Chiefs at Bengals - Week 4 - Record: 1-3

This Saturday my oldest son got married, and the weekend has been filled this activities oriented around that event. So today my fastidious attention to all things Chiefs game-of-the-week was preempted by other more important affairs. Oh yeah, the Chiefs are very important, but, well, you get the idea.

Thing is I did happen to catch a handful of things the Chiefs did, or, as you know, did poorly.

Here's what I saw:

- Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton complete significant passes at will, while Alex Smith simply would not complete a key, clutch pass when he needed to. And I happen to catch a graphic in the middle of the afternoon, you know, from the ones they show at the bottom of the screen, that Alex Smith was the No. 1 quarterback statistics-wise on the day. Hmmm...

- A brilliant diving catch by their receiver on a deep ball after which he was able to get up and score a touchdown. I did see one nice pass play from Smith to Jeremy Maclin that, hey! Got us into range for one of Cairo Santos' seven field goals on the day. (Um, just FYI, we didn't score a single touchdown.) Maclin, by the way, was the No. 2 receiver statistics-wise, I guess measured by yardage. Hmmmmmmmm...

- Alex Smith, for just the couple of times I happened to see, sure enough step back to pass and look ----- and look ----- and look ----- and get sacked. One time my son was watching while I wasn't right there in front of the computer screen, and of course you know what he was saying. "Throw the ball. Throw the ball. Throw the ball. Erggh." That's the mantra now around our house, "Throw the ball. Throw the ball. Throwtheball. Throwtheball Throwtheball Throwtheballthrowtheballthrowtheball

- Right after the announcers said, "Into the game comes De'Anthony Thomas, he's fast, look out..." the Chiefs run a reverse to him upon which Wallace Gilberry -- who certainly heard those announcers just like every other Bengals player, fan, and, well, pretty much every else in the world -- takes about three easy steps to allow Thomas to slam right into him for an eight-yard loss. Nowww, Thomas can run about a 2.7 40, while Gilberry can run it in about 46 minutes. What's wrong with this picture?

- Finally Travis Kelce take a short pass -- score still a manageable 21-15 -- and rumble a bit before fumbling it, but upon further review, it --------- was ruled a fumble, even though the television referee remarking on these kinds of things said his forearm was clearly on the turf before he fumbled it. Ahh, shades of that horrific call in the Cardinals game last year.

See, this is the thing about the curse. About the fact we have absolutely no got-it.

The important take-away here that when I happened to catch random plays from a few other games I happened to catch some snapshots from, I watch quarterbacks able to make plays in the most impossible situations. Nick Foles of the Rams comes to mind -- late in his close game he threw a dart in the endzone for a critical touchdown when the pocket was fully engulfing him.

Alex Smith does not do that.

Another was receivers just getting into position because they've run robust routes and will not give up, often just reaching up and jealously snatching that ball out of the sky. The Chargers terrific new tight end did that today on a play I saw, one in which he scored a touchdown. And these are not highlight plays. These are just plays I happened to see happening.

Do the Chiefs even have another receiver besides Jeremy Maclin?

What I see in these Chiefs is this.

I see a team of phenomenally talented players -- they are better players than those on other teams, they are. I see a team of players deftly gathered together by a general manager who has done wonders putting these guys on the field, whether they are draft picks or free agents. I see a team with tremendous potential and ability and passion and expertise in their craft.

But one thing is for sure.

They're not very good.

I know. How could that be?

Sorry, but it is a carryover assessment from last week.

I really question the job Andy Reid is doing.

When you have a team like this and they actually play like that, it is on the coach.

Look at them out there. You know Andy Reid can send a great play out there. You know he can dial up the x's and o's so they are just ever so proficiently sent out there. You know he can get players to respect him and play for him and love him.

But ya know?

That's all they seem to be doing.

Really. They're just running plays, instead of

Playing football.

And that's on the coach.

It goes way beyond being a genius play-caller game-planner player-manager nice-respected-head-coach-kinda-guy.

Watch these Chiefs games. Notice how much the other team looks much more inspired? Notice how the other team is on top of every play? Notice how the other team is working more in sync with the other players? Notice how the other team has some kind of leadership-instilled conception of what it takes to win this football game right now?

Notice how the Chiefs do not have that?

Let's be honest. They don't.

With a team like this they should be 3-1. I honestly thought they'd at least win two of these past three games -- tough ones, yes, against good teams, two of which were road games, I know -- but they've been completely outplayed by teams with not-any-better talent and serious injury problems.

Just in the AFC West the Broncos are using their planet-loads of got-it to rocket out to a 4-0 record, with a first-year head coach and aging quarterback. Whaat? The Raiders were about to go 3-1 except for a last second field goal because I'm sure they're playing inspired ball even though they are still just brand spanking new trying to gel and all that. And the Chargers with a pathetic offensive line -- or so I'm told -- won today to pull up to 2-2.

The Chiefs, they're in last place.

Yes some of it is in their player situation. Alex Smith is simply not a clutch get-it-down confidence-spilling-over quarterback, he's just not. I wish he'd get back what he had in that NFC Divisional game against New Orleans in 2011, but let's face it, it's just not there. Will it ever be?

Our wide receiver situation is still abysmal. At one point during one of those bits I saw today the announcers were crowing about the Bengals receiving core -- this guy and that guy and this guy. We have Jeremy Maclin, a far-too-green Chris Conley, and pretty much nobody else.

Our offensive line is still too offensive. It isn't awful. I do think they give Smith enough time most times, but then Smith simply won't throw that laser strike to a receiver smothered by two D-backs because he doesn't have the confidence to throw it and his receiver isn't good enough to make sure he gets it.

And what's with our pass defense? Did it evaporate that quickly? I seem to remember, wasn't it one of the very best in the league last year? Or was that a mirage? We had Sean Smith back today. We have Eric Berry in there at full strength. Oh yeah their receivers are special, but what about our guys? Isn't that what they're out there for???

How come were not really truly actually competitive???

Calling Andy Reid! Calling Andy Reid!

I'd like to think we'll come to Arrowhead and get well after a very tough part of the schedule. But what good is it if we can't even compete against the better teams?

This is painful people.

I really feel pessimistic about this once truly promising season. We can get a nice good-feely when the Chiefs do pull out a home win against some eventual 8-8 team we match up well against, yeah -- yay.

But damn it I want to see our boys get a playoff win, and earn it.

I'm sorry I just don't think that's going to happen this year, or in any year we simply don't have a bright, young, demanding, innovative, and instinctive head coach who intuitively knows how to bring a team like this together and incisively knows how to communicate that to his players and compete like it should.

Really.
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