5 reasons Chiefs fans should be excited for the future

The Kansas City Chiefs lost a brutal contest in the AFC Championship Game to the New England Patriots. They fell 37-31 in overtime at Arrowhead Stadium, somehow losing despite scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter.

While the loss stings and undoubtedly will continue to sting in the weeks ahead, there’s ample reason for excitement moving forward. Here are five reasons why citizens of Kansas City shouldn’t despair.

5. The AFC is shifting

Yes, the Patriots are still the class of the conference, as evidenced by their third straight trip to the Super Bowl. That said, the rest of it is beginning to change over. Peyton Manning retired a few years ago, and Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger, while still terrific, aren’t that far off. There are also a handful of teams that aren’t anywhere near being able to compete for anything serious, helping the Chiefs pad their record in 2019.

4. Andy Reid is a great coach

Reid hasn’t won a Super Bowl yet, but he’s arguably the second-best coach in the NFL behind Bill Belichick. Reid ranks seventh on the all-time wins list and if he ever gets that elusive victory on Super Sunday, he’ll immediately be a Hall of Famer. At 60 years old, he should still have some good years left in him, especially with Kansas City being a prime contender on an annual basis.

3. Defensive-heavy draft and free-agent crop

Both free agency and the draft are loaded with really good defensive talent. Why does this matter? Because Kansas City has all the weapons you could ever ask for offensively and a defense that ranks 31st in the league. The Chiefs need help on that side the ball, and they have four top-100 picks and more than $38 million in cap space.

2. No major losses in free agency

Provided the Chiefs use the franchise tag on outside linebacker Dee Ford, they won’t be losing any major contributors from a team that came within a whisker of going to the Super Bowl. Steven Nelson, Allen Bailey and Mitch Morse would be the three biggest names aside from Ford, and while all bring something to the table, all could also be replaced either internally or with an affordable outside option.

1. Patrick Mahomes

This is simple. Mahomes is the best player in football right now, playing at the league’s most important position. The Chiefs finally have a franchise quarterback, one who as a first-year starter, threw for 5,089 yards and 50 touchdowns. Watching Mahomes play is akin to watching an expert gamer slay on rookie level in Madden.