, considering some of the significant losses on their roster, winning the AFC West is no longer a guaranteed as an outcome as it once was.

The departure of wide receiver Tyreek Hill undoubtedly has a significant impact on the Chiefs’ offense, and despite considerable discussion, its significance may still be underestimated.

The top three receivers in the NFL are Hill. He is one of the best offensive playmakers in the game thanks to his abilities, which include speed, quickness, route running, and the capacity to generate separation. He was paired with one of the league’s top tight ends and the most dynamic quarterback, making Kansas City’s games must-see television.

With long passes, Hill and Mahomes may widen the field. By placing the ball in Hill’s hands and then allowing him open up his own channel, they could even gain significant yardage on short passes. Travis Kelce was nearly always available if Hill wasn’t, which opened up the center of the field and allowed him to gain significant yardage. Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle, two receivers, excelled as secondary and tertiary options.

Now that Hill is gone, a significant portion of the Chiefs’ offense is in limbo. The greatest chance for Kansas City is to pull a Moneyball and “re-create” Hill in the aggregate because there truly aren’t any receivers who could compare to what Hill provides to a squad.

In contrast to Hill’s strengths, which leave him open both outside and over the middle, Hardman’s speed is more straight-line and vertical, allowing him to thrive almost entirely on the outside.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, a rookie, has great big-play potential and inside-out versatility, but his best seasons in Pittsburgh were when he wasn’t considered to be the No. 1 receiver. He originally joined the team before to Hill’s departure with the hope of becoming a secondary option.

Kansas City Chiefs players huddle before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the other Chiefs receiving corps newbie, would have been a fantastic addition in a void. However, in the wake of losing Hill, Valdes-Scantling lacks any comparable abilities that would make him seem deserving of replacing a generational star at wide receiver. He is big, quick, and was a decent player for the Packers.

After losing Hill, not only is the offense in peril, but the defense also suffered a high-impact player loss with the departure of safety Tyrann Mathieu. In 2019 and 2020, Mathieu made the first team All-Pro and was selected to the Pro Bowl both years.

Even though the Chiefs added defensive backs Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook, and Joshua Williams in the draft and safety Justin Reid during free agency, Mathieu is a bigger loss as a player and a leader than any of those players can make up for individually.

This offseason, Kansas City lost one of their key players on both side of the ball, which puts them in a much worse position to defend their AFC West crown. The Chiefs could face much more difficulty in the AFC West than they did previously if they combine the losses on their roster with the significant additions the other teams in their division made, including the trades of Russell Wilson to the Broncos, Davante Adams to the Raiders, and Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson to the Chargers.

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