2008 Kansas City Chiefs
Written August 9, 2008 by Jason Lowry
Its that time of year and Jason Lowry is ready to bring you his 2008 Kansas City Chiefs season predictions. Last year the Chiefs came in after a surprise playoff showing in 2006, but after a strong start to the 2007 season, that actually saw the Chiefs in first place in the middle of the season, the Chiefs went on to lose their final 9 games and finished a very disappointing 4-12, tied for last in the AFC West with the Raiders. Since then the Chiefs have decided now is the time to rebuild, and had what looks like one of their best drafts in years, that landed them highly sought after defensive tackle Glen Dorsey, offensive tackle Brandon Albert, and corner Brandon Flowers. Lets see what the Chiefs will look like in 2008, by taking a closer look at what they will be sending to the field.
Offense:
This unit simply relies on the offensive line, as they have simply went from the best a few years ago, to possibly the worst in the league. They did add Albert to the mix, and it should help, but its hard seeing this unit improving drastically in just one off season. The team looks determined to give Brodie Croyle another chance at quarterback, and if given time he should enjoy throwing the ball to emerging 2nd year receiver Dwayne Bowe and the legend Tony Gonzalez at tight end. What this team really needs is a healthy Larry Johnson, as the Chiefs only managed four 100 yard games in 2007. Overall this unit is likely to struggle again with a weak line, but it could wind up surprising some teams, if the line improves.
Chiefs Over/Under 5.5 wins in 2008 at Sportsbook.com
Defense:
The defense took a big loss when they decided it was best to trade the leagues leading sack artist in Jared Allen to the Vikings for draft picks. They did land Dorsey, but its unlikely he comes in right away and makes a huge impact. The team hopes former first round pick Tamba Hali can put some much needed pressure on the quarterback. The linebacking crew is led by the veteran Donnie Edwards and the young and very talented Derrick Johnson. It looks like Napoleon Harris has the edge at middle linebacker after leading the Chiefs with a 112 tackles last season. The secondary will likely struggle unless the Chiefs can find someway to put pressure on the quarterback, but this unit continues to get younger with Flowers likely joining 3rd year safeties Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard. So this unit has the potential to be solid, but it really depends on if the offense can keep them off the field for the whole game.
Chiefs +5000 odds to win AFC Championship at Sportsbook.com
Special Teams:
Not much to talk about in this group as well, as the Chiefs have really lacked a playmaker in the return game since the departure of Donte Hall. There is talk that 5th round draft pick Kevin Robinson is going to get a good look, as he is coming off a great final college season. The kicking game is likely going to see former Cowboy Billy Cunduff, and finally the real only bright spot is punter Dustin Colquitt, who ranked 5th in net yardage.
Chiefs +10000 odds to win Super Bowl at Sportsbook.com
Prediction: 4th in the AFC West
This team got better over the offseason and should win more games than last year, but that doesn’t mean this team is coming any where close to a winning season. Give this team 2-3 years and we could be talking about a real force in not only the West, but the entire NFL.
If you are looking to get a bet in on the Chiefs or any teams odds for the upcoming season, head over to Sportsbook.com and get an account started today. If you want to see what others are saying about the Chiefs upcoming season, check out these great Chiefs predictions.