Let's play a little game, Chiefs fans. You had a 9-7 season where you nearly snuk into the playoffs. Say you didn't lose at home to the Titans in Week 1 and came through and beat Arizona Week 14. That means in the very least, you've taken the Ravens' Wild Card spot and upset a Le'Veon Bell-less Steelers. You beat the Pats once this season, so let's call that a win. You also avenge last year's ridiculous playoff collapse against the Colts, and you beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl like you did in the regular season. Boom, you're a champion!
Phew, that was long-winded. But in a way, save embarrassing losses to the Titans and Raiders, you guys were this close to being Super Bowl champs. Maybe one of your receivers would've caught a touchdown along the way, too.
OK, so that's a stretch and not 100 percent accurate. But at one point this season, you guys were the final nail in the coffin of the Brady-Belichick era. What's that? The Pats won the... whoops. Scratch that.
The point is, the Chiefs are still an excellent team. You may not have the "12th Fan" moniker, but you guys are loud and are tough to play at home. You have an underrated quarterback in Alex Smith, a fast rushing attack and defense that ranked 7th in the league. That D also racked up 46 sacks, 22 of which came from likely-to-receive-the-franchise-tag Justin Houston.
You guys have plenty to look forward to in 2015.
Wide receivers
I know this is a sore spot for Chiefs fans, but seriously, it's not like it can get worse than zero touchdown catches in a season. I mean, try doing that in Madden. It's not easy. At some point, you're going to hit the wrong button and throw it to Dwayne Bowe instead of Travis Kelce.
But seriously, I'd look forward to big improvements here. The Chiefs have already cut Donnie Avery and A.J. Jenkins and I highly doubt the Chiefs will keep Bowe without him taking a pay cut. Kecle came up big and will likely be a bigger part of the offense, but you can't rely on running backs and tight ends to bring down all your scores. Even Anthony Fasano caught one sitting on his butt.
With you're team definitely building towards a new look at receiver, it's fortunate that there are so many potential options this offseason. Yes, with cap priorities likely aimed at keeping Justin Houston around, it's doubtful the Chiefs would be able to afford the price tag of guys like Randall Cobb or Demaryius Thomas, but snagging guys like Cecil Shorts, Michael Crabtree or Kenny Britt might be an option. Bottom line is, you won't be able to spread out opposing defenses without solid deep threats.
Alex Smith
I think Smith faced an unfair amount of criticism this past season. With frequently dropped passes and a lack of separation at receiver, Smith put forward a decent effort. Yes, there were nine games where he threw just one touchdown or less. But, after looking shaky in Week 1, he only turned the ball over four times the rest of the season.
So what if he isn't throwing bombs downfield? He's not Drew Brees. The good new is that you don't need him to be. Not with that running game and tough defense on your side. With a couple playmakers at wide receiver that Smith can utilize, that would've added at least three wins to your record. Outside of receiver, your offense doesn't need much revamping.
That backfield, though...
Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis make up one of the best running back pairs in the league. Charles is coming off his fifth 1,000-yard season and Davis showed speed of his own when called upon. They both have big-play speed. The biggest difference between the two is that Charles is a bit better at catching out of the backfield, but Davis has a thicker frame with roughly 30 pounds on Charles.
The running game is the foundation of the Kansas City offense. These two ensure the Chiefs will be difficult to defend on the ground.
All you need is someone for Smith to throw to and you'll challenge the Broncos for the division in 2015.
Daniel Williams is a Digital Features Editor at NFL.com and is a firm believer in the Woody Harrelson curse. You can follow him on Twitter _@danielwilliams_.
