Chiefs: Week One Review and a Quick Preview for Week Two vs. the Chargers
David Bell
Week one rolled along, and the Chiefs traveled to Arizona to face the Cardinals. The outcome was delightful as the Chiefs won 44-21. I had predicted 38-20. KC performed admirably with a slew of new players on both sides of the ball, and there were many superlatives. In the football world of punditry and analysis, they either gushed about the juggernaut offense and Patrick Mahomes or cried out: “Woe is me”! Be that as it may, the Chief’s offense was prolific.
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Mahomes passed the ball to 9 different receivers. In an earlier article, I wrote about the effectiveness of having multiple receivers be a target and asked: Who are you going to defend? Whatever the determination was, the Cardinals had no means of stopping the potent Chiefs offense. Travis Kelce, who I thought would be the primary candidate to double-team, racked up his 30th game with 100 yards receiving or more. I immediately thought that the ground game helped keep the cornerbacks honest but also, Mahomes didn’t hesitate to go to the other players.
Impressed by the Chiefs Offensive Prowess?
From the notes I made about the game, here is how well the offense performed:
9 players caught passes from Mahomes. Kelce 121 yards, 1 TD. This was an outstanding game by the Chiefs. 33 first downs on 66 plays by the offense, 6 TDs, and 1 FG. Excellent output by the offense. On defense, they stymied the Cardinals offense most of the game and only gave up 1 point over the 20-point magic number. The defense played well despite the number of rookies and newcomers to the defensive side of the ball.
JuJu had 79 yards receiving. I think it was notable that Justin Reid was able to handle the kickoffs. Reid booted kickoffs into the end-zone-with-no-returns. He also made 1 of 2 extra points. Our kicker came back for a long FG, which is an amazing story itself: PK Harrison Butker kicked a 54-yard field goal coming back after he injured his ankle on a previous kick.
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Andy Reid did not mention Willie Gay regarding an injury in his post-game presser. The offense had 488 Total Yards and was 5-8 on third down efficiency. Travis Kelce had 8 catches for 121, MVS 4 for 44, and JuJu Smith-Schuster for 79.
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JuJu was, unfortunate when he turned the ball over, which was the only T/O by the Chiefs in the game. I note that PMII had targeted him frequently during the game. Patrick Mahomes was 30-39, 360 yards, 5 TDs, and 144.2 QBR. Pacheco had 12 Carries, for 62 yards, and 1 TD.
3 players had carries gaining more than 18 yards or more: CEH, Pacheco, and McKinnon (only 18 such gains in all of 2021). CEH had 3 catches for 32 yards, and 2 TDs. The Chiefs had 128 rushing yards during the game using 3 ball carriers: CEH, Jerick McKinnon, and Isiah Pacheco (who did an excellent job in his first NFL Game).
All in All: Mahomes and the offense shut many nay-sayer’s mouths on Sunday. I was ecstatic about this. From Justin Miles at Chiefs Focus:
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“The Chiefs spent time beefing up their offensive line this offseason and it proved to be a job well done as not a single sack was allowed. On the flip side, the defense tallied up 3 sacks and had a great overall performance. Nick Bolton and L’Jarius Sneed took charge and racked up 18 total tackles. There were a lot of good things demonstrated that will not show in the stats but are crucial to winning a football game. For example, the O-line also did a great job run blocking and setting up other guys to succeed. We saw some great coverage from the defense and they were flying around. While not every snap was picture-perfect, it is only week 1 and we will only look to improve from here. Especially defensively.”
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Injury List Concerning Due to the Short Turnaround
The Injury List is concerning due to the short turnaround time to week two’s game on Thursday vs. The Chargers. No injury will incur a long rehab time, which is good news. From all appearances, Mahomes and Butker will be able to go.
- Patrick Mahomes – injured his left hand breaking his fall (PM II played the rest of the game and reported on Monday that x-rays were negative).
- McDuffie – hamstring – reported hamstring strain. The severity is unknown. MRI being performed – no updated status as of 2:30 PM Monday)
- Butker – ankle – Injured his ankle on a kickoff (Kickoff duty fell to Justin Reid, who performed admirably. Butker later returned to kick the 54-yarder).
- Trey Smith – ankle – Ankle sprain, he tried to return but couldn’t – severity is unknown.
- Justin Watson – chest – no information on the type and severity of the injury.
