By: Jake Rajala

The Kansas City Chiefs are blocking out the slander thrown out at them for trading away Tyreek Hill – as they strive to return to the big dance. With that said, I’m going to untwine 10 bold predictions for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022.

• Jerick McKinnon has 1,000+ all-purpose yards

The explosive “Jet” came back from the dead and unveiled 315 all-purpose yds in the latest playoff gauntlet. It’s hard not to have hope for CEH, but I expect an in-sync McKinnon to have a large piece of the Chiefs offensive pie and dazzle with the opportunity.

• George Karlaftis has double-digit sacks

The rookie George Karlaftis has already dazzled this off-season and I expect him to carry his pre-season ability into the regular season. In fact, I love Karlaftis’s chances at cracking 10+ sacks next to Chris Jones – which should often come in the spotlight.

• Justin Reid makes the Pro Bowl

The Chiefs don’t have the Honey Badger, but they have a motivated, talented Justin Reid. The Chiefs backup kicker is out of Alcatraz, also known as the Houston Texans, and sitting behind a potent pass rush that will enjoy witnessing opposing QBs desperate to keep pace with Patty Mahomes.

• Skyy Moore records 1,000+ receiving yards

I’m not convinced that Skyy Moore will win OROY, but he can certainly oust 1,000+ receiving yards in his first season. Per Chiefs Wire, JuJu Smith-Schuster believes that the sky is the limit for Moore.

• Patrick Mahomes throws 5,000+ passing yards

I actually feel confident in the LA Chargers winning the AFC West in 2022. Still, I foresee Mahomes unleashing 5,000+ passing yards (for the second time in his career). He may not have Hill, but he still has Travis Kelce, Schuster, MVS, Mecole Hardman, and Moore. Not to mention that Mahomes has a versatile RB group at his disposal.

• Travis Kelce is a first-team All-Pro

The Chiefs illustrious TE Travis Kelce didn’t garner first-team All-Pro honors last season, but I like his odds of returning to snag first-team AP (after being first-team AP in 2020) in 2022. In the Tyreek Hill-less offense, he should demand a bit more targets and attention moving forward.

• Josh Gordon catches a touchdown

The former Cleveland Browns legend Josh Gordon has been up and down this summer, but his size should warrant him a role in the Chiefs offense at some point in 2022. He may momentarily be on the Chiefs practice squad, but I expect him to garner some playing time, catch a TD, and bring back memories of his previous unearthly production.

• Chad Henne wins a game

It doesn’t sound sexy to imagine Mahomes MIA, but he did miss two games in 2019 and a contest in 2020. In the brutal AFC West and 17-game season, he may miss a match-up in 2022. With that said, I believe that Chade Henne (who has impressed in big moments) steps up to the plate & wins a show-down.

• Mecole Hardman makes the Pro Bowl as a returner

Mecole Hardman has a lot of juice, yet he doesn’t have the most superb experience as a KR. I believe the return-man that flashed a ton of greatness last season became more comfortable this off-season and he’s bound to put it all together in the upcoming season.

• Orlando Brown Jr is an All-Pro

Orlando Brown Jr. has been named a Pro Bowler in each of the past few seasons. Yet, I believe he will shine against his best competition (such as Khalil Mack) in the upcoming season, which will really shine the lamp on his abilities.

The post 10 bold predictions for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Kansas City Chiefs are not taking the gas off the pedal without Tyreek Hill & the Honey Badger. Patrick Mahomes and his new-look squad will strive to return to the Super Bowl in the upcoming season. The first look at the glorious Chiefs depth chart was recently released. With that said, I’m going to untwine five takeaways from the Chiefs first depth chart.

Jerick McKinnon

Jerick McKinnon, also known as “Jet”, turned heads in the latest playoff gauntlet: 150 rushing yds and 165 receiving yards. McKinnon is dubbed as the RB2 (behind Clyde Edwards Helaire) and sitting in front of Ronald Jones. R-Jo may ascend above McKinnon as he gets acclimated to the system, but I certainly believe McKinnon should shine as an all-purpose RB (at least early) in 2022.

