Road To Playoffs Will Be Tougher Than Expected For Kansas City Chiefs
By Aaron Charles
@aaroncharleskc
Getty Images
The 2014 Kansas City Chiefs are significantly better than the 11-5 playoff team they were last season. Since a humiliating defeat in Week 1 to the Tennessee Titans, Kansas City has looked like one of the better teams in the league.
Last season, the Chiefs coasted through very soft competition for a 9-0 start, which made the team ill-prepared when real competition came around. The 5-3 record this season my not seem as impressive, but Kansas City has beaten down, and lost close games to some of the NFL’s best.
The Chiefs are a much better team because of that, but it doesn’t mean the road to the playoffs is going to be easy. Last season, nine wins was good enough for a pass to the postseason in the AFC. In 2014, there’s a good chance that won’t be the case. Right now, 11 of 16 teams in the AFC have winning records, and only two of those teams have worse records than the Chiefs.
That’s a lot of teams to beat out with a remaining schedule that’s no walk in the park. It’s going to be tough to gain ground in the division and Wild Card races with six of eight remaining games against winning teams.
The road to the playoffs is going to be much bumpier this year compared to last. The good news is if Kansas City can make it in, the team will be much more prepared to face quality competition. The 2014 schedule could be just the character-builder the Chiefs need to win their first playoff game in over 20 years.
Aaron Charles is a Kansas City Chiefs writer for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on twitter @aaroncharleskc or add him to your network on Google
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