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Breaking Down Every AFC Division After the Draft and Free Agency | The Ringer
Intriguing Draft Picks: Justin Herbert (Chargers), Willie Gay Jr. (Chiefs), Lloyd Cushenberry III (Broncos)
Gay was the necessary addition for the Chiefs in the second round. The only real weaknesses on Kansas City’s 2019 roster were at cornerback and linebacker, and Gay should give this team the athleticism it previously lacked in the middle of the field.
The 3 Most-Likely Super Bowl 55 Team Matchups | The Spun
Kansas City remains the favorite to win the Super Bowl for the 2020 season. It makes sense considering that Andy Reid only lost two starters to free agency.
Obviously it’s tough to determine who will make the Super Bowl this early in the year, but betting odds have been released for the most-likely matchups. As of right now, the best odds go to the Chiefs and Saints.
The second-best odds also feature Kansas City – except the NFC representative in that scenario is Tampa Bay. Oddsmakers clearly have faith in Tom Brady’s ability to lead the Buccaneers to success, as the third-best odds for a potential Super Bowl matchup goes to Baltimore and Tampa Bay.
WEST: Chiefs. Found a way to keep Chris Jones and get this whole thing under the cap, barely. Patrick Mahomes is the best player in football. They are Super Bowl favorites for a reason. Pay him. Get that done.
NFL players to root for in 2020: Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott excite | NFL.com
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Mecole Hardman, WR. I think it should go without saying, but if you buy your parents a house, then you’re on my list of players that I’m rooting for. I’m going to single out Hardman here because his story was such a great one last year. It’s pretty difficult to watch the video of him surprising his mom with the new house and not feel a little emotional. I became a fan for life after seeing that.
Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs
This game has some immense storylines as well. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is arguably the top player at his position. However, his place in Kansas City was locked in with a draft-day trade with Buffalo. The Bills, at the time, were not in need of a quarterback.
They would land their hopeful franchise quarterback a year later in the draft, selecting Josh Allen with the seventh-overall pick.
No one else in the AFC made major strides on the path to unseating the Chiefs as the best team, either. The Chiefs are in a great position to repeat as not only AFC West champions, but also to reach the Super Bowl again.
Looking at their recent history, there’s a great chance they’ll finish with at least 12 wins, too. They’ve gone 12-4 in three of the last four years and have teams such as the Dolphins, Jets, Falcons and Panthers on their schedule.
Their other opponents aren’t easy outs, but the Chiefs should go at least 12-4. Bet the OVER 11.5 (-130), and bet on Mahomes to continue working his magic.
Tight end contracts could be next to see significant rise | Las Vegas Sun
Several tight ends in the NFL are centrepieces of the offense.
Now, it’s time they get paid like it.
Guys such as George Kittle, Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz and Rob Gronkowski — before he sat out a year — are more productive than many wide receivers but make far less money.
The franchise tag for tight ends is $10.6 million. By comparison, it’s $17.9 million for wide receivers. Only running backs, at $10.3 million, have a lower number among non-specialists.
Chiefs Rumors: Chris Jones Passed on ‘Team-Friendly Deal’ Before Draft | Heavy.com
While a tag-and-trade scenario was always in play for Jones, both sides have been on the record with interest in reaching a long-term solution to keep Jones in a Chiefs uniform. However, as one of the league’s most dominant interior disruptors since 2016, the 25-year-old star has held firm in his desire to be compensated as such.
Bears blanked on Pro Football Focus’ list of top 25 players under 25 years old | NBC Sports
The NFC North wasn’t completely shutout. The Packers had two players on the list, including interior defensive lineman Kenny Clark (who ranked 11th) and cornerback Jaire Alexander (who ranked 20th).
The most painful aspect of PFF’s rundown was the name that appeared at the top: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
He’s like the nightmare that Bears fans can’t wake up from.
Around the NFL
NFL: How it could use the MLB as guinea pigs ahead of 2020 season | Sky Sports
“I do think the NFL is going to have an eye on Major League Baseball which would like to start in June,” Palmer added. “If that does happen and they do play some games this summer I think that will give the league a guinea pig to take a look at.
“You have to remember the economical factor that goes along with not having fans in the stands. Obviously safety is the first priority with everyone, if you don’t have fans watching these games every team is going to lose ‘X’ amount of dollars, some people think roughly $100m per team which would effect your salary cap moving forward.”
Cowboys’ Andy Dalton eyes season as setup to ‘second half’ of career | ESPN
“My mindset is, I’m going to try to be the biggest asset to this team, try to help out this offense, help out Dak, help out everybody as much as I can,” Dalton said during a conference call Wednesday. “It’s a different perspective for me, since I’ve been a starter the last nine years, but I understand the position I’m coming into and the role I’m going to play.”
Sam Darnold must now prove why he’s Jets’ franchise quarterback | New York Post
The Jets will go as Sam Darnold goes is the point.
And it is go-time for Sam Darnold, one month shy of his 23rd birthday.
Don’t let Josh Allen’s Bills beat you to the playoffs a second straight time.
No more mono this season.
No more ghosts.
According to police, Nina Thomas allegedly tracked down her husband via Snapchat after an argument over his drinking and found him at a nearby Airbnb house with his brother and two women.
She reportedly enlisted two friends to confront him and took Earl’s gun, a 9mm Berreta, to “scare” the All-Pro at the Airbnb, removing the magazine of the gun. However, she was reportedly not aware of the bullet remaining in the chamber.
In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride
Even as a punter, Tommy Townsend looks to attack
“I think I did that at Florida,” Townsend recalled. “My (older) brother [Johnny Townsend] — he led the country in punting average for two seasons before coming out, and he was a legend at Florida, so I had to come in and step into his shoes and perform and do really well. I think I did a decent job stepping in and filling his shoes.”
Johnny was actually the reason Tommy began punting in the first place.
“It all kind of started off Johnny’s junior year of high school, his team needed a punter,” Tommy explained. “He went out there, he tried out and he got the spot. One of my dad’s friends, he actually punted for FSU back in the day and Johnny went and got a couple lessons with him. As he started going through the recruiting process, he started picking up some offers.
A tweet to make you think
Patrick Mahomes’ Career Stats
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) May 6, 2020
• 2 Seasons (31 Games)
• 724 for 1,099 (65.9 %)
• 9,412 Passing Yards
• 303.6 YPG, 8.6 YPA
• 76 TDs - 18 INTs
• 108.9 Passer Rating
• 2x Pro Bowler, 1x All-Pro
• 2018 MVP + OPOY
• SB LIV Champ + MVP#Chiefs pic.twitter.com/4qOkzbSLRJ
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