Chiefs at Seahawks - Week 12 - Record: 7-4
When seeing that half our defensive backfield was sitting on the sidelines nursing serious injuries, I really wondered today if we could do that one thing we needed to do to show that we truly deserve to be leading the AFC West... Win a November game on the road. The Chiefs were 0-3 in games when our All-Pro D-back Brandon Flowers has not played.
It was kind of dicey midway through this one. Even though Javier Arenas and Kendrick Lewis were also out there limping around, glory be: Our defensive backfield held their own. They did have a quite embarrassing blown coverage that allowed Seattle to get a make-it-mildly-interesting early 4th quarter 87-yard touchdown pass play, but they did a fine job of keeping Seattle's QB Hasselback from hurting us. They got some help from the Chiefs D-line who sacked him a few times, once causing a fumble that was sandwiched between two TD plays that put this one away late.
They had said this Seattle team was a big-play team, and sure enough they got us early by blocking a field goal attempt, then blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown.
But then there is this Kansas City offense.
Every time Seattle did something to make it close, our offense did the job. What can be said about the key performers.
Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe. These guys played like Hall-of-Famers today. They really did. This was an exceptionally standout performance by both of them. Twelve connections, three touchdowns, and the even better completions were those short slants to get those clutch first downs. 3rd down after 3rd down they converted and keep drives going. The troubling thing is that these guys are so in-sync that no one else in the passing game is getting in the mix. Moeaki is coming off an injury but he had only one catch, the final TD of the game. The other receivers -- Terrence Copper, Verran Tucker, and Chris Chambers -- didn't even have to be on the field. What's going to happen when we need them to produce?
Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones (and DE Shaun Smith with "The Refrigerator" blast into the endzone!) What else can you say that hasn't been said. These guys are still running over everyone. Jamaal Charles alone ran for nearly 200.
Three, the offensive line. Hey, all of this could not happen without an O-line playing their souls out, and playing well. Branden Albert was out, and there were some early critical penalties that could have really cost us. But they picked it up, dealt splendidly with the loud Seattle crowd noise throughout, and made it so the highly efficient Cassel-Bowe-Charles-Jones machine could keep humming.
We're at home next week against Denver where we should be focusing on exacting a bit of revenge for the debacle in Denver a couple weeks ago. But then it is on to San Diego, the road game that will not only show even more whether or not we're a contender, but whether or not we'd be a genuine player in the post-season.
_
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Cardinals at Chiefs - Week 11 - Record: 6-4
Is this a schizophrenic team or what? We blow out teams at home, but struggle on the road. We are now 5-0 at home, 1-4 on the road. At home the team stats are eye-popping, on the road they are barely average. Who are we, really?
Today we pasted a very average Cardinals team whose quarterback seemed to be wearing glasses that made everyone appear two feet taller than they really were, so I can't crow too effusively about our team's performance today. But what I can say is honestly very encouraging.
Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe are showing that when they are on, they are one of the best passing tandems in the NFL. Last week they had fun out there in Denver, torching the Broncos with 400+ passing yardage after the game itself was decided. If you counted only the last half or so, the Chiefs actually won last week 29-14. But that was last week.
This week the Chiefs defense didn't allow the Cardinals to do much after they started the game again roaring down the field. Only yielding a field goal then allowed us to make great use of our running game. The dynamic duo Jones and Charles put up 159 on the ground, a grip of good yardage that is kind of the standard now for the Chiefs running game.
But then there is Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe. Cassel has 18 touchdowns on the season and only 4 interceptions. That is pretty danged great. I really like seeing our receivers get some real separation out there today making it easier for Cassel. Bowe for his part set a Chiefs record with his sixth straight game with a TD catch, and Bowe's fantasy league owners have been in a state of nirvana thus far. Critical in this game was the Chiefs 80-yard drive to start the second half, and very nice mix of runs and passes that showed what we can do.
The bazillion dollar question at this point: Can we do this kind of thing on the road?
Next week we go to Seattle. The Seahawks are pretty good but can be beaten. I truly think this will be the test. Again, will we show we are true contenders or not?
Can our offense hum like it did today in someone else's yard?
Furthermore, can our defense play with steady, sustained effectiveness -- especially in someone else's yard?
I was beginning to wonder if Dexter McCluster was that much of a factor, since he'd been out for several weeks. We also didn't have Tony Moeaki or John McGraw for today's game, and we had a banged up offensive line. Branden Albert went out with some injury today, and that concerns me. So another very crucial question is, how will our injury situation affect this team?
