Ranking the 2021 AFC West LBs: Where do the Raiders rank
4. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have been the toast of not only the AFC, but more specifically the AFC West, ever since they brought in former Philadelphia Eagles Coach Andy Reid, and former number one overall pick Alex Smith all the way back in 2013. Mostly based on the strength of their offense, with the defense making a key play or stop when needed, they have been the unquestioned leader in the division.
That trend continued in 2020, where the Chiefs had their struggles defensively, especially in the defensive backfield, but also at their linebacker position, where they just do not have much experience. Luckily, they have Patrick Mahomes and an elite offense, because the defense was beatable last season, as the Raiders showed on the road.
Their longest-tenured linebacker on the roster is Anthony Hitchens, who doesn’t strike fear in many offensive opponents. Hitchens played in 14 games for the Chiefs last season and ended up with 78 total tackles, no sacks or interceptions, and two tackles for a loss. One of the other linebackers they return is second-year pro Willie Gay Jr., who played in all 16 games with eight starts last season and had only 39 total tackles with one sack.
They did draft rookie linebacker, Nick Bolton, in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, and obviously, hope he develops into a high-level player, but you never know if a rookie will be successful at least two to three years into their careers.
The Chiefs will most likely not only win the division once again but will also be atop of the entire AFC in 2021. They are truly one of the exceptions to the rule that teams need to be solid from top to bottom of the roster to win because their offense is just so dynamic it keeps them in every single game even if the defense struggles. The Chiefs linebackers are the worst in the division, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter.