Kansas City Chiefs 2021 NFL Season Analysis

By Luis Hernandez@Luishernz7).

One of the undisputed protagonists of the 2021 NFL Season was the Kansas City Chiefs. For this team, which many saw as the possible new dynasty in the NFL, anything short of reaching the Super Bowl is practically a failure. The team led by HC Andy Reid and the spectacular QB Patrick Mahomes went from less to more in the campaign and fell in the AFC Final,

The Chiefs’ 2021 season

In Las Vegas, the casinos predicted a great year for this team with 12.5 wins, technically they did not deliver despite finishing 12-5, but this is synonymous with the great role that everyone expected from this team, arriving as AFC champions after losing the title in Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

However, their start to the year was not the most satisfactory, they barely won with a comeback in the season opener against the Browns. Just two weeks later they would already have a negative record and by week 7 the worst streak of the season, after falling to the Titans for a 3-4 record.

That moment was a turning point for the destiny of the Chiefs, because right after week 7 they put together an eight-game win streak and a feeling that the machine was perfectly oiled again: Arrowhead Stadium was heavier than ever, the problems in the porous defense definitely subsided, and the usual playmakers were scary again.

However, on the penultimate day came what seemed like a surprise, but ended up being a fatal sentence: the Chiefs went to Cincinnati and lost their streak by falling to a seemingly inferior Bengals in a spectacular 31-34 game, where the offenses were protagonists. With that loss, they pretty much missed out on the No. 1 seed in the AFC, so they went into second place and straight into the Wild Card round.

Already in this round the Chiefs met and exposed the Steelers in the last game of “Big Ben” Roethlisberger by a score of 42-21, so they advanced to the division game. There, in a game with one of the most spectacular closings in NFL history, they outscored the Bills 42-36 in overtime.

And so they reached the AFC final against the Bengals, where everything collapsed in a second half to be forgotten, burying the opportunity to attend their third consecutive SB, in the Mahomes era.

This season’s MVP for the Chiefs

Travis Kelce, T.E.

Although this season he did not finish as the leader in receptions (92) or receiving yards (1,125), he did in touchdowns for tight ends with 9. Travis Kelce is more than confirmed as the main weapon of Mahomes and of this attack that was fourth in the league in passing yards; especially in the red zone he does not disappoint and, if there is any doubt, his appointment to the All Pro team ends any discussion.

His best moment of the season

It had to be during the divisional game against Buffalo, epic is the adjective for that clash between two titans of the NFL that will continue to be talked about for years to come. In the end it was a punctual exchange of touchdowns and the last two minutes of the game are really something to watch over and over again.

The defenses were practically non-existent and it had to go into overtime to decide the winner thanks to a spectacular series that ended with a TD pass to (who else?) Travis Kelce, to make the final score 42-36. The final hug between Mahomes and Josh Allen only suggests that this new rivalry has just begun

The worst moment of this season

In just one week it’s possible to go from heaven to hell, and if not, ask these Chiefs. The following week after the epic against the Bills they hosted the championship game against the Bengals, the atmosphere smelled of revenge for the loss of week 17 and, however, things did not go as expected.

The Chiefs started like the usual steamroller, closing the first half with an 11-point lead that could have ended up as 14, but they ran out of time before attempting an FG. However, the Chiefs went to the locker room at halftime to practically not return because in 30 minutes and overtime they could only score three more points, for a score of 27-24 in overtime.

What is expected next season of the Chiefs?

More prominence. Without a doubt, they will continue to give what to talk about and in the elite of the NFL. The Chiefs are a team that aspires to everything and the early odds of 2022 support it. In 2021 they renewed the line, and without a doubt the defense must take a step forward if they want to clear the doubts about the performance of that side of the ball. Also a WR that can accompany Kelce, Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman

More in depth, if RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire is not the solution due to his constant injuries, they need another running back they do trust. They don’t have any salary-cap issues right now, so they have at least this season to spend happily and all they care about is getting back to the Super Bowl in Arizona.

Read the rest of our 2021 Season NFL team reviews here: