Kansas City Chiefs First Quarter Review
Wow, what a quarter of a season. I have spent the last several days mulling it over in my mind and purposely not reading other articles. The Chiefs finish the first quarter a rather uninspiring 2-2 that keeps them in the hunt, but doesn’t put them in a good position. The final game of the quarter was an utter debacle in Pittsburgh. So, let’s start with that.
The One Bad Game Theory
This is a personal theory of mine. Each team, every year has a bad, inexplicable game. The same Sunday the Chiefs showed up in primetime and got embarrassed, the Patriots got shut out. The Pittsburgh game goes into ‘one bad game’ category. However, we do need to place it in context.
The 10-6, 6-10 Differential
The talent level in the NFL is spread quite evenly. The difference between a 10-6 team and a 6-10 team is not much at all. A couple of balls bounce the right way, you catch a team at a good (or bad) time, you stay fairly healthy (or not). All those variables can create a variance of four wins. That is one reason that John Dorsey is looking for high ceiling athletes. He is looking to move the Chiefs above the 10-6, 6-10 mass of teams.
Offensive Offense
Through four games, when has the Chiefs offense looked good? They looked really good in the second half of the San Diego game (home game). They looked solid and efficient in the first half of the Jets game (another home game). That’s it, A1’ers. The rest of the time, they looked out of synch. Why? At the beginning of the season, I talked about my concerns about the Guard positions. The Chiefs played one game with their starting guards and they started Jordan Devey, who started the season on the practice squad. LDT, Ehinger, and Jah Reid have all missed games. As a result, the key area of offensive line cohesion has been lacking and you see the results on the field. I think that is the biggest reason the offense hasn’t played well, but it’s not the only reason.
Defensive Air Cover?
Or really lack thereof. The run defense started poorly, but has played relatively well since the first half against San Diego. However, without Justin Houston, the Chiefs are not generating big plays or applying consistent pressure on opposing QB’s. The secondary has been a disaster. No, this is not hyperbole. When has the secondary, and the defense as a whole look good? The second half of the San Diego game, period. That’s after the Chargers lost their best receiver, Keenan Allen. Some may argue the Jets game, but I don’t buy it. The Jets moved the ball up and down the field all day against the Chiefs. Ryan Fitzpatrick started forcing the ball, resulting in several of those interceptions. The Chiefs got and unreal eight turnovers, yet won by only three touchdowns. A team that wins the turnover battle 8-1, should win by 35+ points.
Lucky Chiefs
Yes, I think the Chief are lucky to be 2-2. They are an injury to Keenan Allen and Ryan Fitzpatrick trying to imitate Aaron Rodgers away from 0-4.
Houston, We Have a Problem
All through the Jamaal Charles rehab, we got status updates on his progress. What have we heard about Justin Houston’s progress? Not much, only “November”. No news is not good news, in my opinion. The Chiefs may be without an effective Justin Houston for the entire season.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Through this all, I am actually fairly optimistic. The Chiefs have the talent and Andy Reid is a good coach. The season is not lost, but it’s not in great shape either. The Chiefs need to solidify the offensive line, generate some more pressure (Dadi Nicolas time?), and the secondary has to mature some. Right now, the Chiefs are in that 10-6, 6-10 morass. Where they go is anyone’s guess. One big worry though: the Raiders are 3-0 on the road this year, the Chiefs are 0-2. What is the first game of the second quarter for the Chiefs? On the road, against the Raiders. A statement win on the road against the Raiders would do a lot to ease concerns.
And that’s my Guide to the Kingdom.
