All Is Right In the NFL:
Chiefs – 2016 AFC West Champs
by Frank Leggio
This was another fun game to watch. The San Diego Chargers put up a good fight and showed they have some talent. It is unfortunate they had so many injuries this year. However, Philip Rivers did as I expected and produced a couple of interceptions, one in the endzone. That isn’t to say he lost the game for his team, as Kansas City played a strong game in all phases.
There were several parts of the game that stood out to me. While these are highlights, they should also be noted because most were produced by our second tier players. This is a testament to the leadership team (recruiting, GM, coaching) for the Chiefs.
Offense
With Spencer Ware out due to a rib injury, Charcandrick West took on the starting running back role. In recent games, West hasn’t produced the kind of stats we saw last year, so this was a worry early on.
While West finished the day with 58 rushing yards on 16 carries (3.6 average) and no touchdowns, he also contributed in the passing game as the top receiver. In receiving he racked up another 58 yards on 5 receptions (11.6 average) and 2 touchdowns. The 2 touchdowns were on identical plays, which was also a little strange in the NFL.
The other stand out to me was Chris Conley finally getting involved in the offense in a meaningful way. He contributed 55 receiving yards on 4 receptions (13.8 average). It is good to see Alex Smith throwing his way (5 targets) and Conley bringing in the ball. Going into the playoffs with a stable of receivers like Maclin, Kelce, Hill, and Conley (not to mention Ware and West out of the backfield) is a good thing.
Alex Smith played his usual (win the) game manager role and put up a 264 yard, 75% completion rate, 21 rushing yard, 3 touchdown day. It is good to see him running a bit when things break down. He was able to connect with 7 different receivers on the day, spreading out the 21 receptions. His only real blemish was the interception that was returned for a touchdown. Even on this play, it wasn’t all on him. The ball was tipped at the line and Knile Davis didn’t do much to help out.
Defense
Although the defense gave up 20 points (not counting the pick six) to an injured Chargers team, there were still some highlights worth mentioning.
Daniel Sorensen came up with a key interception for the Chiefs. With the Chargers on the KC 18, 2nd down with 7 yards to go, Rivers attempted a pass into the end zone to Isaiah Burse. With the score sitting at KC 17 – SD 10, this was critical. Sorensen also finished the game as the second-leading tackler (6 all solo) and with 2 passes defended.
With the loss of Derrick Johnson for the season, the inside linebacker position has become a source of worry on the defensive side of the ball. Ramik Wilson stepped up in this game with a team-leading 13 tackles (11 solo), 1 for a loss, and 1 pass defended. We still need another solid inside guy, so here’s to hoping the buy week gives the coaches enough time to plug that hole.
Special Teams
Tyreek Hill has continued to demonstrate his elite return ability, as a matter of fact, in addition to eluding and fighting off the Chargers cover team, he also had to stiff arm fellow Chief, Steven Nelson, to stay in bounds and score. As you can see in the video below, he is confident in his ability and is showing good vision to work through the coverage. Then it is off to the races.
The ability of the special teams group may end up making the difference in the playoffs. I mentioned in a prior article how Kansas City doesn’t just have a good defense or offense or special teams, they have a great team. I continue to see this each week. Where one phase may not be firing on all cylinders another phase picks up the slack. This will need to continue for us to go deep into the playoffs and win the Superbowl.
Wrap Up
We finally see the offense scoring (3 touchdowns), special teams scoring (1 touchdown), kicking (3/3 FGs & 4/4 XPs), defense against an elite quarterback (269 yards and a QBR of 29.7) with 2 INTs. In watching the game and reviewing the stats, it was pretty clear that we aren’t limited by a few elite playmakers. There are contributions from the stars and the role players. The team has depth we can count on to step in and make plays. This will make KC dangerous as we move forward.
Opposing teams won’t be able to focus a game plan on a player or two. They need to game plan for just about anything. Honestly, my biggest worry, is Andy Reid outthinking himself during the playoffs. If he can develop a plan that spreads the ball around to the playmakers on offense and not do something stupid (like try to use Demetrius Harris too much, with Travis Kelce or Hill as a decoy), then we should be good.
Look Back
As Jason Seibel did yesterday, I wanted to take a look back at my prediction for the year in an article Laddie Morse posted. Here is what I wrote:
Frank’s Feeling the Future: Frank Leggio
Prediction: 12-4
Taking a look at the schedule for this year, and trying very hard to not be too much of a homer, I came up with a record of 12-4, with 2 games that could be games we give away. I have us going 7-1 at home this year. Two reasons being we are strong at home and we have some weak teams coming in this year. I think we could drop the home game to Oakland. They are on the rise and played us tough in recent years.
This obviously leaves us with a 5-3 road record. I see us giving up games to Pittsburgh, Carolina, and Indianapolis. These teams are solid, throw in being on the road and I give them the edge. If these were at home, I’d say we take 2 of the 3. The two games we could drop are Oakland and San Diego away. Again, Oakland has been playing us tough recently. The San Diego game could be another of those final games of the season where we sit the starters. Couple that with it being away and this one is risky.
What did I get right?
– Final record of 12-4
– Loss to Pittsburgh
– Oakland played us tough at home
What was I close on?
– Home record of 6-2, instead of 7-1
– Road record of 6-2, instead of 5-3
– Beat Carolina thanks to a Marcus Peters strip, but it was close
– Although they were close games, Lost to Texans, Buccaneers, and Titans
Where did I miss?
– Oakland away wasn’t as close as I thought
– Beat Indianapolis
– San Diego away wasn’t as close as I thought
Considering the multitude of factors that can happen during a season (injuries, emergence of stars, resting starters, etc.) I am pretty happy with the prediction.
Parting Shot
As I was looking at bits and pieces of the Denver vs. Oakland game, I had a strange sense of deja vu. And then it hit me. I had seen this same thing on TV only a few hours before. Here’s a pic of where I saw it before.
Until next week, there’s The Rub.
