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Travis Kelce’s Chiefs have been fearless over the past few years, winning three Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes under center. However, one former NFL quarterback believes a little fear has crept in. Speaking on Tuesday's edition of "Pro Football Talk," NFL analyst Chris Simms named the Cincinnati Bengals as the only team that may spark fear.
Chris Simms: [00:00:03] "The only team you feel like, I think they're a little scared of that team ... it's the Bengals. ... I think it's the only team that they can look at [and] go, 'they've gotten the better of us a few times here.' Joe Burrow at quarterback and the fact that the Chiefs lost at home in AFC Championship game." [00:00:45][42.4] PFT
But his statement begs questions. The Chiefs sent the Bengals home in the 2022 playoffs. Since then, the Bengals have only become weaker with Joe Burrow's injuries returning to the forefront and Tyler Boyd's exit.
CJ Stroud's Houston Texans position themselves as AFC newcomer to beat
The Houston Texans are the other main challenger in the AFC to most fans. CJ Stroud proved he can play as well as any quarterback in the league and now has only gotten stronger.
Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter and former Bengals running back Joe Mixon represent some of the positions in which the team has improved.
Without those star additions, however, CJ Stroud's team went 10-7, finishing first in its division and winning a playoff game. A young head coach, a young quarterback and a massive influx of talent can make the Texans strong. They can be compared to the Los Angeles Rams ahead of their Super Bowl run in 2018.
In 2018, the young Sean McVay and Jared Goff landed Jalen Ramsey, Brandin Cooks and Ndamukong Suh. They made it to the Super Bowl only to fall short of Tom Brady's Patriots.
With comparisons between Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady running rampant, a problem for the hopeful Texans could be that Mahomes shares a conference with them. They could not beat the standard of the era. Will Mahomes face a true equal in 2024?
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit "Pro Football Talk" and H/T Sportskeeda.
