Eight months ago, the Kansas City Chiefs fired their coach, cleaned out the front office, released their quarterback, and then began preparing for the NFL Draft, where they held the No. 1 pick after having the league’s worst record at 2-14.
But despite the awful season, there was still hope. The team hired Andy Reid as head coach, traded for QB Alex Smith, and resigned many of its key players—including six that made the Pro Bowl in 2012
Nowhere was there more optimism than in Las Vegas. A few sportsbooks in town, including the LVH SuperBook, opened the Chiefs’s season win total at 7, a historically high expectation for a team that finished so poorly the year before.
Since the NFL realigned its divisions in 2002, no team that received the No. 1 pick had ever had a win total higher than 5.5 (see photo above). That includes the 2004 San Diego Chargers, who earned the No. 1 pick with a 4-12 record.
As we enter Week 7, the Chiefs are 6-0, one of only two remaining unbeaten teams. Incredibly, they can match that opening win total in the shortest possible time by defeating the Texans on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
Assuming the Chiefs can win eight games (it seems like a foregone conclusion at this point), it would mark the eighth time in 12 years that the team with the No. 1 pick exceeded its win total.