LAST SEASON: 6-10, 4th in AFC West
PROJECTION: 3rd in AFC West

	The Chiefs will call on the clergy to lead them.

With Green, Holmes and Gonzalez on O, this team has the potential to be last year's Bears. But with the porous D, a 7–9 finish is more likely.

STRONG SIDE

RB: If Dick Vermeil's building the Chiefs in the mold of his Super Bowl champion Rams, that makes Priest Holmes his answer to Marshall Faulk. Does that sound nuts? Think again. Starting 16 games last season for the first time in his five-year career, Holmes led the NFL in rushing (1,555 yards) and had 62 receptions to boot. His emergence overshadowed FB Tony Richardson, who gained 700 yards and had 58 catches as KC's primary back in 2000. Never suited for the No. 1 slot, Richardson gives the Chiefs more options out of the backfield than Vermeil had with the Rams. Scary thought.

WEAK SIDE

DL: The Chiefs D-line had an AFC-worst 31 sacks. Their first two draft picks: DTs Ryan Sims (UNC) and Eddie Freeman (UAB). Sims held out until late in camp, and Freeman got into a camp brawl with OT John Tait. If the 6'5" Freeman can knock down passes instead of teammates, he'll be forgiven. The 311-pound Sims will occupy enough blockers to make DEs Duane Clemons and Eric Hicks (10.5 sacks combined) more effective.

AFC West

1. Broncos

2. Raiders

3. Chiefs

4. Chargers

Scouting Report Index

OTHER UNITS

QB: Last year Trent Green looked like he was trying to be Kurt Warner circa 1999. Nice try. He had the yardage (3,783), but he also threw an NFL-worst 24 INTs, including at least one pick in 14 of 16 games. He's established he can throw like Warner. This year, he's got to think like him, too.

WR: Tony Gonzalez can play hoops until the opening kickoff and still be the NFL's best tight end -- he's averaged 81 catches a year for three seasons. He gets help from the league's most underrated No. 1 option at WR, former Lion Johnnie Morton (77 catches, 1,154 yards in 2001).

OL: How did Priest Holmes lead the NFL in rushing? Simple -- he ran behind the best right side in football: G Will Shields and T John Tait. If LT Willie Roaf, a Pro Bowler from 1994 to 2000, can bounce back from a knee injury, the line will be so strong that Green won't have to worry about thinking fast.

LB: The Chiefs ranked 27th in the NFL in rushing D, and that was with Donnie Edwards, their best player. They couldn't keep Edwards, leaving old-timers Marvcus Patton (35) and Lew Bush (32) to take up the slack. Don't count on it. Do count on kamikaze OLB Mike Maslowski, the next great NFL hitter.

DB: S Jerome Woods, KC's best DB, is out for the year with a broken leg. The best that can be said about CBs William Bartee (25) and Eric Warfield (26) and S Greg Wesley (26) is that they're young and getting better. The same can't be said for Woods' replacement, 31-year-old Jason Belser.

ST: The media guide says Morten Andersen is 42, but he's ageless and still kicking strong -- his longest FG in 2001 was 51 yards. Dan Stryzinski puts 37% (fifth in the NFL) of his punts inside the 20.

This article appears in the September 16 issue of ESPN The Magazine.