2018 NFL Power Rankings: Philadelphia Eagles begin preseason on top

13. Kansas City Chiefs

Did the Kansas City Chiefs make the right move by parting ways with Alex Smith to get the Patrick Mahomes era underway earlier than expected? Obviously, the Chiefs knew it was only a matter of time before they handed the keys over to Mahomes, but nobody expected it to happen this fast since Smith still seemed to have plenty of great years left in him.

While it’s tough to determine if Mahomes is in fact the right answer at quarterback, the good news for the youngster is Kansas City has done an excellent job of providing him with the necessary weapons to succeed on offense. From Kareem Hunt looking to build off a solid rookie experience to a strong receiving corps that includes Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill, Mahomes should have little trouble producing on offense for the Chiefs.

Not to mention, Mahomes is fortunate enough to work with one of the league’s top tight ends in Travis Kelce, so it’s tough to imagine that he’s going to be anything but successful. Then again, if Mahomes struggles, and Kansas City fails to make the playoffs, it’s going to draw a lot of criticism over whether they jumped the gun too soon instead of waiting another year.