Point / Counterpoint: Are the 2023 Chiefs Good?

Point: The Chiefs look sloppy. Mahomes has thrown 5 interceptions in 6 games. Their offense could only score 19 vs the Broncos. They barely beat the Zack Wilson Jets. Their game vs the Vikings came down to the wire. They don't have any good wide receivers. The Chiefs are not very good.

Counterpoint: The Chiefs are 5-1. The one game they lost was to the Lions by one point, and that was without both Chris Jones and Travis Kelce. Mahomes has had some strange throws, but no reason to think it will continue all year—he plays best when the pressure is on. The defense has been excellent. The offense has been doing enough to win while experimenting with trick plays. Rashee Rice is emerging as a good receiver. They Chiefs are good. 

Point: It's super hard to repeat as Champions. You've said it yourself, you don't see the Chiefs as winning the Super Bowl. 

Counterpoint: That's true. This Chiefs team, especially right now, doesn't seem like a Super Bowl-winning team. 

The first step is seeing who gets the #1 seed and the bye in the AFC, as with only one bye and potentially 3 elite teams, that bye is huge. 

The second step is getting to the Super Bowl. 

The third step is winning that game. 

With a 5-1 record and their only loss being to a NFC team, the Chiefs are super well positioned to contend for the AFC top seed. Their games vs Miami and Buffalo will be huge and it would help if Miami can drop a random game here or there. 

As for the second step, it's all about how you're playing in January. So if the offense is sloppy and they don't have any good receivers in January, that's a red flag. But they've got time to figure that out. 

As for the Super Bowl, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now Eagles or 49ers would be favored but it depends on injuries and luck and everything else. 

Point: Right now Chiefs are 5-1 to win the Super Bowl. So Vegas is giving them a 20% chance. 80% chance they don't win it. 

Counterpoint: Yeah. The favorite is the 49ers at 4.5-1. Chiefs are 2nd. It's correct for any team that the field is more likely than that team. But having the best odds in the AFC is still a good place to be.

Point / Counterpoint: Time for Chiefs to Panic?

Point: The Chiefs have lost 2 of their last three games, and were down 9 late vs the Browns. The Chiefs defense is bad. You can still run all day on them. Meanwhile, despite spending a first round pick on Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs running game has not opened up. They're currently third in their division and lost the tiebreaker to the Ravens. Time to smash that panic button. 

Counterpoint: The Chiefs are going to be just fine. As long as Mahomes is your QB, that's an advantage beyond any other in the league. When they needed to drive down the field, Mahomes had them in field goal range immediately. If Edwards-Helaire holds on to the ball, this team is 2-0. This is what a loss with Mahomes looks like. A one point squeaker where fans of the other teams are so excited for a regular season win they print t-shirts or get tattoos.

Galaxy Brain Counterpoint: This loss was good for the Chiefs. There was too much talk about going undefeated. And yes, the defense is a problem. If Mahomes bailed them out again, it would be too easy to ignore the problems. Saban called this the Bluegrass Miracle Phenomenon. The Chiefs needed to lose this game. In 2019, the Chiefs were exposed with back to back losses in weeks 5 and 6. The run defense was a huge problem. Then they faced Derrick Henry in the AFC Championship. The game wasn't close. Then the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. 

Chiefs-Chargers: Point/Counterpoint

Point: The Chiefs really screwed up their season by choking away the Chargers game. 

Classic Chiefs. A few years ago, they collapsed in the playoffs vs the Colts. Last year they collapsed in playoffs vs the Titans. This time they collapsed with the #1 seed within their grasp. They now have the same record as the Chargers and if they shit the bed against the Raiders, the Chargers will own the tiebreaker. They could have clinched the #1 seed in week 15 and now can't even do that in week 16. If they Chargers win the division, the Chiefs drop to the #5 seed and will have to play every playoff game on the road and don't get a bye. They were one play away from resting up. This kills their playoff hopes.

Counterpoint: The Chiefs season is going to be just fine. 

Comebacks happen. The previous week the Chiefs came back vs the Ravens. The Patriots gave up a last second miracle lateral play to the Dolphins. The Bears choked away the week 1 game vs the Packers and still won their division. These things happen. The Chiefs are still in a good position. Normally at this time of year, the Chiefs have to win out and hope for other teams to lose to try to get in or get a bye. This time if they win both they secure home field. If the Chargers lose to the Ravens, the Seahawks game doesn't matter. If they lose to the Broncos, the Raiders game doesn't matter.

