ESPN's Football Power Index makes a disastrous prediction for Chiefs in 2022
The AFC West is expected to be the best division in the NFL in 2022 which could make for a difficult season for the Kansas City Chiefs. ESPN's Football Power Index, in fact, is predicting a rough season for the Chiefs. The FPI has Kansas City with the third-best chance of winning the AFC West, […]
The AFC West is expected to be the best division in the NFL in 2022 which could make for a difficult season for the Kansas City Chiefs.
ESPN's Football Power Index, in fact, is predicting a rough season for the Chiefs. The FPI has Kansas City with the third-best chance of winning the AFC West, behind the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos.
The Chargers and Broncos are both slightly more likely to win the division than the Chiefs — and the Chargers have a better chance to earn the conference's No. 1 seed.
Why? It mostly comes down to schedule. In terms of average FPI rating of its opponents, no team has a rougher 17-game slate in front of it than the Kansas City. The Chiefs' three opponents that their division-mates don't face are brutal matchups: Tampa Bay, Buffalo and Cincinnati. Consider that the Chargers' opponents instead include the Falcons, Dolphins and Browns, while the Broncos get the Panthers, Jets and Ravens.
ESPN's FPI, interestingly, feels like the Chiefs are the best team in the AFC West. But it thinks Kansas City's difficult schedule makes it unlikely that the Chiefs will win the division.
There's no doubt that Kansas City's schedule is a bit more difficult. But it's not like the games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Cincinnati Bengals will be automatic losses for the Chiefs. Kansas City could easily win both of those games (both of those games are on the road, though).
The AFC West is going to be a heck of a battle all season. Any team could emerge on top (the Las Vegas Raiders could easily win the division, too). ESPN's FPI prediction could easily prove to be correct, but the Chiefs could just as easily prove it incorrect as well.
Featured image via Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
