Mike Clay’s ‘18 projections are out for the Chiefs and they aren’t exactly promising

One of the more interesting things ESPN NFL analyst Mike Clay does as part of his job is full stat projections for each and every team in the league for the upcoming season.

On Tuesday, Clay revealed his projections for the Kansas City Chiefs, via his official Twitter account:

As you explore, keep in mind that Clay’s projections are just that—projections, but one thing you’ll notice right away is they aren’t exactly promising signs.

Here’s what jumped out at me:

• The Chiefs are only projected for 7.4 wins, which would mean they would in all likelihood miss the NFL postseason.
• Patrick Mahomes is projected for 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, which, given it’s his first full season, aren’t bad numbers. That said, the words of Andy Reid and Brett Veach would lead you to believe he’d have a better year than that.
• Clay projects two Chiefs with more than 1,000 yards: Kareem Hunt with 1,005 rushing yards (in addition to 439 receiving yards), as well as Tyreek Hill with 1,055 receiving yards (in addition to 127 rushing yards). Clay projects 82 receptions for Hill, 80 for Travis Kelce and 62 for Sammy Watkins.
• Clay projected the tight end (No. 3), the wide receiver (No. 9) and running back (No. 10) units within the league’s top 10, but projected the offensive line (No. 22), the EDGE (No. 22) and the cornerback (No. 22) to fall among the league’s worst units.
• Clay projected linebacker Justin Houston to lead the Chiefs with 11 sacks, and cornerback Kendall Fuller to lead the Chiefs with three interceptions. Clay projected CB David Amerson to lead the Chiefs with 15 passes defensed.