Next week, on the road. In Seattle is where the real question will be answered.
Are we actually truly really actually contenders?
We'll find out.
_
Is this a schizophrenic team or what? We blow out teams at home, but struggle on the road. We are now 5-0 at home, 1-4 on the road. At home the team stats are eye-popping, on the road they are barely average. Who are we, really?
Today we pasted a very average Cardinals team whose quarterback seemed to be wearing glasses that made everyone appear two feet taller than they really were, so I can't crow too effusively about our team's performance today. But what I can say is honestly very encouraging.
Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe are showing that when they are on, they are one of the best passing tandems in the NFL. Last week they had fun out there in Denver, torching the Broncos with 400+ passing yardage after the game itself was decided. If you counted only the last half or so, the Chiefs actually won last week 29-14. But that was last week.
This week the Chiefs defense didn't allow the Cardinals to do much after they started the game again roaring down the field. Only yielding a field goal then allowed us to make great use of our running game. The dynamic duo Jones and Charles put up 159 on the ground, a grip of good yardage that is kind of the standard now for the Chiefs running game.
But then there is Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe. Cassel has 18 touchdowns on the season and only 4 interceptions. That is pretty danged great. I really like seeing our receivers get some real separation out there today making it easier for Cassel. Bowe for his part set a Chiefs record with his sixth straight game with a TD catch, and Bowe's fantasy league owners have been in a state of nirvana thus far. Critical in this game was the Chiefs 80-yard drive to start the second half, and very nice mix of runs and passes that showed what we can do.
The bazillion dollar question at this point: Can we do this kind of thing on the road?
Next week we go to Seattle. The Seahawks are pretty good but can be beaten. I truly think this will be the test. Again, will we show we are true contenders or not?
Can our offense hum like it did today in someone else's yard?
Furthermore, can our defense play with steady, sustained effectiveness -- especially in someone else's yard?
I was beginning to wonder if Dexter McCluster was that much of a factor, since he'd been out for several weeks. We also didn't have Tony Moeaki or John McGraw for today's game, and we had a banged up offensive line. Branden Albert went out with some injury today, and that concerns me. So another very crucial question is, how will our injury situation affect this team?
Next week, on the road. In Seattle is where the real question will be answered.
Are we actually truly really actually contenders?
We'll find out.
_
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Chiefs at Broncos - Week 10 - Record: 5-4
I'm just going to write this and get it over with. The fourth quarter of this game hasn't even started and it's over. In fact this was over after the first touchdown the Broncos scored in the first minute of the game.
They'd said as the game began that the Broncos hadn't scored a point on their first possession in any game all season. Today they had four touchdowns in their first four possessions. They'd said that the Broncos running game was crap. Today they ran all over us. They also said their run defense was also crap. Of course, what do you think happened? We couldn't get anything on the ground. I'm pretty sure we got our first seven-yard run, our bread-and-butter all year, after we were down 21-0.
I'd seen that the Raiders beat the Broncos in Denver a few games ago, something like 59-14. How in the world did that same Broncos team get the same kind of score against us today? Sure it's the NFL. Those guys aren't Pop Warner out there. "Any given Sunday" is always applicable. Sometimes everything just goes against you and everything goes for the other guys such as it was in this game today. Yeah yeah, I know all that.
But it is official:
This Chiefs team just hasn't proven it is a true contending team. We should have known it all along. Sure the very very very nice 3-0 start was very nice. Very exhilarating -- thank you Chiefs for that. It was very fun, I do mean that. But since then, let's face it.
Our defense couldn't seal the deal against a very mediocre Houston team. We lost a game we had in the bag.
We had to go five quarters before barely beating a very beatable Buffalo team, at home.
Last week the Raiders were falling all over themselves handing us on a silver-and-black platter yet another Chiefs victory in Oakland -- a splendid gift we simply spilled all over the place.
We simply cannot win a road game -- or even avoid getting get massacred in one such as today. Since our squeaker on the road against Cleveland in the second week of the season an eternity ago, we're 0-4 on the road. Can't win on the road? -- It's a rule: You're not a contender.
What is it that really gets me about this team?
One, Matt Cassel. He drives me crazier and crazier. Some plays he's great, other plays he's plain awful. He was sacked, how many times today? Four or five? To give him credit, our banged up offensive line was banged up even more. Still, when the opponent takes out your running game by taking a massive lead early, you gotta have a passing game. Has anyone been really really really confident in our passing game at any point in the year? (Oh, and please, do you really think 400+ yards of mostly garbage-time passing yardage counts?... Really.)
