The short answer is yes. The Kansas City Chiefs are indeed screwed if Alex Smith gets hurt for an extended period next season. The more interesting question is how screwed they are.
I was on 610 Sports with Danny Parkins and Carrington Harrison yesterday and we were talking about the quarterback situation. I mentioned that it would be kind of intriguing if the Chiefs saw one of their backups for an extended period next season becuase we still have no idea what the Chiefs backup quarterbacks can do. I'm not wishing for this to happen. Not at all. I'm just curious what they have in Tyler Bray or Aaron Murray.
Danny said that the Chiefs are one of those teams that's screwed if their quarterback gets hurt. He's right. Most teams are. The Chiefs are not a threat to make noise in the playoffs if Alex is hurt.
However, how many games could the Chiefs win without Alex?
This is a complete roster. Alex doesn't always carry them. So I think the Chiefs could win more games than your average team that loses its quarterback. There's a difference between the Chiefs being able to win eight games with Bray or Murray and the Chiefs winning 11 with Alex and winning a playoff game. That gap is significant.
I'm curious though, how many games without Alex?