NFL
The Kansas City Chiefs Just Added an Invaluable Reinforcement in Their Chase for a Second-Straight Super Bowl
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished11 Oct 2020
When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes, they hoped that he would become a franchise quarterback. After his first three seasons with the team, it’s safe to say that he’s already cleared that bar. Breaking a 50-year Super Bowl drought is no mean feat, especially after winning an NFL MVP award as an NFL sophomore.
With the 2020 campaign underway, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are chasing a second-straight Super Bowl. Heading into Week 5, that task may have gotten a little bit easier.
The Kansas City Chiefs have the talent to chase another Super Bowl title
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As any fan of a struggling team can tell you, one championship is enough to make everything worthwhile. The Kansas City Chiefs, however, aren’t going to be satisfied with one Lombardi Trophy.
With Andy Reid calling the plays and Patrick Mahomes under center—we’ve already seen plenty of proof that the quarterback is special—Kansas City has a solid base to build upon. On the offensive side of the ball, though, they’re absolutely stacked with talent. Dealing with Mahomes, plus Tyreek Hill, Clyde Edwards-Hillaire, Travis Kelce is no mean feat; that’s not even accounting for ‘depth’ players like Sammy Watkins and Mercole Hardman.
The Chiefs offense may grab most of the headlines, but their defense also boasts some star players. Between Tyrann Mathieu, Frank Clark, and Chris Jones on the field and Steve Spagnuolo calling the play, KC’s other unit is capable of getting some stops and given their offense a little bit of a break.
Bashaud Breeland returns from a four-game suspension
While the Kansas City Chiefs are 4-0, their start to the season hasn’t been perfect. Patrick Mahomes struggled against the Chargers, before making some big plays down the stretch; Week 4’s meeting with the New England Patriots also could have ended in a loss. Heading into Week 5, however, the club will welcome back an invaluable reinforcement in Bashaud Breeland.
The cornerback missed the first four games of the campaign due to suspension; he violated the league’s substance-abuse policy but still signed a new contract with the Chiefs, knowing that he would begin the year on the sidelines.
With his suspension in the past, however, Breeland is ready to get back on the field help his team make another run at the title.
“[The suspension] was a time for me to really work on myself, put the past behind me and really focus on what I can bring to this team this year to help us get back to the Super Bowl,” Breeland told Nate Taylor of The Athletic. “It takes time to really get in football condition, but I’ve been working out throughout these four weeks. I’m just ready to plug in whenever they’re ready for me to plug in.”
Bashaud Breeland might not be a household name, but he’ll still help the Kansas City Chiefs defense
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Compared to Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs offense, Bashaud Breeland may seem like a pretty small addition. His presence, however, could make life much easier for the club.
If you look at the Chiefs’ official depth chart, you’ll see that they’re pretty limited in the secondary. Heading into Week 5, there are only five cornerbacks listed: Charvarius Ward (who broke his hand in Week 1), Bopete Keyes (a rookie drafted in the seventh round), Rashad Fenton, Antonio Hamilton, and Breeland himself. Rookie L’Jarius Sneed had gotten off to a hot start to his career but is currently sidelined with a broken collarbone.
Breeland gives the Chiefs a capable veteran presence in their secondary, capable of holding a young, although admittedly talented, unit together. As Taylor explained, the veteran “was the Chiefs’ most consistent cornerback” in 2019. “He recorded 48 tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a 100-yard touchdown. He also excelled in the playoffs in not surrendering a touchdown.”
While the Kansas City Chiefs have an explosive offense, you can’t simply rely on outscoring the opposition every week. Just look at the Dallas Cowboys; despite putting up incredible offensive numbers, they’re 1-3 because their defense can’t get a stop. No one is claiming that Bashaud Breeland is the second coming of Deion Sanders, but his presence will make Patrick Mahomes’ life a bit easier.
As the old cliche says, defense wins championships. If you believe that to be true, that the Kansas City Chiefs just took another step toward their second-straight Super Bowl title.
