The Chiefs are good. Let's not lose sight of that little fact. The Chiefs have been good for a while now, and will remain good for the foreseeable future; they'll probably be back in the AFC Championship game next year based on the talent of 2-3 players alone. But they did, you'll remember, lose in the AFC Championship game, and that opens them up to articles about how they could improve. That's just how it works. So here are three ways the Chiefs, who are still very good, can improve enough to find themselves back in the Super Bowl next year.
Mix Up The Offense A Little Bit
Admittedly, this probably isn't priority number one. Odds are that the Chiefs could run back the standard Mahomes/Hill/Kelce offense and still win between 10 and 13 games. But an overly one-dimensional offense was a major part of why they had to dig themselves out of that early-season whole, and served as a warning sign that the league always catches up -- even against Mahomes. There's a decent class of free agent wide receivers on the market this season, which would bode well for the Chiefs if they wanted to add the type of WR that brings something different. Allen Robinson on a prove-it deal?
Figure Out The Answer at Running Back
The Chiefs were a pretty good run blocking team -- they ranked 4th on Pro Football Focus and got great grades across the board from Football Outsiders. They spent a lot of time hurt, but Darrel Williams and Clyde Edwards-Helaire weren't exactly blowing people away. Some of that is going to happen when you have the skill players that the Chiefs do, but there were plenty of times this year when they could have benefited from a more reliable backfield.
Find Another Chris Jones
It's just that easy! During his end-of-year presser, Chiefs GM Brett Veach hinted at some changes happening on the defensive line. By ESPN's team Pass Rush Win Rate metric, the Chiefs (7th) had pretty good success -- which is good news because on the other hand (Run Stop Win Rate), they were literally the worst team in football (32nd). They also allowed 4.8 yards per carry, which was 2nd-worst. Getting more run-stopping talent on the interior is the type of smaller move that could pay dividends next season.