The Kansas City Chiefs are fresh off one of the most magical seasons in franchise history, with young superstar Patrick Mahomes and future Hall of Fame coach Andy Reid guiding the club to its first Super Bowl victory in five decades. It's no surprise, then, that K.C. is an early favorite to do it all again. But are we expecting too much of this team? Is it really fair to ask Mahomes and Co. to replicate what they've done the last two years, blowing out opponents with their offensive fireworks and contending to become a new dynasty?
We don't think so. And that's why our three big predictions for the 2020 Chiefs are tinged -- no, soaked -- with optimism. Kansas City may have set the bar high by claiming the Lombardi Trophy on its last go-round, but there's too much talent on Reid's squad not to get excited about what lies ahead.
Without further ado, here are three bold projections for Kansas City this season:
1. Patrick Mahomes wins his second MVP in three seasons
If this doesn't seem that bold, then it's just proof of how quickly and mightily Mahomes has risen to the top of his position. The Chiefs, after all, just got done handing No. 15 a half a billion dollars to quarterback their team for another decade, so another MVP award has to be in the conversation! And yet the groundwork really is there for Mahomes to recapture the NFL's highest individual honor.
Fellow AFC star Lamar Jackson was an astronomically dangerous dual threat in his 2019 MVP campaign, but whereas he's almost sure to regress from a 43-touchdown season that also saw him break an NFL record for rushing yards by a QB (1,206), Mahomes is very much positioned for a "rebound" from a 2019 season (4,031 yards, 26 TDs, 5 INTs, 105.3 passer rating) "limited" by a two-game injury absence. Accompanied by a healthy Tyreek Hill, perennial all-star Travis Kelce and a higher-upside running back in rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Mahomes is a safe bet to again eclipse 4,500 yards and 30 TDs on a playoff contender.
2. Mecole Hardman will be a 1,000-yard Pro Bowler
If Mahomes is anywhere close to his 2018 MVP form, or even peak 2019 form, then the Chiefs are bound to have a handful of play-makers hog the league-wide stat sheet. Both Hill and Kelce are surefire target machines in Reid's pass-happy offense, and Edwards-Helaire should get his fair share of touches now that Damien Williams has opted out of the 2020 season. But if anyone's primed for a big leap forward, it's Hardman, who figures to get even more opportunities alongside or potentially in place of Sammy Watkins.
Watkins remains a staple of the Chiefs' aerial attack after his big playoff run, but he also took a pay cut this offseason and doesn't boast the same top-flight speed as Hardman, who opposite Hill gives K.C. two of the NFL's deadliest deep threats. After a rookie year in which he averaged more than 20 yards per catch and effectively stepped up for Hill when needed, the former second-rounder should benefit from having a year of experience under his belt and solidify himself as the clear-cut No. 2 WR moving forward.
3. The Chiefs will win a franchise-record 14 games
Getting back to the Super Bowl is always easier said than done, and the same can be said for replicating, let alone besting, great regular-season records. But Andy Reid isn't your average head coach. High up on the NFL's all-time list of coaching victories, he's strung together double-digit wins like few ever have, including in Kansas City, where the Chiefs have gone a whopping 57-23 over the last five seasons, logging at least 11 victories in four of those five years.
If Reid can come off a tough AFC Championship loss in 2018 and lead the Chiefs to a second straight 12-4 finish and title run, he can definitely find a way to improve upon 2019's regular-season finish. With a schedule that ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of expected difficulty, not to mention an underrated defense, a plethora of speedy play-makers and a star QB unlike anything anyone's seen in decades, it shouldn't be crazy if the Chiefs do what the Baltimore Ravens did in 2019 and nearly sweep the slate.
