This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Regardless of how Trevor Siemian performs as the Denver Broncos' quarterback, he will be far better than the version of Peyton Manning I witnessed last November vs. Kansas City.
Manning shouldn't have tried to play with a foot injury that day, when he threw four interceptions (barely topped by five completions) in a 29-13 defeat in Denver. So I should know better than to judge the Chiefs by that showing, anointing them as the team to reach the Super Bowl from the AFC this season.
Of course, I'm plowing ahead with Kansas City as my pick. Among my stated criteria for this annual exercise is choosing a team I can emotionally get behind for 17 weeks in an effort to have the forecast turn out well, and the Chiefs work for me. It would be better if they hadn't lost former Utah cornerback Sean Smith to Oakland in free agency, but they still have ex-Ute quarterback Alex Smith and former BYU safety Daniel Sorensen.
And their coach is Andy Reid, whom Kyle Whittingham, his friend and former BYU teammate, has described as "a closet Ute."
So the local angles in place and the Chiefs are positioned to unseat Denver in the AFC West and go a long way in the playoffs. They lost 27-20 to New England in last season's divisional round after breaking through with a 30-0 rout of Houston. That was the team's first playoff win in the Reid era, after he and Alex Smith teamed to go 31-17 in three regular seasons.
Smith's has improved statistically each year in Reid's offense, and he can do the same again at age 32. After all of his ups and downs in San Francisco, Smith has settled in comfortably in Kansas City and played consistently well. He hasn't been spectacular, but his level of efficiency is exactly what Reid wants from him. With veteran Jeremy Maclin as the leader, Smith will have the best group of receivers in his four years in Kansas City.
The Chiefs do have some issues with injuries, as running back Jamaal Charles is coming off knee surgery last season and linebacker Justin Houston will miss at least the first six games with his own knee injury. But they generally came through the preseason healthy and Reid likes his roster.
General manager John Dorsey "has done a real nice job bringing in competition and talent," Reid said after Thursday's final preseason game, prior to the final cuts. "We're going to have to let some guys go that are going to make other clubs, and that's a tribute to Dorsey and his staff."
The rest is up to Reid, trying to make his first Super Bowl appearance since he 2004 season with Philadelphia.
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