About the New Look, Very Young Defense
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I can’t call out a bunch of magnificent plays, but I can call attention to the defense’s successes. As a unit, they actioned their task with speed, hard-hitting tacking, and decisive play. It was a solid defensive effort overall, acting in unison (the Four C’s). The Cardinals final 2 scores came in garbage time. Arizona wasn’t in the game after the first quarter was in the book. The only real downside was the injury to McDuffie.
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Real Defensive Positive Notes
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- Nick Bolton led all tacklers – 10T, 1 TFL.
- The defense held the worrisome Kylar Murray to 29-yards when he ran the football.
- Frank Clark and George Karlaftis kept Murray turned inside.
- Jones and Karlaftis both had deflected passes.
- Carlos Dunlap – recorded a sack.
- CJ – 1T, 1 PBU, 1 FF.
- Tershawn Wharton was very active: 4-tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, and 1 QB hit.
- Rashad Fenton – 5T, 1 PBU.
- L’Jarius Sneed*- 8T, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 QB hits, and 1 PBU.
- Juan Thornhill – 1T, 2 PBU.
- The defense held Arizona to 21 points(one over the margin number of 20).
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As I focused on the defensive effort, I was pleased that many different players were involved. Cullen rolled the Front Four players in and out of the game. The DEs prevented outside runs from breaking for long gains. They kept the Cardinals at 100 net yards on the ground, under 200 yards in the aerial game, allowing 179 yards in the air.
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The defense stopped the Cardinals on 3 of 12 third down plays. An excellent outing by the defense.
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After McDuffie left the game, Jaylen Watson entered the game as the outside CB. Fenton, Sneed, and McDuffie closed up hard and fast to support the run defense. Lammons had a tackle. A similar effort from the safety positions was made by Reid, Thornhill, Bush, Cook, and more. Spagnuolo and Co. have a different animal with which to contend: a clear Tier-1 team as the Chargers come to town. My primary impression of the defense in the game vs. Arizona was the players showed up, and the rookies proved their mettle, playing very well.
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Special Teams
Dave Toub’s unit played exceptionally well, despite the injury to Butker. Justin Reid’s filling in on kickoffs was effective (and he also went 1-2 on XPs). Butker was 4-4 on XPs and 1-1 on his 54-yard FG. For the return game:
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- Skyy Moore: 1 kick return-23 yards, and 4 punt returns-41 yards
- Isiah Pacheco: 1 kick return,- 22 yards
- Tommy Townsend – 2 punts, 108 yards, 1 touchback
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Week One was a good outing overall. On the defensive side of S/T, the Chiefs did allow 68 yards to one return man – Eno Benjamin. Townsend, as noted, had one punt with no return (a touch back), and the other return allowed a -1 yard.
Week 2: Thursday Night Versus the Chargers
The Chiefs have a deep roster capable of handling the potential absences of players in week two. My biggest worry is McDuffie. Both teams will be on equal footing, having to play on a short week. Perhaps there is an advantage in that the Chargers have to travel for the game at Arrowhead. The Chargers also reported one significant injury from their game vs. the Raiders. In-Division games are always rough and tumble, but LAC came out of week one in good shape. Their most significant loss appears to be one of Justin Herbert’s primary targets: Keenan Allen. He is questionable for week two.
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In Week two, the Chiefs face the Chargers, an AFC West foe. Justin Herbert is at the helm. Allen’s ability to go on Thursday would be a negative for LAC, but they are still a very talented team with capable WRs, even if Allen can’t play. During their week one contest with the Raiders, they struggled at times on offense, and the Raiders had the opportunity to score and win the game. Watching the contest was interesting because of this week’s game. The Raiders are starting in the hole, 0-1, with LAC coming to town 1-0. Their injury report was pretty clean. So they should be a full complement of starters, perhaps, sans Keenan Allen. In a 17-game season, injuries are part of the game. The Chiefs have sufficient depth to counter their Injury List.
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Watching the Chiefs in pre-season and week one, I don’t see negatives that arouse my concern. The Chiefs are playing at home, and LAC travels in the process. I predicted earlier that the Chiefs were on a mission, and this game would go in the win column. My prediction at that time was 34-24. At this point, I don’t see a reason to shift the Chiefs offensive output. Perhaps the Chargers score once more, making it 34-31. However, I like what I saw from the defense on Sunday, so I will let that prediction stand.
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David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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