It sure is looking like a two-horse race for AFC supremacy this season.
While other clubs around the conference have impressed through two weeks, the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs undoubtedly should be viewed as the teams to beat. In fact, Colin Cowherd is declaring the AFC “done” after two weeks, as he already has Patriots vs. Chiefs locked in for the AFC title game.
But who currently has the leg up between these powerhouses? From a full scope, it’s sure looking like the Patriots, who grew even stronger via the addition of Antonio Brown. Nick Wright, however, believes that gap could be all but eliminated if the Chiefs made a big splash on the trade market.
“If you were to tell me every single player in the league was available and for the Kansas City Chiefs, who would be your first overall selection? It’s Jalen Ramsey,” Wright said Wednesday on FOX Sports 1’s “First Things First.” “He’s the best player at his position at the single biggest position of need for the Chiefs. In that regard, it’s a perfect fit. Now, I don’t know how Brett Veach, the GM, would make the money work. They have a lot of high-paid guys on the team already and Patrick Mahomes is about to become the highest-paid guy in the history of football a year from now. They obviously know that and they’re still pursuing him (Ramsey). They’re still going after him, so they think they can make the money work.”
Wright continued: “…For the Chiefs, the defense, to me, already is showing signs of improvement with the six new starters, with the new defensive coordinator. But where their biggest question mark is, do they have a single quality corner? If you’re going up against the Patriots, who all of a sudden have three very quality wide receivers, you’re going to need some quality corners. I believe Jalen Ramsey is the best cornerback in the NFL. He profiled that out of college. His physical traits are unmatched by any other corner in the league. So yeah, this would be a great counter to the Patriots adding Antonio Brown: the Chiefs adding the best corner in the league.”
There have been mixed reports about the Chiefs’ interest in Ramsey. One indicated Kansas City would not make a run at the two-time Pro Bowl selection out of fear he could harm the chemistry in the locker room. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, however, views the Chiefs as one of two teams that might be willing to do all that would be required to bring on the 24-year-old.
But even with the addition of Ramsey, Kansas City’s defense still might not have enough firepower to slow down Tom Brady and Co. The 2017 Jaguars featured one of the strongest defenses we had seen in some time, and we all know what happened when Ramsey and Jacksonville teammates rolled into Foxboro for the AFC Championship Game.