Two, our defensive line. What kind of imposters were those guys out there today? Or were those guys who played so well earlier in the season the real imposters? Dorsey, Edwards, Jackson, Hali were thoroughly stood up today. Correction, if they were stood up that'd be a compliment. Really, they were pushed, shoved, kicked, mauled, completely mowed over by the Denver offensive line. It was utterly embarrassing. If those top-draft-pick guys -- you know them, Dorsey & Jackson -- if they don't come out of drifting back to being frighteningly average, we're not even remotely close to being contenders.
Three, the coaching. Were Todd Haley and his staff really prepared for this game? What do you really think? Maybe they did their best, fine. But it didn't mean a whole lot -- Denver's coaching staff was way more prepared. This was just one coaching staff kicking the pants off another. For one thing Denver's coaches were getting the very best from their fine QB Kyle Orton. He started the game regularly doing play action with a supposedly awful running game and getting away with it. Yes, our defensive backfield is also banged up, yes, I know. But where was the rest of our defense? Oh yeah... They were replaced by imposters, fergot.
What a wonderful word.
Forgot.
Definitely something to do with this piece-a- ----.
_
I'm just going to write this and get it over with. The fourth quarter of this game hasn't even started and it's over. In fact this was over after the first touchdown the Broncos scored in the first minute of the game.
They'd said as the game began that the Broncos hadn't scored a point on their first possession in any game all season. Today they had four touchdowns in their first four possessions. They'd said that the Broncos running game was crap. Today they ran all over us. They also said their run defense was also crap. Of course, what do you think happened? We couldn't get anything on the ground. I'm pretty sure we got our first seven-yard run, our bread-and-butter all year, after we were down 21-0.
I'd seen that the Raiders beat the Broncos in Denver a few games ago, something like 59-14. How in the world did that same Broncos team get the same kind of score against us today? Sure it's the NFL. Those guys aren't Pop Warner out there. "Any given Sunday" is always applicable. Sometimes everything just goes against you and everything goes for the other guys such as it was in this game today. Yeah yeah, I know all that.
But it is official:
This Chiefs team just hasn't proven it is a true contending team. We should have known it all along. Sure the very very very nice 3-0 start was very nice. Very exhilarating -- thank you Chiefs for that. It was very fun, I do mean that. But since then, let's face it.
Our defense couldn't seal the deal against a very mediocre Houston team. We lost a game we had in the bag.
We had to go five quarters before barely beating a very beatable Buffalo team, at home.
Last week the Raiders were falling all over themselves handing us on a silver-and-black platter yet another Chiefs victory in Oakland -- a splendid gift we simply spilled all over the place.
We simply cannot win a road game -- or even avoid getting get massacred in one such as today. Since our squeaker on the road against Cleveland in the second week of the season an eternity ago, we're 0-4 on the road. Can't win on the road? -- It's a rule: You're not a contender.
What is it that really gets me about this team?
One, Matt Cassel. He drives me crazier and crazier. Some plays he's great, other plays he's plain awful. He was sacked, how many times today? Four or five? To give him credit, our banged up offensive line was banged up even more. Still, when the opponent takes out your running game by taking a massive lead early, you gotta have a passing game. Has anyone been really really really confident in our passing game at any point in the year? (Oh, and please, do you really think 400+ yards of mostly garbage-time passing yardage counts?... Really.)
Two, our defensive line. What kind of imposters were those guys out there today? Or were those guys who played so well earlier in the season the real imposters? Dorsey, Edwards, Jackson, Hali were thoroughly stood up today. Correction, if they were stood up that'd be a compliment. Really, they were pushed, shoved, kicked, mauled, completely mowed over by the Denver offensive line. It was utterly embarrassing. If those top-draft-pick guys -- you know them, Dorsey & Jackson -- if they don't come out of drifting back to being frighteningly average, we're not even remotely close to being contenders.
Three, the coaching. Were Todd Haley and his staff really prepared for this game? What do you really think? Maybe they did their best, fine. But it didn't mean a whole lot -- Denver's coaching staff was way more prepared. This was just one coaching staff kicking the pants off another. For one thing Denver's coaches were getting the very best from their fine QB Kyle Orton. He started the game regularly doing play action with a supposedly awful running game and getting away with it. Yes, our defensive backfield is also banged up, yes, I know. But where was the rest of our defense? Oh yeah... They were replaced by imposters, fergot.
What a wonderful word.
Forgot.
Definitely something to do with this piece-a- ----.
