The Kansas City Chiefs begin the Andy Reid era in 2013 as he takes over as head coach. There is real optimism in Kansas City that this year’s team will be vastly improved over last year’s squad that won just two games. The Kansas City Chiefs have been listed as 48-1 Odds to win Super Bowl XLVIII.
For a 2-14 team, the Chiefs sure had a ton of talent on their roster. They sent six players to the Pro Bowl, after all. But given that the NFL is such a pass-happy league, Kansas City couldn't win any games because of its poor quarterback play. Matt Cassel was atrocious in his first full season without Charlie Weis as his offensive coordinator, throwing 12 interceptions (to just six touchdowns) and losing seven fumbles. This was a far cry from his 27-to-7 ratio (with one fumble) when coached by Weis in 2010.
Cassel was cut this offseason and was replaced by another backup from a Super Bowl-contending team. This time, Kansas City spent two Day 2 selections to obtain Alex Smith. The former No. 1 overall pick in 2005, Smith was having a pretty pedestrian career until Jim Harbaugh showed up in San Francisco. Smith was thought of a possible candidate for release, but Harbaugh turned him around. Smith is basically just a slightly better version of Cassel, but all the Chiefs need for him to do to contend for a playoff spot in a thin AFC is to take care of the football.
The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the top running backs in the league in Jamaal Charles and smith will rely in him allot this year. The lightning-quick Charles, who rushed for 1,509 yards despite coming off ACL surgery, will likely see a reduction in carries, but only because the pass-happy Andy Reid will want to throw it more often. The rest of Smith's supporting cast is pretty shaky, as they are thin on talent at WR, but a bright spot for the offense may just be a very solid OL.
The Kansas City Chiefs were not very good on defense but they addressed some of their needs in the offseason. They brought in cornerback Sean Smith and defensive end Mike DeVito and both players should start immediately. I still think the team has a few holes on defense as the front line is still a disappointment and the secondary, even with Smith is still a concern. Four of the six aforementioned Kansas City Pro Bowlers came from the defense. Two of them were pass-rushers. Justin Houston and Tamba Hali combined for a whopping 19 sacks - a very impressive feat considering that the Chiefs seldom held a lead. That number should increase because the team is better overall this season.
The Chiefs would be a Super Bowl contender if they had a very good quarterback. Alex Smith does not qualify as one, unfortunately. Still, he and Andy Reid are both superior to the Matt Cassel-Romeo Crennel combination, so they'll be better than they were in 2012.
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NFL Win Totals: Indianapolis Colts
What pro football bettors need to know about betting the Indianapolis Colts this year - a free pick from Pregame.com's Ken Thomson with host Marco D'Angelo.