Most people believe that the Kansas City Chiefs are going to be contending for the Super Bowl. That doesn't mean that every NFL analyst is on the same page. One ESPN writer actually believes that not only could the Los Angeles Chargers be the better team in the AFC West, but that Kansas City might actually miss the playoffs.

Chargers are the best of the west?

Mike Clay recently wrote a story for ESPN+ that was titled, “could the Chiefs miss the playoffs? Five reasons why it’s not crazy.” One of the main reasons why Kansas City might end up missing the postseason is because of the Los Angeles Chargers.

During his roundup of the reasons why the Chiefs might not be quite as good as people expect, Clay wrote, “It’s hard to make an objective case that the Chiefs are the better overall team and, once the schedule comes into play, it makes sense to expect a changing of the guard at the top of the division.”

That might seem like a rather short reign for a team that has one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. When you are talking about the changing of the guard, you're usually talking about a situation like the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North or the New England Patriots in the AFC East.

The Kansas City Chiefs seem to be on the upswing despite some issues with players like former running back Kareem Hunt and wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

Even while the team waits for the Hill situation to resolve, the Chiefs are trying to keep their distance while also showing as much support as they can without getting PR blowback.

The Belleville News-Democrat points out that Clay talked about something where he's not alone. That's the expected regression of Patrick Mahomes.

It makes some sense that the offense simply isn't going to be as good as it was last year. It would be hard to be as good as it was last year.

There are defenses that have spent all offseason looking at everything Pat Mahomes does in order to try and stop him in 2019. It appears there are more than a few people who think they might.

Power rankings showing a consensus

Before any Kansas City Chiefs fans get angry that ESPN has picked them to have a chance to miss the postseason, it should be pointed out the website is far from alone. Power rankings that have been released this spring have all showed Kansas City taking a small step back.

It's clear the AFC title run has not convinced everyone Patrick Mahomes and company are for real. They'll have to do that again on the field in 2019.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED