Chiefs at 49ers - Week Five - Record: 2-3

This was indeed a game we could have won, we should have won against a very good team.

It was showcased as Alex Smith's return against his old team, and for much of the game he did pretty decently. But let's just be honest about two key things.

1. Alex Smith does need to make the accurate throw when he needs to. Sure there was that ugly overthrow in the last minute, the pass intended for Anthony Fasano that was intercepted sealing the Niners victory. But there were several other passes that were just thrown low or wide when the Chiefs needed to make those connections. He completes those passes and this game is ours, one that for quite some time really looked like was ours.

2. Alex Smith does not have the receivers to make things happen like they should. We were without Donnie Avery because of injury, but even with him this is not a receiving core that'll get us to the next level -- it just isn't. It is scary that it isn't. I'd even heard the announcers relay some stat, I don't remember what it was, but it was indicative that this is the worst receiving core in the league. I think the stat was something like, our receivers do not have a touchdown all season. Sorry, but this is a tremendous liability. Ready for the start of The Wide Receiver Project? After all it is Halloween season, I should get that going to make things especially scary.

Again, this was a game we had. I liked our running game, it was solid and on-track like it should. I liked our pass rush, for a time we really hogtied their QB Colin Kaepernick. And who can't be thrilled with De'Anthony Thomas finally getting in the mix, even scoring a screen-pass touchdown with some extra power running to get into the endzone.

What concerns me are a few things, things that are pretty major.

First of all, I think the play of the game was a clutch Niners play that no one could do anything about. We had the Niners on a 3rd-and-long and under a fierce rush Kaepernick threw up a long duck, and their receiver Brandon Lloyd makes a fantastic catch with Sean Smith draped all over him. (But there ya go, that's a play their receiver makes. Errgck.)

Our D-backs were good sometimes, but then there's Marcus Cooper. Sometimes he's terrific, like when he contributed big-time to disrupting the Peyton Manning pick-passes a few weeks ago, but today he was roasted. How much longer do we have to wait for him to take advantage of his raw physical ability and shut down the guy he's covering?

Our run defense wilted when it got late. The Niners were able to run effectively, get those late field goals, run clock in the process, and keep our offense on its heels.

Regarding both of these critical breakdowns, it must be pointed out that those injuries we've had to key defensive players hurt. Eric Berry is still not in there. Mike Devito and Derrick Johnson are key run stuffers and they're gone for the year. They mentioned how well we've done to make up for them, but sorry, their absence really hurt us late today.

And what about that 12-men-on-the-field penalty when the Niners were punting, giving them a 1st down. Incredible. That one penalty was even worse for the Chiefs than the Brandon Lloyd catch, and it was a mistake contending teams don't make.

After a breakout game Monday night and a chance to show up in the top ten of all the sports network/sites "Power Rankings", now we have to settle for still wallowing around in the bottom half again, and it'll be for a while because the Chiefs have a bye next week.
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I can't finish this post without making mention of the amazing sports week it has been for all things Kansas City in the sports world. After the Chiefs destroyed the Patriots at Arrowhead last Monday night, the major league's Royals hosted the A's at Kauffman in the one-game wild-card playoff game, and they won it in thrilling fashion, 9-8 in 12 innings. The Royals have gone on to win the first two games of their ALDS contest against the Angels.

Indeed, on Wednesday when I presume the soccer team Sporting KC was playing in the Washington D.C. area, they visited the White House where the president welcomed the, yes,

 

World Champion Kansas City professional soccer team.

What a week for Kansas City, who as a city had gone 48 straight combined team-years without a playoff win by the pro football team and an appearance in a playoff series by the pro baseball team.

With their strong pitching, stifling defense, tenacious hitting, and rich enthusiasm, the Royals have gone a long way to make things up-to-date in Kansas City once again.

Now the Chiefs just need to keep moving forward and get to their next level.
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