Last season ended with a resounding thud, but the Chiefs’ offense seemed on solid footing for the future with a talented-but-inexperienced second-year quarterback soon to be handed the keys to the franchise surrounded by a dynamic core of skill-position players that included two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,300-yard rusher each 26 or younger.
The defense, meanwhile, which had just gotten carved up in the second half of a playoff loss to Tennessee, featured older mainstays with few up-and-coming players poised to take up the mantle. When injuries occurred last season, the Chiefs turned to over-30 veterans such outside linebacker Frank Zombo and cornerback Darrelle Revis.