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The Kansas City Chiefs won 12 games, captured the AFC West division title and made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game this past season and are expected to contend for a Super Bowl once again.
But the Chiefs haven't exactly had a banner offseason, and while they should still be one of the best teams in the NFL, the AFC is only getting stronger, meaning Kansas City's path to a Super Bowl has only gotten more difficult.
Sure, the Chiefs still have reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes under center, but there are certainly some reasons to be cautious about the club.
Here are three areas of concern for Kansas City heading into 2019:
3. The Receiving Corps
This obviously depends on Tyreek Hill and the type of punishment he receives from the league. If he ends up getting a lengthy suspension, the Chiefs' receiving corps could be in some trouble.
Outside of Hill, the only proven wide out Kansas City has is Sammy Watkins, and he has historically had problems staying healthy. The Chiefs did draft Mecole Hardman, who some feel is Hill 2.0, but we have no clue how he is going to adjust to the NFL.
Obviously, Kansas City will have tight end Travis Kelce, but with running back Kareem Hunt gone and Hill facing a ban, the Chiefs may enter 2019 somewhat short on reliable pass-catchers.
It seems odd to question Kansas City's offense, but due to the current circumstances, the aerial attack is a legitimate concern.
2. The Pass Rush
Yes, the Chiefs swung a deal for Frank Clark, which was huge, but they also lost Dee Ford and Justin Houston.
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Clark won't be able to make up all of those sacks by himself, which is going to be a whole lot of pressure on the rest of Kansas City's defensive front to generate some pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Now, we can't forget about defensive tackle Chris Jones, who had a monster 2018 campaign with 15.5 sacks, but outside of him and Clark, you have to wonder where the pass-rushing production is going to come from.
Perhaps second-year defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi will bust out or one of the linebackers will be able to apply some pressure, but there is no doubt that the Chiefs have some serious questions here and on the defense as a whole.
1. The Ground Game
Hunt played 11 games with the Chiefs in 2018 before being released as a result of a domestic violence incident. Now, Kansas City is turning the backfield over to Damien Williams, who has never been a featured back since entering the league with the Miami Dolphins in 2014.
As a matter of fact, Williams has never even rushed for 300 yards in a single season, topping out at 256 this past year.
So, basically, the Chiefs are going from an All-Pro running back to a guy who has totaled 733 yards over his first five seasons in the league, and regardless of how good Kansas City's offensive line is, that is a significant drop.
Williams could potentially prove a whole lot of people wrong and rack up 1,000 yards in the Chiefs system, but there are reasons to be worried about whether or not he can adequately replace Hunt, who was not only a game-changer on the ground, but also a big-time threat in the passing game.
