Chiefs Future: Predictions & Prospects (Soccer)

The Kansas City Chiefs know they will play the final three games of the season without quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who will soon undergo surgery to repair the left ACL he tore in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that knocked them out of the playoff race.

There is no doubt about it.

The rest of the future is much more uncertain for an organization that, over the past decade, played until January, and often until February, then spent the offseason simply bolstering a core of bright, but suddenly aging, star players.

Will Mahomes be sufficiently recovered by the start of next season? Will tight end Travis Kelce retire? And in that regard, what about head coach Andy Reid? Will general manager Brett Veach finally find athletes to occupy key positions on the field, particularly in the early rounds of the draft? And will the Chiefs find someone, anyone, capable of putting pressure on the opposing quarterback play after play?

“You know, I’m always optimistic about the future,” Reid said Monday.

“Brett Veach does a tremendous job recruiting players. You can see it now with the players playing. Then, it’s up to us, the coaches, to take our responsibilities, and the players to take theirs, by playing these three games, and those who will still be there afterward to retool the team. »

The final stretch of the Chiefs’ regular schedule will begin Sunday with a visit to Tennessee for a meeting with the mediocre Titans.

Kelce recently said he will inform the Chiefs whether or not he intends to retire by early March, before the free agent market opens, so the team can plan its strategy properly.

Utility players like wide receiver Marquise Brown, running back Isiah Pacheco, defensive back Jaylen Watson and safety Bryan Cook could claim free agency, and there are holes all over the roster.

The most pressing needs are at the wideout position, where Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy have been unable to progress to a level that would have allowed them to become favored targets; at running back, where Pacheco and Kareem Hunt failed to generate any momentum; and at defensive end, where the Chiefs have had difficulty creating pressure on rival quarterbacks throughout the season.

Oh, and at quarterback. The Chiefs do not have any players under contract, with the exception of Mahomes, heading into next season.

“When you lose close games, you look for details because you want to correct things. And sometimes it’s a penalty here, a turnover there. There are a whole series of factors. It’s always a detail that makes the difference in close matches, in general. And we’ve had our share of that, and we can’t afford that,” Reid said.

“It could be a bad tactical choice, a bad decision at the wrong time. We all have our share of responsibility in this situation, and we must continue to strive to correct the situation and do the right thing during the off-season,” added the Chiefs head coach.

What works

Before the season started, the Chiefs were worried about their run defense. However, in a quiet way, she excelled. The Chiefs held the Chargers to just 94 yards on 29 carries — a very ordinary average of 3.2 yards per attempt — and constantly gave their offense opportunities to regain possession.

Help needed

The attack. Completely. Imagine such a speech five years ago. After several years where they had to wait until the end of the initial round to make a first pick in the draft, the Chiefs should express themselves around the 10th position. This means they will have a better opportunity to get their hands on an impact player to help an offense that has become stagnant.

Rising

Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton deserved more playing time on the field. He has become the Chiefs’ main threat through the air. And the way he caught a long pass while taking a vicious hit late Sunday demonstrates his desire to help the Chiefs win games.

Declining

Rice had seven catches for gains of just 57 yards, but he dropped another pass and gave the impression of being little involved during certain sequences. Then, he refused to speak to reporters who wanted to ask him about the performance after the game, letting his teammates do it for him.