2022 Chiefs Preview: Three Bold Predictions (And A Dominant Defense?)
What bold takes can we expect to come true for the 2022 Kansas City Chiefs? We’re having some fun (but stay realistic) in our 2022 Bold Predictions for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs kick off their preseason on Saturday in a matchup with the Chicago Bears. There have been plenty of bold takes on the team this offseason — many of which are certain to become freezing cold takes — so it should come as no surprise that we will add our own as the season kicks off.
Will the Chiefs win Super Bowl LVII? Will they finish fourth in the west like some are predicting? Will Patrick Mahomes fall flat without his top target in Tyreek Hill? We’re not answering those questions. Our takes are going deeper than that.
Here are the Chiefs Edge bold predictions for the 2022 NFL season.
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The Chiefs Will Boast Six All-Pro Players, The Most In The NFL
Last season, Kansas City didn’t have a single player on their roster win a first-team All-Pro nomination. Travis Kelce was selected as the second-team tight end, behind Mark Andrews. Chris Jones was also selected to the second-team All-Pro team as a defensive lineman, landing behind Aaron Donald who was selected first-team.
This year, that changes for the Chiefs. The 2022 Chiefs will have not one, not two, not three, not four…..no. The Chiefs will have six players nominated for the first-team All-Pro team in 2022. The talent was there for Kansas City last year but didn’t quite receive the recognition it deserved. Some of this may have been because the offense had a “down” year. Some may have been because other players at the position exploded for career years.
That will all change in 2022. The offense will be led by the league’s best offensive line, anchored on the inside by first-teamers Joe Thuney and Creed Humphrey. This will create an incredible amount of time for the league’s MVP and first-team All-Pro quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. In his tenth — and best — season to date, Travis Kelce resets the tight end yardage record en route to his fourth career first-team award.
With four first-teamers on the offense, the defense isn’t going to be left out. Although the Chiefs’ Defensive Rookie of the Year Award Winner, Trent McDuffie, falls just short of an All-Pro nod, the unit still makes its own mark on the league’s awards. Chris Jones, thanks to a dominant supporting cast in Carlos Dunlap, George Karlaftis, and a renewed Frank Clark, caps off a career year with his first ever first-team All-Pro award. Nick Bolton rounds out the Chiefs’ group of All-Pro talent after leading the entire NFL in tackles in just his second season in the league.
The Chiefs Will Have Three Different Receivers Reach 1,000 Yards
As mentioned above, Patrick Mahomes will win his second career MVP award in 2022. That, in itself, shouldn’t be a very bold prediction. However, with an entirely remade wide receiver corps, it will certainly silence the doubters for the All-Pro quarterback.
Travis Kelce, currently in the midst of a historic six-year streak of 1,000-yard seasons, is the first member of the 2022 Chiefs’ “1k” group. His role shouldn’t change much with the arrival of new wide receiver talent. The addition of a deeper wide receiver room actually helps free up Kelce even more as he re-sets the tight end yardage record.
Beyond Kelce, the Chiefs’ newest WR1, Juju Smith-Schuster, rediscovers his 2018 form when he finished fifth in the NFL with 1,426 receiving yards. He likely falls short of that total with Kansas City in 2022 thanks to the deep wide receiver talent on the roster, but it shouldn’t prevent him from surpassing Tyreek Hill’s 2021 receiving yard mark of 1,239.
The third member of the Chiefs to reach 1,000 receiving yards in 2022 might surprise quite a few fans. However, Mecole Hardman is shining in training camp so far. He looks happier than we’ve seen in previous seasons. He seems fresh in camp and chipper with the media. A happier version of Hardman will create more confidence in the offense. With free agency on the horizon, Hardman shines brighter than we’ve ever seen and caps off a masterful 1,000-yard season for the first time in his career.
The Chiefs Re-Built Defense Ranks Top Five In The Entire NFL
2015 was the last time that the Chiefs’ defense ranked within the top five in points allowed. The last time the unit ranked top five in yards allowed was way back in 1995 under the late Marty Schottenheimer. In 2022, both of those things will ring true.
Even with the departure of long-time Chiefs such as Daniel Sorensen, Tyrann Mathieu, and Anthony Hitchens, the defense will shine even brighter than the offense at times this season. With the league’s 2022 MVP slinging passes behind center, that’s going to be a phenomenal feat in itself. With Chris Jones and Nick Bolton proving they belong in the NFL’s most elite company, the leadership lost by Mathieu’s departure finds a new face, ironically sporting the same number.
Nick Bolton looks fire 🔥 in 32 pic.twitter.com/Hi4sOmEyMN — Brad Henson Productions (@BradHensonPro) June 16, 2022
Beyond the All-Pro players at the top, the defensive unit thrives as one of the league’s deepest. L’Jarius Sneed ascends as one of the NFL’s very best corners in his third season with the Chiefs. He will lead the NFL’s best passing defense alongside Defensive Rookie of the Year, Trent McDuffie. Bryan Cook, Juan Thornhill, and Justin Reid show the Chargers and Broncos what a truly elite group of safeties looks like when they stay healthy for an entire season.
Perhaps most importantly for the 2022 Chiefs, the pass rush finds new life behind Jones, a resurgent Frank Clark, and new additions Carlos Dunlap and George Karlaftis. After ranking 28th in the NFL in 2021 with just 31 sacks and 19th in 2020 with just 32, the tables finally turn for Spagnuolo’s unit in 2022. Jones leads the way with 16 sacks — a career-high — and the Chiefs rank amongst the NFL’s top three teams with 50 team sacks.
With such an improved defensive unit and the usual firepower on offense, the 2022 Chiefs will win the Super Bowl for the second time in four seasons. This, however, isn’t a very bold prediction as most Chiefs fans already understand that the Super Bowl is the expectation every year for this team under Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.
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