The 2016 Kansas City Chiefs: Yes, They Are Contenders
If you had any doubts, now would be the time to shelve them. These 2016 Kansas City Chiefs are contenders and are just as capable as any team in the league as going all the way to Houston, Texas on February 4, 2017, and hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of Super Bowl 51.
Universally accepted as the best division in the National Football League, the AFC is rife with talent. There will likely be three teams from the west who get tickets to the playoffs in January. Besides the Chiefs, the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders are also pretty damn good. The Chiefs have beaten both of these teams this season. In their house. There is only one other team who has done that this season. That is the Atlanta Falcons. Yesterday, the Chiefs walked into the Georgia Dome and proved they weren’t the flukes many have cast them off to be.
The thing about these Chiefs is they are not winning conventionally. Prior to yesterday’s game the Chiefs were 24th in total offense and 28th in total defense, in relations to total yards per game. While yards aren’t everything, the offense is right in the middle of the pack in regards to points per game. Just looking at the box score, there is absolutely no reason the Chiefs should be doing as well as they are. But they are.
On the offensive side of the ball, Alex Smith played a great game. Smith only had four incompletions on the game, and two of those were blatant, and out-of-character drops by Chris Conley. Passing the ball with 84 percent accuracy for 270 yards and a touchdown is generally enough to get the job done. There was a great mix of intermediate passing and some deep throws as well. To go along with Smith’s day, Kelce had a career-high 140 yards on the day as well, the recipient of eight Smith passes. While the offense wasn’t “on fire” it looked better than it has in weeks.
There are still the nay sayers out there. This infamous Twitter-Ninja Alex Hater had this to say:
@alexis_sand2@LanceTHESPOKEN The offense scored 13 points today. This is the luckiest Chiefs team I’ve ever seen, and they will fold.
— Clay Wendler (@ClayWendler) December 4, 2016
While I disagree fundamentally with everything Clay Wendler has to say, he’s half right in this tweet. The offense scored 13 points today. And that shouldn’t have been enough to beat the high flying Falcons. But it was because this team isn’t just about offense. It’s about defense. Not just that, it’s about opportunistic defense that not only will come after you, but come after you and cause you to make mistakes. Not only will they come after you and cause you to make mistakes, but they’ll make you pay for those mistakes by scoring points of their own, or at least put the offense in a prime position to score quickly.
Let’s not forget that while this team’s defense is near the bottom in yards allowed, it leads the league in turnover differential with a +15. And that has made all the difference in the world this season.
Beyond the offense and the defense, this is the most special, special teams unit this team has ever had. With the exception of Cairo “Doink” Santos having his opening touchdown point after try blocked, Dave Toub’s warriors took over.
Reid gave all the credit to Toub in the post-game press conference for dialing up the fourth-and-two fake punt that sent Albert Wilson on a 55-yard scamper to the end zone. What a play call. And perhaps the most amazing part was Wilson’s insight into the play, saying that particular piece of genius was installed this week, specifically for the Falcons because of the type of coverage they use with their punt team.
What a play. I mean, it was so unexpected I missed it when it happened. I had to rewind my DVR and watch it a second and third time before I finally realized exactly what it was I was witnessing. To continue with the surprise of beating teams many people say they can’t players on the roster are stepping who I never thought would. Last week it was Demetrius Harris, and this week it was Albert Wilson.
I have personally called for Wilson to be cut from this team for several weeks. He gives up on routes, he gives up on blocks and he just doesn’t look like he wants to play football half the time. Today was a different story. In addition to the run for the touchdown, he was catching passes, fighting for yards and generally balling out. I guess he can stay. I guess.
The day, this article and this team would not be complete without talking about Eric Berry. First, I’ll say if you’re not an Eric Berry fan, I don’t really know what you’re doing here. Sometimes he’s not the “greatest” in coverage. Sometimes he gets beat. But I’ve never seen a defensive player who just “wills” a win. I mean, I’m sure you saw the “memes” on the internet, but Berry was responsible for more points than the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers or the Los Angeles Rams put up. As a team. And he plays defense.
Obviously the pick-six to close out the first half was epic. Berry read Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan’s eyes perfectly and made sure he was in the right spot to pick off the ball. But as the Falcons scored the final touchdown of the game, putting them up by one point and deflating many Chiefs’ fans hopes, Berry didn’t give up. After the game, Berry indicated that his father taught him the extra point is one of the most important points of the game and not to take that play off. He most certainly didn’t as read Ryan’s eyes a second time, and took another of his passes to the house. This time though, it was game, set and match. The Falcons would have the opportunity to get the ball back. And all in front of his home town. I don’t know if you saw it, but after his pick-six he found his mother and gave her the ball. I got something in my eye right about that time. Just awesome. I don’t care what he costs. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t know if I want to be a fan of a Chiefs team without Eric Berry. I love him that much as a player.
Teams aren’t supposed to win this way, but the Chiefs do. And now, there are four games left. The Chiefs play the next three within the friendly confines of Arrowhead Stadium, which despite what the major networks would have you believe, absolutely IS the loudest stadium in the world. Two of those games are against the Tennessee Titans and the Broncos. The Chiefs close out the regular season against the San Diego Chargers in Southern California.
But the first game of their three-game home stand? Three short days away, under the lights of Thursday Night Football. Guys and gals, don’t look now, but it’s RAIDER WEEK!