Seahawks at Chiefs - Week 11 - Record: 7-3

This team comes through big-time clutch again.

A back-and-forth affair the Chiefs worked their ay-snnns off to win. This Seattle team was as good as advertised, the Super Bowl champions still with many of their key guys workin' us over in this one. Their running game immense, their D still stout as ever. But in the end, the grinding Chiefs took it.

We started with two very nice drives, one a long one another a short one, both ending with touchdowns (Jamaal TD runs, what else?) Then it started to get dicey. The Chiefs actually could've done more to put this one away early but two fumbles on two possessions in the middle of the game really hurt us. The Seahawks actually went ahead early in the 3rd quarter with a touchdown pass to -- OUCH -- former Chiefs tight end Tony Moeaki.

Also nerve-wracking was Russell Wilson's running. Where was Eric Berry or someone to shadow that guy? He seemed to wiggle his way out of every pocket collapse, and scamper for far too much yardage. The good thing was that Wilson's passing accuracy was just not fully there today.

But then, damn, this pass defense. Who'd've thought these guys would be so smothering? No Brandon Flowers, no Eric Berry for much of the season -- the guys we have out there are Ron Harper, Kurt Coleman, Husain Abdullah, Phillip Gaines... Who are these guys? Good thing Berry is back, and there is veteran Sean Smith playing big. Whoever they are, they work to make this team the one with the best pass defense in the NFL. Whuhh? Yeah, how about that.

Thing is, as I look at this pass defense, these guys are really all over those receivers. Know how in years before the other team's receivers would get great separation on us? How annoying. Meanwhile this year, our guys are a rancidly wet blanket on their guys. That game against the Broncos, second game of the year, the one we lost by only a touchdown? I see that as a key game, because we learned how to blow up the opposing offense's pick and misdirection routes. Our D-backs are very good at helping one another out, no receiver getting too untracked to make any destructively big play. We do get a little soft sometimes -- we gave up two receiving touchdowns, but that was it.

And it helps with our run defense being beast too, yet again another day without allowing a rushing score. Twice close to the goal line Seattle sent Marshawn Lynch into the line, and we stopped him both times. Twice Seattle had a fourth and very short, and we stopped them both times, the last one late in the game when our D-line stood them up.

Our play was terrific in the trenches, and it is a cliche, I know -- this is where football games are won. On offense Jamaal got untracked with the help of that O-line. But you have to give a heads-up to Alex Smith, who I'm watching a bit more closely and realizing how slick he is off the snap. He beautifully ran that quasi-option pitch to Jamaal for that one-yard touchdown run.

And one more shout out, this to the special teams. First we had great runbacks, two of them from Davis and Thomas, each one preceding the two costly fumbles from Jamaal and Travis Kelce. Secondly, when we had 4th down with three minutes left holding that four point lead, we really needed to pin the Seahawks deep. Sure enough, there was the great punt by Colquitt, and as the ball headed into the endzone, there was Junior Hemingway to leap at the ball, grab it, and toss it back for Albert Wilson to bat it down keeping it from being a touchback.

Seahawks ball at their four. Bah-bam. What a play.

And it was those receivers who made the play.

They weren't out there actually catching the ball. Did you know of our pure wide receivers, meaning not tight ends or scatbacks (namely De'Anthony Thomas), only Dwayne Bowe had any catches. And even then, only a couple. And still none of them touchdowns. And we still didn't have Donnie Avery. And A.J. Jenkins was out injured. I mean, did any wideouts besides Bowe even line up today? Weird: our D doesn't allow a rushing touchdown, still, but our O can't get a wide receiver to score. Still.

But then, I wonder...

I keep hearing -- of the little I do hear about -- I keep hearing about the job Andy Reid is doing. Because our running game is so efficient, because Alex Smith is so smooth out there with the short passing game, because we can play grind-it football so well...

Is that such a big deal?

Is Andy Reid doing such a fine job that he doesn't even have to worry about a wide receiver game?

That question just scares me. Yes, I'd love for it to be true. I'd love for us to find that splendid wide receiver package when we need it, but for now we're doing fine. But... what about when we really need those receivers to show up? I'd love for that to happen. Are they for real and just being kept in Reid's back pocket for now? Hmm. I'm just not sure.

For now, Reid is proficiently leading a squad deftly executing well at every other facet of the game.

I can go for being 7-3 and now tied with Denver for the top spot in the AFC West.

I can go for that.
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