The Buzz: Renowned head coach Andy Reid leads the Chiefs for his fourth season in Kansas City. Since Reid took over in 2013, the Chiefs have compiled a 32-18 mark in the regular season. Last year, the 11-5 Chiefs were nearly unbeatable at home as they have won their last seven games at Arrowhead Stadium. In 2015, they clinched a playoff berth and advanced to the divisional round before losing to the Patriots in Foxborough, MA. They started the 2016 campaign with a come from behind overtime win over the division rival Chargers and fell to the Texans in week two.
**Offense
The Staples: **Alex Smith has manned the offense since 2013, a year he earned his only Pro Bowl invite after passing for 3,313 yards with 23 touchdowns and adding 431 yards on the ground. The Utah product has been reborn under Reid's tutelage, producing consistent and effective numbers. In three seasons as the starter, Smith has completed 64% of his passes while averaging 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Thus far this season, Smith has thrown for 549 yards while completing 63.5% of his passes with two touchdowns and an interception.
Smith's go-to weapons are WR Jeremy Maclin and TE Travis Kelce. Over the past two seasons, Kelce has caught 139 balls for 1,737 yards and scored 10 TDs. The 6'5", 260-pounder has 11 catches for 108 yards through two weeks, but Kelce yet to find the end zone. Maclin came over from Philadelphia last offseason, where Reid coached him for four years. In his first season with Kansas City, the Missouri product hauled in 87 catches for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns. This season, Maclin has 131 yards and a touchdown to his name.
Musical Backfield: RB Jamaal Charles is the star in the backfield. He is an explosive, home run hitter when healthy, but the Texas product is still recovering from a torn ACL and he might/might not make his season debut Sunday against the Jets. In the on deck circle is Spencer Ware, who led the team in both rushing and receiving week one against San Diego, totaling 199 yards. However, Charcandrick West led the team in rushing last week against the Texans.
**Defense
The Anchors: **The Chiefs defense features a young, productive secondary. S Eric Berry, one of the team's defensive captains and an emotional leader, is a four-time Pro Bowler and was named the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2015. The Tennessee product missed the entirety of the 2014 season while recovering from Hodgkin's lymphoma. Second-year CB Marcus Peters is the other cornerstone of the secondary. In his rookie campaign, the Washington product recorded eight interceptions and 26 PDs and he's picking up right where he left off. Through two games, Peters has two interceptions and five passes defended.
Don't Judge a Book By its Cover:The Chiefs may be recognized for their secondary, but they also have a very talented front seven. The unit is led by ILB Derrick Johnson, who has been a Chief since he was drafted in 2005. Last season, Johnson recorded 116 tackles to go along with his four sacks, eight PDs and two interceptions. In 2016, Johnson has registered 16 tackles and a sack.
**Injuries
**While the full injury report will come out Wednesday, some names to keep an eye on are RB Jamaal Charles (knee) and starting guards Parker Ehinger (concussion), Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (ankle), neither of which played against the Texans last week.