Normally, when the Chiefs have a huge collapse, it's in the playoffs and they have to think about it all offseason. Now they have a chance to go out and redeem themselves. They had tough losses to the Patriots and Rams but were able to come back the following week and win. If the Chiefs were bound to have a choke, better to get out of the way in the regular season, not the playoffs.

Besides, it's probably better to play through week 16 and week 17 competitively, and earn a bye, than to rest starters in the regular season anyways. Eric Berry has two more weeks of regular season to shake the rust off before we really need the defense to be at a top level.

Point: This shows the Chiefs can't win the big games. 

They lost to the Patriots, Rams and Chargers. Against good teams in close games, the Chiefs don't have what it takes.

Counterpoint: Not so fast. 

They beat the Chargers and Steelers and Broncos, all on the road. They broke the Jaguars. They broke the Bengals. Hell, they even seem to have broken Goff and the Rams. They've won close games, comebacks and blowouts. Every team has bad losses.

Point: This one stings though, right?

To be so close and to choke it away to a division rival?

Counterpoint: Sure. 

It stings. It may prove fatal. But first of all, they're not even a rival. Second, The Chiefs are 9-1 vs the Chargers in their last 10 games. The Chargers are printing up shirts just for beating the Chiefs in the regular season. We're okay. Plus, no regular season game will ever hurt more than week 2 of 2015. That's when the Chiefs were beating the Broncos by 7, gave up a last minute touchdown and then Charles fumbled away the game in regulation, when I was living in Denver and the Broncos would go on to win the Super Bowl, in part because that win earned them the #1 seed. If the Chargers steal the #1 seed and go on to win the Super Bowl, that will sting but I'm not living in LA, so it still won't be as bad as 2015.

Point / Counterpoint: Rooting for the Broncos in the Super Bowl

Point: 

It makes sense to root against the Broncos in the regular season. The Chiefs are directly competing against them for a playoff spot. And as happened this year, if the Broncos had lost more games, the Chiefs would have had won the division, had a higher seed and a home playoff game.

But once the Chiefs are out of it, how the Broncos perform doesn't affect my team. It seems kind of petty to keep rooting against them if it doesn't help my team. I have friends who are Broncos fans. I love the city of Denver. Peyton Manning is a great quarterback and it would be a great story to have him win his last game in Super Bowl 50.

Counterpoint: 

FUCK THE BRONCOS. I hope the Manning era is a complete disappointment for this franchise. I want them to get blown the fuck out and have Peyton retire and then the Broncos go 5-11 for the next 20 years. I embrace the pettiness. Everywhere I look, I'm surrounded by jerseys and logos of a team I hate. The Broncos already have the most Super Bowl losses in history. Just add another one onto the pile. Let that be their legacy. Last time the Seahawks beat them by 35. Let's see if the Panthers can do 36. Fuck the Broncos.

are the chiefs a legitimate sleeper team? point/counterpoint

Point: Of Course!

The Chiefs got off to a slow start losing to Houston and Chicago, but Houston is not the cellar dweller they've always been. Furthermore, those games were on the road, without star DE Jared Allen, and featuring a rusty Larry Johnson. LJ will get back on track and the defense is a lot better than people think:

They are currently 4th in the league is fewest yards allowed and 4th in most sacks - 10 in 3 games and 5 on Sunday with Jared Allen back. This defense is going to keep them in games and as they incorporate Dwayne Bowe and Larry Johnson, the offense will better than they have been.

Also, the rest of the division is struggling. Oakland barely beat the Browns, the Broncos have some lucky wins, and the Chargers are falling apart. Their next 6 games include 4 at home and Oakland on the road. This team could easily be looking at 5-4 after that stretch.

Counterpoint: Not A Chance in Hell!
Larry Johnson will never get back on track with one of the worst offensive line's in the league. They'll lose on the road against a hungry San Diego team and while the Jags have a week off to prepare for their Week 5 game at Arrowhead.

The could barely beat the Vikings starting Kelly Holcomb at quarterback and were embarrassed by the Texans and Bears.

The Chiefs have a better shot at a top draft pick then making the playoffs. They'll be lucky to get 6 wins all year.