Josh Gordon

The soon-to-be HOF LT Joe Thomas once wanted his team to just sit back and throw hail marys to Josh Gordon. Well, it’s safe to say that Gordon regressed after being one of the top WRs in the NFL. Nonetheless, Gordon is hungry and thankful for an opportunity w/ the Chiefs at this stage in his career. Per The Athletic, Gordon has sadly been struggling in camp thus far.

He did sign with the Chiefs practice squad last season, so it would make a ton of sense for him to return to their PC if he doesn’t stay on the 53-man roster.

Chad Henne

It was seen by many Chiefs & NFL fans as a bit of a surprise when KC brought back the 37-year-old Chad Henne. Henne is currently slotted as the QB2 on the Chiefs. He may not (obviously) have a high ceiling, but he has superb knowledge of the scheme and he can take care of the football.

Mecole Hardman

The utterly explosive skill player Mecole Hardman was benched as the Chiefs punt returner last season, but he is pegged as the starting PR at this point. The polarizing rookie WR Skyy Moore is labeled as the KR3 and PR3, but it seems like Hardman’s job to lose at this point.

Justin Reid

The Chiefs made a bold move to move on from Tyrann Mathieu and link up with the former Stanford safety Justin Reid. Reid (somehow) made a 65-yard field goal in practice. So, it’s safe to say the Chiefs have a fine emergency kicker in Reid. Although, they will need him to make more impressive Ints and feel comfortable with the coverages this off-season. He will surely be tested by the mega-arm QB Justin Herbert and the deep-passing legend Russell Wilson in 2022.

The post 5 takeaways from the Kansas City Chiefs depth chart appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Kansas City Chiefs will no longer feature the fireworks that Tyreek Hill brought to the wide receiver position (three-time All-Pro), but they will carry a few new, potent faces: JuJu Smith-Schuster, MVS, and Skyy Moore. Patrick Mahomes may have leaned on Hill to catch third and long passes in pivotal situations, but he certainly has many unique threats to replace Hill (and potentially improve Mahomes’s production) moving forward.

Of course, the TE Travis Kelce will still be a major factor for a long time in KC.

Smith-Schuster may have been a ghost over the past couple of seasons, but it didn’t help that he was in a crowded WR with a washed-up Ben Roethlisberger. It also should be noted that his health has really derailed him: four missed games in 2019 and 11 missed games last season.

The 25-year-old WR is absolutely capable of high-end success with a QB like Patty Mahomes. In fact, his most productive season is similar to Hill’s most electric season, as shown below.

Smith-Schuster’s best season (2018): 1,426 yds and 7 touchdowns

Tyreek Hill’s best season (2018): 1,479 yds and 12 touchdowns

Smith-Schuster should be a Pro Bowl-caliber in a Chiefs uniform, but the football world could be surprised by the rookie Skyy Moore. James Jones was an enormous fan of Moore prior to him being drafted by KC (as shown below).

The second-round pick was MIA in rookie mini-camp due to a minor hamstring injury. Although he returned to action (on a limited basis) in OTAs. It’s also positive that Moore has impressed Big Red in OTAs as of late. Per Chiefs Wire, Reid stated, “He’s doing a good job of understanding what we’re trying to get done.” Reid elaborated that he needs to catch up a bit, but it’s clear that the gifted athlete is meshing well with the Chiefs offensive system.

I expect MVS to be an occasional threat deep down the field, as he was often very explosive for A-Rod in the past. He averaged 20.9 YPC in 2020 and he has a career YPC of 17.5. The Chiefs will have everybody’s old crush in Mecole Hardman and the unique WR Josh Gordon. Hardman quietly had 693 yards last season and he should compete with MVS for the third-most production at WR. Finally, the former Browns legend at WR will likely be busting his tail to keep a roster spot and he may have a couple of touchdown catches that make NFL fans reminisce about his days of being an elite WR.

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