After Missing Playoffs, Chiefs Poised For Return, Drawing Notable Ticket Sales

After being one of the surprise teams in the NFL in 2013, en route to an unexpected playoff berth, the Kansas City Chiefs regressed a bit, missing out on the postseason despite a 9-7 record. Even so, fans and analysts alike believe KC has enough talent assembled on their roster to make another postseason push, and this time with a different outcome that would result in their first playoff victory since 1993.

Without question, the main reason for the Chiefs’ lack of success this past season had more to do with their wide receiver corps than anything else. In fact, the 2014 Chiefs were the first team since 1964 to have none of their wide receivers score a touchdown! Furthermore, other than running backs Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis, they really had no one with any big-play potential, limiting what they could do as a unit.

Well, the Chiefs may have addressed all of that with just one free agent signing, as they managed to nab former Philadelphia Eagle Jeremy Maclin, who is coming off a fantastic season. Maclin, one of the fastest players at his position, produced career-highs in receptions (85), yards (1,318), touchdowns (10), and 100-yard games (4) a year ago, and he provides the club with its first deep-field threat in several years. His presence should absolutely open up the field more for veteran quarterback Alex Smith, a luxury he has never had throughout his tenure in KC.

Kansas City didn’t really make any changes to their defense, other than adding safety Tyvon Branch, as they finished second in the NFL last year in fewest points allowed with 17.6 per game. Furthermore, they also yielded the second fewest pass yards per game, 203.3, thanks in large part to a tremendous pass rush led by budding star Justin Houston, who’s 22 sacks led the league in 2014.

The addition of Maclin single-handedly has Chiefs fans excited for the upcoming campaign. Not only is he from Missouri, where he also played his college ball, but he’s one of those select big-time players that can play a monumental role in completely changing the outlook of an offense. In turn, Kansas City faithful cannot wait to see the impact he has. According to SeatSmart, here are the most expensive and least expensive Chiefs tickets for the season on tap:

Most Expensive: 11/15/2015 | Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs | Sports Authority Field At Mile High | Average Price: $356.76 | Get-in Price: $110

When the Chiefs made the playoffs in 2013 with an 11-5 record, they did so as a wild card team, which is unusual for a team with that type of record. That’s because the Denver Broncos were even better that year, winning the AFC West on the way to a berth in the Super Bowl, which still has Chiefs faithful wondering what would have been the case had they received that bye from winning the division. Kansas City would love to finally serve up some revenge after losing both meetings with the Broncos last year, and this would be the perfect year to do it, in what might be the final one in the brilliant career of legendary Denver quarterback Peyton Manning. With those rumors abound, fans are definitely itching for every Broncos game in 2015, in what could truly be the end of an era. Aside from that, this might also be a key division battle with potential ramifications for first place. Either way, it should be the usual exciting Broncos-Chiefs affair, thus creating the high ticket prices.

Least Expensive: 10/18/2015 | Minnesota Vikings vs Kansas City Chiefs | TCF Bank Stadium | Average Price: $164.55 | Get-in Price: $41

In this early-season inter-conference game, the Chiefs find themselves matched up against another franchise coming off a down season, that being the Minnesota Vikings. At the same time, though, it was also an encouraging campaign for the Vikings, who somewhat exceeded expectations with a 7-9 record and found out some important things about their future. The main takeaway from their 2015 season was the growth of rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who looked pretty good in his first year, completing 259-of-402 passes (64.4%) for 2,919 passing yards. While he could only muster a 14/12 TD/INT ratio in his 13 games, Bridgewater also displayed impressive scrambling ability, running for 209 yards on 47 carries, including one rushing touchdown. In fact, he’s a main reason why Vikings tickets are going to be pursued more than in recent years. This game could be used as a springboard early on for two teams that will certainly need it to get back into the postseason.