Arrowheadlines: Colin Cowherd picks the Broncos to win the AFC West

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Colin Cowherd says ‘don’t be shocked’ if Broncos win AFC West | 247 Sports

“You know in the NFL somebody’s going to win a division and we’re gonna be shocked,” Cowherd said. “Don’t be shocked if Denver beats Kansas City. I’m not saying Kansas City’s plummeting. Little Super Bowl-winning hangover, they go back to 11 wins, Denver wins 12. It’s not crazy. I think Drew Lock’s the next pop guy in this league.”

The best Kansas City Chiefs team in franchise history | Clutch Points

The Kansas City Chiefs have a rich history, but you don’t have to go far to find the best team in franchise history.

The Chiefs have won two Super Bowls, with one coming in 1969 and one in 2019. The 1969 team was special in knocking off the Minnesota Vikings to win the team’s first title, but it’s still the second-best team in franchise history.

5 best head coaches entering 2020 NFL season | SportsNaut

2. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

Andy Reid finally got the monkey off his back. The beloved coach could never quite seal the deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. He moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs and his playoff demons always brought the team down in the final minutes. All of that changed with Patrick Mahomes, a pair that already won one Super Bowl and could become the NFL’s next dynasty.

Similar to Baltimore’s move to trade up for Jackson, the Chiefs’ deal for Mahomes changed everything for this franchise. Reid finally had the quarterback he needed to turn his offense into an unstoppable unit with a player who could make the kinds of plays we’ve never seen before. Andy Reid’s 207-128-1 career record is incredible, but even more remarkable is his work revolutionizing NFL offenses. We won’t be surprised if Reid keeps wearing Tommy Bahama shirts and wins a few more rings.

AFC West: How the Chargers Stack up with the Chiefs in 2020 | Chargers.com

“Obviously, we know that what the Chargers did in terms of solidifying their offensive line. Their secondary’s going to be much better than it was a year ago with adding Chris Harris Jr. I’m eager to see when [quarterback] Justin Herbert, how his sort of progression goes along for the Chargers. But I think for Charger fans, I think they are the biggest threat right now to the Chiefs if I had to look forward to the 2020 season. Again, whenever that starts, because the Chargers – at least the last two years – have been the biggest and toughest opponent for the Chiefs in the AFC West. Obviously, they were the last team in the AFC West to defeat the Chiefs back in 2018. But the two games last year were fairly close – obviously, the game in Mexico City – and I think the way the Chargers are building themselves at the moment, I’m really impressed with what they’ve done so far. And obviously, we know they have a pretty good and talented coach in Anthony Lynn.

5 NFL players in a contract year who need to step up | Larrey Brown Sports

5. Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

A first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Sammy Watkins has repeatedly flirted with elite play at the NFL level but has never quite been able to put together all of the pieces. Rather than a WR1 in the conversation among the best in football, Watkins has been relegated to supporting roles and modest production, even on a Kansas City offense that puts up Madden-like numbers. After signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs earlier this offseason, Watkins now faces what may be his final chance to earn a substantial long-term contract. In order to do that, he’ll not only have to stay healthy for the first time since his rookie season, but he’ll also have to display more consistency and big-play potential.

Former Chiefs RB Peyton Hillis wishes he would’ve retired with Browns | Chiefs Wire

“Looking back at it — I felt so terrible because I really did feel like the fans had a misrepresentation of what was really going on,” Hillis explained. “I didn’t know how news was getting or how things were being said, but it wasn’t nothing like what they said it was. They would say they were offering me contracts that they weren’t and that I was denying them. They didn’t even ask me about any contracts because that was the lockout year. You couldn’t even negotiate contracts for the longest period of time. . . It was one of those situations where I think I knew I wanted to be in Cleveland. And so they’d tell me one thing and tell the news a different thing. It was just confusing and I don’t really know where it all went bad. . .”

Around the NFL

Why it’s crunch time for Steelers, these teams | YardBarker

Cowboys: Talent, but nothing to show for it

The Cowboys are just 3-7 in the postseason since 2000, and while the number of wins is alarmingly low, so is the number of playoff games. It’s hard to imagine that the league’s most visible, media-saturated organization has been so pitiful for so long. That they’ve experienced that degree of futility is even more surprising, considering the relatively strong quarterback play they’ve had for almost 15 years running. In retirement, Tony Romo’s career has been reconsidered, and he is now looked at by many analysts as one of the most underrated, underappreciated quarterbacks in recent memory. Dak Prescott’s career numbers place him in the upper tier of NFL quarterbacks despite his well-documented failures in big games.

