K.C. Chiefs 2012-2013 NFL Futures Lines & Predictions
The Kansas City Chiefs were the only team in the AFC West last year that failed to finish 8-8, due in large part to several key injuries that saw them slide all the way from playoff contenders to basement dwellers.
2012 Kansas City Chiefs Team Preview/Predictions
2011 Record: 7-9
ATS Record: 9-7
2012 Chiefs Futures
Super Bowl Odds: 45/1
Conference Odds: 20/1
AFC West Odds: 7/2
With a final record of 7-9, the Chiefs were wildly inconsistent, knocking off teams like Green Bay and Denver, to losing five of their nine by 27 points or more.
The Chiefs ranked 27th in the league in offense last season at 311 YPG, and 15th in rushing at 118 YPG, and got held to 13 points or less 10 times.
The quarterback situation in KC has not been the best, and hasn’t got any better, as likely starter, Matt Cassel was almost a cap casualty a few weeks back. Which tells you the team is not completely confident with him under center.
But the Chiefs held onto Cassel because the alternative would have been Brady Quinn, who has just 353 career attempts during his career, his last coming way back in 2009. In that case, Cassel was clearly the better choice, even given his lackluster performance since being acquired from the Patriots in 2009.
His best season since arriving at Arrowhead was in 2010, when he passed for over 3,000 yards and 27 TDs. He will still have the benefit of wide out Dwayne Bowe, and if the two can connect as they did two seasons ago, have the potential to light up the scoreboard. The question is, whether or not Cassel is up to the task.
If not, the Chiefs will really on probably the best running back in the division, Jamaal Charles. After his ridiculous season in 2010 in which he ran for almost 1,500 yards, and then caught nearly 500 more, Charles was expected to have a monster 2011.
Well, he only managed to appear twice last year, after going down early on with a knee injury and was lost for the season. The Chiefs managed to find a couple of backs to somewhat fill the void, but it wasn’t the same. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
If Charles is able to return to form, that could take some pressure off Cassel. Making this team better all around.
Kansas City didn’t really have an awful defense a year ago. They allowed over 20 points just six times in 16 games in 2011, so they proved that they could stop the opposition from scoring.
The biggest weakness however, was that when the opposing team got going on the ground, they couldn’t slam the door. Of those six games over 20, five of them were over 30, and two more were over 40. They ranked 26th in run defense a year ago, and if they are going to get better that number has to get better with it.
While I personally have this team pegged to finish last in the division, it is by no means a sure thing.
The AFC West may be the closest there is from top to bottom in that any team can feasibly win it without it being a major upset.
If the Chiefs stay healthy, shore up the running defense and Cassel gets back on the right track. They could find themselves right in the mix at the end of the year.
2012 Chiefs Predictions
Place they’ll finish in AFC West: 4th
Place they’ll finish in AFC Conference: 13th