_
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Chiefs at Raiders - Week 9 - Record: 5-3
I could say all kinds of things about the awful officiating crew covering today's game. We had some rotten calls against us, such as the completely meaningless holding call against Andy Studebaker that cost us three points. But the fact is we got some of those rotten calls to help us out. (We weren't even hurt by their total brainlock about what Chiefs down it was before our first touchdown.) This is what is really saddest: that the only reason we were actually in this game is that we benefitted from them.
Add to that this Raiders team was hopelessly abysmal in the first half, and still there is truly no reason we deserve to win this game. Both sides of their line were better than ours, and that alone made up for the fact that most of their play was completely inept. But they were a spirited team that got the job done when they had to. All I can think about is that third and long play from midfield just before the end of regulation with us up 20-17. We had a sure sack that we overran, then Brandon Flowers set up for an easy pick but he got bumped out of the way (very legally) by a more acquisitive receiver who snatched it from him. Next play, game-tying FG.
We'd beaten the Raiders seven straight in Oakland, and I just knew we couldn't keep that streak alive. This was as much the sports gods just making everything work for the Raiders when it had to as it was the Chiefs just not finishing -- yet again.
Yes, the Chiefs did finish last week against Buffalo, but we shouldn't have had either of these games be as close as they were.
Today Dwayne Bowe dropped another pass. Even Tony Moeaki dropped a pass. We had two or three dropped interceptions. Two long Javier Arenas runbacks -- one of them a touchdown -- were brought back by penalties. Our running game only got untracked in the second half. We still had far too many 3rd-and-1's that we just couldn't convert. We didn't have a single good, solid, significant drive that we could proudly say the mix of our playcalling and execution got the job done. Not a one.
And probably the most important factor in this mix is Matt Cassel. Is there a single Chiefs fan who isn't driven absolutely crazy by this guy? I'm in a complete schizophrenic state in trying to figure him out. He is a true gamer, a vicious competitor who you want leading the charge. But then he does things like float an idiotic duck into the end zone that gets easily picked off at the most inopportune time, with less than a minute left in the first half and a chance to get at least a field goal and go up 13-0.
Yes, there were a lot of stupid things that happened in the Raiders favor today, but you know? There were just as many for the Chiefs that kept us in the game.
We have a talented team. If we want a contending team our in-game minds had better be much more focused.
_
I could say all kinds of things about the awful officiating crew covering today's game. We had some rotten calls against us, such as the completely meaningless holding call against Andy Studebaker that cost us three points. But the fact is we got some of those rotten calls to help us out. (We weren't even hurt by their total brainlock about what Chiefs down it was before our first touchdown.) This is what is really saddest: that the only reason we were actually in this game is that we benefitted from them.
Add to that this Raiders team was hopelessly abysmal in the first half, and still there is truly no reason we deserve to win this game. Both sides of their line were better than ours, and that alone made up for the fact that most of their play was completely inept. But they were a spirited team that got the job done when they had to. All I can think about is that third and long play from midfield just before the end of regulation with us up 20-17. We had a sure sack that we overran, then Brandon Flowers set up for an easy pick but he got bumped out of the way (very legally) by a more acquisitive receiver who snatched it from him. Next play, game-tying FG.
We'd beaten the Raiders seven straight in Oakland, and I just knew we couldn't keep that streak alive. This was as much the sports gods just making everything work for the Raiders when it had to as it was the Chiefs just not finishing -- yet again.
Yes, the Chiefs did finish last week against Buffalo, but we shouldn't have had either of these games be as close as they were.
Today Dwayne Bowe dropped another pass. Even Tony Moeaki dropped a pass. We had two or three dropped interceptions. Two long Javier Arenas runbacks -- one of them a touchdown -- were brought back by penalties. Our running game only got untracked in the second half. We still had far too many 3rd-and-1's that we just couldn't convert. We didn't have a single good, solid, significant drive that we could proudly say the mix of our playcalling and execution got the job done. Not a one.
And probably the most important factor in this mix is Matt Cassel. Is there a single Chiefs fan who isn't driven absolutely crazy by this guy? I'm in a complete schizophrenic state in trying to figure him out. He is a true gamer, a vicious competitor who you want leading the charge. But then he does things like float an idiotic duck into the end zone that gets easily picked off at the most inopportune time, with less than a minute left in the first half and a chance to get at least a field goal and go up 13-0.
Yes, there were a lot of stupid things that happened in the Raiders favor today, but you know? There were just as many for the Chiefs that kept us in the game.
We have a talented team. If we want a contending team our in-game minds had better be much more focused.
_
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)