The Other AFC Contenders and Race for the 1 seed

[Patjew]

Seems somewhat unlikely, though, until they face the Rams (at Arrowhead).

Broncos (home)
Browns (AWAY)
Cards (home)
RAMS (home) - might be their 2nd, and last, loss
-- BYE --
Raiders (AWAY)
Ravens (home)
Chargers (home)
Seahawks (AWAY)
Raiders (home)

The Chiefs finishing at 15-1 is not out of the question.

Pats 14-2 going on the road to play a 15-1 team with a young QB in the AFCCG? I’ve seen that show before and LIKED it.

 

[Angelpats]

Naaahhh...we go through this every year. In fact, people were starting to project Jacksonville's schedule after week 2/3 and conclude they may finish 14-2 or 13-3.

I don't expect the Chiefs to get better and believe they've reached their peak; whether they can sustain that is a matter of speculation. Andy Reid is not known for his late season improvements, and last year's defense essentially fell apart and somehow got even worse despite already being one of the worst defenses in the league.

I think they also have reached their peak. Maybe their defense might get some players back but what we see on offense now is what they will be. As the season goes on they should be easier to plan for.

 

[dannydyn]

I can see the Chiefs dropping (hopefully) to the Rams at home, Seahawks on the road.

Their schedule otherwise is a cakewalk. I'm booking on Chiefs finishing 13-3

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

It will be hard for them to sweep the Rams, Ravens, Chargers, and Seahawks, despite the first 3 all being all at home.

 

[maineman209]

That loss to Detroit sucks

The only saving grace is that it was out-of-conference. IOW, if the Pats end the season with only the one AFC loss (Jags) and finish tied in overall record with another AFC contender, they'll have that potential tiebreaker.

 

[maineman209]

Naaahhh...we go through this every year. In fact, people were starting to project Jacksonville's schedule after week 2/3 and conclude they may finish 14-2 or 13-3.

I don't expect the Chiefs to get better and believe they've reached their peak; whether they can sustain that is a matter of speculation. Andy Reid is not known for his late season improvements, and last year's defense essentially fell apart and somehow got even worse despite already being one of the worst defenses in the league.

As the weather gets colder and the war of attrition takes its toll, I don't really see how KC is built to stay dominant. They are completely reliant on a speedy offense with huge chunk yardage plays. They may be the last team standing in the AFC, but I think it's really, really unlikely this team goes 15-1 or 14-2. Their defense alone will likely lose them at least one game, even if their offense plays decently. If the offense has a down week, this team is very vulnerable. The Patriots have almost mirror issues, except that they have a proven track record of improving defensively as the season goes into stretch time.

I'm not sure what significant difference there is between predicting a successful season for JAX after week-2 and an inevitable decline for KCY after week 7.