I went digging through what the actual experts are predicting, and the tally so far: several, ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum, ESPN's Ben Solak, CBS's Douglas Clawson, have the Chiefs missing the playoffs again. On the other side, CBS's Breech has them going 10-7 and sneaking in as a wild card, though he also has them losing to Denver in the divisional round, so even the guy picking them "in" isn't picking them far.
My favorite detail: one analyst's whole case rests on "lack of explosiveness at receiver," a line that's been recycled so many offseasons in a row at this point, I'm convinced it auto-fills whenever someone types "Chiefs" into a prediction template.
My actual take: I don't have some secret insight ESPN's missing. But a team that just went through the sting of missing the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, with a healthy quarterback and a coach who runs one of the tightest camps in the league, isn't who I'd want to bet against out loud. No doubt, until the receiving corps and the offensive line prove themselves there will be a question mark to start the season.
BUT, it is the Chiefs, and the core of this team has a drive like no other team in recent memory. They believe, and all of Chiefs Kingdom is backing the team.
So, who do you trust more here: the national panel with the recycled concerns, or your own instinct?