Of course all of us Chiefs fans are salivating. Let's see, will we get 50? 60? 70 points against this team??? Of course of course that means if we're going to win the score will have to be something like 70-67, because the Saints offense is extraordinary. Their quarterback Drew Brees is still terrific.
Turns out we ended up winning 27-21, so what was this? Was this because our offense was pathetic or their defense is better than the stats say? Was this because their offense was pathetic or our defense actually did pretty damn good against this Saints team?
I think there was some of all that in the mix with this one, but there were a lot of other things that happened that got us the win -- some really really good that showed we earned this, some really really bad that almost cost us, and some really really lucky that were tremendously helpful for us.
Let's go over each item in chronological order.
1. On our first drive Alex Smith barely overthrew Maclin and Harris on consecutive plays. Errgh. We were driving down the field with great Spencer Ware running and I was afraid this'd be another typical Smith blow-it -- just not being able to make those connections. When the Saints got the ball they drove right down the field and scored a touchdown.
2. On our next drive Spencer Ware caught one of those Chiefs specialty wide screen passes, and he ran it all the way for a touchdown. Very nice Spencer Ware specialness.
4. The Kansas City fans were unquestionably a key part of this home win, as they often are. As the game wore on there were more and more false starts and delay-of-games by the Saints.
5. Alex Smith finally aired it out to Tyreek Hill and he made a splendidly acrobatic catch in the end zone for the Chiefs third touchdown of the first half. Finally finally finally.
6. Alex Smith was still, however, missing receivers breaking open. On one play he threw underneath for an incompletion, and the back-of-the-end-zone camera view showed Maclin and Kelce both getting a step on their defenders. Smith has shown he can make those throws. Why doesn't he?
7. The Saints get another easy-drive touchdown to start the second half, making the score 21-14. We get a decent drive and get a field goal, but of course I'm thinking: to keep a step ahead of the Saints we've got to get a touchdown -- a field goal is just not good enough.
8. On 3rd-&-7 Eric Berry makes another stud play, tackling a receiver after a catch just before the marker. The 4th quarter started shortly after that.
So with the score 24-14, here is that quarter:
9. Chiefs have the ball and simply must have a sustained clock-chewing keep-Brees-off-the-field drive. They start okay, with Spencer Ware running the ball well as he did all day. But then what could have been a key play against the Chiefs: Demetrius Harris drops a pass right in his hands on 3rd-&-6. Tuh-riffic.
10. Will our defense do the job? It looked bad yet again, as Brees resumed his carving-us-up activities. But then -- probably the most critical defensive play of the game, with the Saints in the red zone -- Ron Parker jabs the ball out of their go-to back's arm and we recover. Wow, was that big.
11. Alas, our offense dragged again. What was with this? At this point I'm screaming inside -- we have a total of 3 second-half points against this defense. Thuh-ree. Then we got another of those great clutch wonderful plays that meant a lot -- and Alex Smith was a key guy. On 3rd and 17, he fired a laser accurate pass to Chris Conley on the sideline, with Conley using his strong hands to hold it getting both feet barely in-bounds for the first down. The Saints tried to challenge, but it was clearly a good catch.
12. Thing is, right after that great play we stalled again. We tried a screen pass to our back and it failed again -- I just can't figure why, with this team, we simply can't get a decent screen pass to a back out of the backfield. 4th down.
13. Still 24-14, and the Saints start slicing-&-dicing again, and get in the red zone. With no meaningful pass rush Brees moves around a bit and fires a bullet to his receiver in the end zone surrounded by what I think was 57 Chiefs defenders. 24-21. You are kidding me. I kinda got the idea this was a team we should be ahead of by more like, oh, 49-21. This game could be lost simply because our offense wasn't getting any game-sealing touchdowns.
14. With a little over two minutes left, they try an onsides kick. Jeremy Maclin brushes the ball out of bounds keeping their guy from snatching it. Another of those good, solid, heads-up, and certainly somewhat fortuitous plays that was really good for us.
15. We just need to run clock, and run a few times without much success. But after one of those runs a Saints lineman body-slammed Spencer Ware to the ground. Personal foul penalty, 1st down Chiefs, now in field goal range. We run the ball a few more times, kick the field goal, leaving the Saints down by a touchdown with only a half-minute and no time outs.
They simply do not have enough time and we finish them off 27-21.
What happened with that? I'm thrilled that we won, but please.
We had the scantest of SIX points in the entire second half. Sorry fellow Chiefs fans, but against THIS defense? That stinks. And we got a ton of help from nine Saints penalties that netted us a total gift of 70 yards.
On the other hand, our defense did some terrific things. A pick-six. A forced fumble. Several key stops against this explosive defense. Great individual efforts in key spots and we needed every one of them.
That our offense scored only 27? That's crap. That our defense held them to 21? That's fantastic.
Sorry Chiefs fans. Yeah it's nice to be at 4-2...
But dang it we still have a long way to go to show we can confidently take care of business when we must against a very good team.
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