Malcolm Jenkins: NFL won’t get it right until it specifically addresses Colin Kaepernick | ESPN

“I still don’t think [the NFL has] gotten it right. Until they apologize, specifically, to Colin Kaepernick, or assign him to a team, I don’t think that they will end up on the right side of history,” Jenkins, who is the co-founder of the Players Coalition, said Tuesday in an appearance on “CBS This Morning.”

“At the end of the day, they’ve listened to their players, they’ve donated money, they’ve created an Inspire Change platform; they’ve tried to do things up to this point. But it’s been one player in particular that they have ignored and not acknowledged, and that’s Colin Kaepernick.”

The Six Most Underrated Position Groups in the NFL | The Ringer

Bengals Receivers

It’s always best to temper expectations for rookie quarterbacks, even one as talented as Joe Burrow, the Bengals’ new signal-caller. But while the former Heisman winner and top pick lands on the league’s worst team from 2019, it’s hard not to be at least a little bullish about his prospects in Year 1 thanks to the talented collection of receivers around him.

Seven-time Pro Bowler A.J. Green should be back on the field after missing all of last season to a foot injury, and while the 31-year-old is likely a little past his prime at this point, he gives Burrow a go-to playmaker whom the rookie can look to in high-leverage situations. Past Green, the rest of the team’s receiving corps provides a diverse spectrum of talents and skills. Tyler Boyd, fresh off his 90-catch, 1,046-yard, and five-touchdown campaign, is a reliable and tough slot receiver who always seems to get open and move the chains on third down. John Ross has battled injuries during his three-year career but has scintillating take-the-top-off-a-defense speed. Auden Tate emerged as an acrobatic contested-catch battler last year and could find a role in the red zone. And rookie Tee Higgins could end up doing a little bit of it all: The second-rounder out of Clemson has vise-grip hands, understated deep speed, and is extremely savvy at the catch point, able to twist and contort in the air to come down with the ball. Add in quality depth in Alex Erickson and Stanley Morgan Jr., and Burrow should have no shortage of options in the passing game as a rookie.

Members of Houston Texans attend George Floyd funeral | NFL.com

Among the Texans contingent, per NFL Network’s James Palmer, was chairman and CEO Cal McNair and his wife, Hannah, head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, executive vice president of football ops Jack Easterby, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, star defensive end J.J. Watt and Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader, who spent the first four seasons of his career in Houston.

Dalvin Cook holdout would be ‘virtually prohibitive’ for RB | NFL.com

“The new collective bargaining agreement makes it virtually prohibitive for a player in Cook’s position to actually carry out a holdout,” Pelissero explained Tuesday on NFL NOW. “If Dalvin Cook does not report on the mandatory reporting date next month with his teammates, or at any point thereafter does not fulfill his contract for any material period of time, he would not accrue the fourth season he needs to become an unrestricted free agent next March. Instead, Cook would be a restricted free agent, meaning the Vikings could retain him with a first-round restricted tender worth between $4 [million] and $5 million instead of having to apply a franchise tag that would be worth roughly double that.”

Ranking the top five Super Bowl champion offenses ever: Legendary 1990s units dominate all-time list | CBS Sports

5. 1998 Broncos

Denver’s ‘98 offense also featured Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, who, despite being in his 16th and final NFL season, was still more than capable of leading the Broncos’ offense to victory when defenses zeroed in on Davis. Trailing the Jets 10-0 in the AFC Championship Game, Elway’s 47-yard completion to receiver Ed McCaffrey (father of Panthers’ All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey) ignited the Broncos, who scored the game’s final 23 points. In Super Bowl XXXIII, with the Falcons’ defense watching Davis’ every move, Elway took full advantage, hitting Pro Bowl receiver Rod Smith for an 80-yard touchdown that gave the Broncos a 17-3 second quarter lead. Elway, who threw for 336 yards in his final NFL game, also rushed for a touchdown while earning MVP honors.

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs’ Hank Stram was early pioneer for integration of pro football

Stram was one of the most significant pioneers of integration in professional football. Since the team’s start as the Dallas Texans in 1960, Stram signed and drafted notably more black players than most other teams. In fact, the American Football League — led by Hall of Fame men like Al Davis, Sid Gillman — and the Chiefs’ founder, Lamar Hunt — began to offer opportunities to black football players earlier (and at a much higher rate) than the rival National Football League did.

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