Kansas City Chiefs: Who are they?

This Sunday’s matchup with the Oakland Raiders marks a significant flashpoint in the Kansas City Chiefs regular season trajectory.

It’s one game, like any other, but there’s a good chance we’ll find out exactly what to expect from the Chiefs the rest of the way. After being blasted 43-14 on national television, in the worst performance of head coach Andy Reid’s tenure, this team should be on its best behavior in what’s ostensibly a must-win game with a divisional opponent. The Oakland Raiders are 4-1 for the first time since 2002. They currently have a share of first place in the AFC West.

These aren’t your pre-teen’s Raiders. This 2016 group has scored more points than all but two teams in the NFL thus far. Oakland is tied with Pittsburgh for the best conference record in the AFC (3-0). The team the Chiefs prepare to face on Sunday is helmed by a quarterback with a 102.3 passer rating.

This game will reveal Kansas City’s true identity when the smoke clears. If Kansas City is as talented and resilient as we expect, they’ll come out and have a much better showing than their primetime performance against Pittsburgh. Pride matters in the NFL. After all, it was that Steelers team that had just been embarrassed by the Philadelphia Eagles, one week prior, which they fell to.

Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Might we see a similar scene when the Chiefs step into Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sunday? Andy Reid is 15-2 coming off of a bye week. Historically, he’s been tough to beat with extra time to prepare. It’s also been reported that the team’s leaders, in the locker room, have issued a challenge to get refocused (as a group). Safety Eric Berry had this to say:

“It does sour (the bye),” Berry said. “But all the things that happened are fixable…it’s not anything like we’ve got to do anything drastic. We’ve just got to have a little more focus and lock in a little bit. That’s it.”

In the NFL, sometimes there’s nothing better than having your back against the wall to help a team exorcize its demons. Thus far, it’s been offensive ineptitude that’s hurt the Chiefs. Only four teams have scored fewer points through five weeks. On the one hand, Chiefs Kingdom should be optimistic about the future.

Reid’s offense has a number of weapons: Jeremy Maclin, Chris Conley, Travis Kelce, Spencer Ware, Jamaal Charles, Charcandrick West and newcomer Tyreek Hill. It’s hard to imagine that group doesn’t stabilize and start producing more consistently. On the other hand, Alex Smith seems to have taken a step backwards as a signal caller. Reid appears to have joined him in his duties as a play caller. If just one of them can turn things around, this offense has a chance to be successful.

Oakland’s been a team of few flaws to this point in the season, but their weakness is clearly on the defensive side of the football. The Chiefs have an opportunity to exploit them on Sunday with the right offensive game plan. Sean Smith’s been wildly inconsistent through the first month of the season.

He’s always had trouble with fleet footed receivers who run crisp routes. Reid should challenge him early and often come Sunday – I’m looking at you, Jeremy Maclin and Chris Conley. In fact, that Raiders defense is dead last in the league at defending the pass. They’ve also had trouble getting to the quarterback in 2016. Oakland has just seven team sacks on the season. Star OLB/DE Khalil Mack has just one on the year.

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Chiefs’ playoff aspirations are alive and well. Making the postseason is still approximately a 50-50 proposition and there are still 12 games left to play. The Chiefs are also approaching a softer spot in their schedule. Following Sunday’s game in Oakland, they have New Orleans at home, the 2-3 Colts in Indianapolis, and the AFC South’s bottom-dwelling Jaguars (at Arrowhead). The season is far from over, but the Chiefs need to show signs of life on Sunday if they expect to mount a successful playoff campaign.

A win on Sunday puts them in the thick of the AFC race and helps give them some much-needed confidence with a trio of beatable opponents ahead of them. A loss still wouldn’t snuff out their postseason aspirations, but it would narrow their margin for error significantly.

Which Chiefs team do you expect to show up in Oakland on Sunday, the one that dominated the New York Jets with opportunistic defense and a functional offense, or the lethargic bunch that’s slogged its way through three other games in 2016? Can the Chiefs slow that high-powered Raiders offense down or should Alex Smith and company be prepared for a good, old-fashioned shootout? Use the comment section below to weigh in. As always, we appreciate your readership and support.

Until next time, Addicts!