Kansas City Chiefs

Why we’re going all the way The Chiefs are bringing back most of the members of a 12-win team from last season, including Alex Smith, who is essentially in a contract year with young Pat Mahomes waiting in the wings behind him. They have a head coach who’s 10th in all-time wins. The defense is still among the league’s elite, including the return of Justin Houston, who didn’t play much last year.

The season is hopeless if [THIS] happens If the Chiefs lose Travis Kelce or Tyreek Hill, their offense will not be able to keep up. The Chiefs lost Jeremy Maclin this offseason, and they have a group of fairly young and untested running backs. We know who Smith is, but without one of their two best playmakers on offense, they simply won’t have the firepower to compete in the AFC.

Who is your biggest rival and why? The Raiders or the Broncos, depending on the year. This year, it’s the Raiders (but don’t think this means Chiefs fans tolerate John Elway and the Broncos.) The old school Chiefs-Raiders rivalry is back, and with both teams poised to stay competitive over the next few years, this has the potential to return to being one of the best rivalries in the NFL.

Tailgate food that best describes your team? The Chiefs are pork butts. There’s a floor to pork butts. They’re hard to screw up. You know they’re going to be good on some level, but you need a good rub or even a good barbecue sauce after it’s cooked to spice it up a little. Andy Reid is slow and steady just like that 9-pound pork butt they’ve been smoking all night in the Arrowhead parking lot.

What does your team do better than anyone else? Turnovers. The Chiefs are good about not turning it over on offense and they’re good about creating turnovers on defense.