Kareem Hunt Kicks Butt, Butkicker
Struggles, The Defense Shows Up,
and Denver’s Next
by Paul Pulley
Kareem Hunt Kickin’ It
Kareem Hunt rushed for 86 yards and 1 touchdown Sunday night. It seemed like he broke at least one tackle for every yard he gained. The Bengals looked more like the Bungles trying to tackle Hunt. Kareem just wasn’t going to be stopped and there wasn’t anything Cincinnati could do that worked. There was one play that a Bengal defender was able to tackle Hunt one on one, then of course there is the play everyone is talking about where Hunt spins out of a Kirkpatrick attempted tackle, hurdles Bates and plows into three or four Bengals defenders, carrying them for about nine additional yards. An absolutely incredible play. Hunts two touchdown receptions weren’t all that shabby either.
Harrison Butker Missin’ It (One)
To say that the Chiefs place kicker, Harrison Butker, struggled might be an exaggeration, but Butker missed a field goal for the first time this season. The missed kick was a 53 yard attempt in windy conditions so it isn’t anything to be concerned about.
However, I thought Butker’s kickoffs, especially in the first half were subpar for him. Having a kickoff end up out of bounds is not a good thing as this gives the opponent the ball at their 40 yard line. Butker rebounded very well and had all solid kicks in the second half of the game.
The Defense Showin’ Up
What about this defense! These guys actually looked like a real NFL defense Sunday night. I’m not sure if the defense of the Chiefs made he Bengals look so bad or the ineptitude of the Bungles made the Chiefs D look good, but I can’t wait until Sunday to see if the Chiefs defense can have a repeat performance against the Donkeys.
There were a lot of bright spots for the Kansas City Chiefs defense Sunday night, good coverage by the D-backs, good play by the inside linebackers, good pressure by the outside linebackers and the defensive linemen. The pick-6 by DB Ron Parker was the headliner, followed by the sack by OLB Dee Ford, which almost created a turnover.
The defense continues to be one of the most penalized in the league. Having two penalties for too many men on the field, both on the same drive was bad, but they did play the whole game without a personal foul called, so that was an improvement.
The Offensive Line
I thought the O-line played a very good game Sunday, only allowing two sacks and one sack was by DT Andrew Billings. Carlos Dunlap finished the game with 1 tackle and 1 assist, and Geno Atkins, who many consider one of the best interior D-linemen in the NFL, was limited to 0 tackles and 1 assist. Dunlap also recorded a sack as he chased QB Patrick Mahomes out of bounds, but the personal foul called after shoving Mahomes late negated the effects of that sack. Cameron Erving has been doing a very good job at left guard, Atkins beat him on a few plays but Atkins beats everyone. Left tackle Eric Fisher has been playing very solid as well and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz looks to be playing at his former league best at his position. The reserves at center and right guard have been holding their own very well also.
The Denver Broncos
On Sunday, October 28th, at noon Arrowhead time, the Denver Broncos visit Kansas City to play the second game of 2018, in this division rivalry. Denver comes into Arrowhead after a 10 day mini bye, having trounced the Arizona Cardinals 45-10 last Thursday night. The Cardinals might just be the worst team in the NFL this year, although the Giants, 49ers and Raiders are working hard for that 1st overall draft pick next year as well.
The Broncos come to Arrowhead with the 14th ranked offense and the 22nd ranked defense (ranked for yards/game). As for scoring, the Broncos offense is ranked 19th, averaging 23.6 points/game, while their defense is allowing an average of 23.4 points/game, ranking them 13th.
Denver has won three games so far this year and I don’t expect that number to change Sunday. The Broncos won their first game of the year, at home against the Seattle Seahawks, a .500 club. Their other two victories were against the Raiders and Cardinals, two 1-win teams.
While the Broncos played a tough game against the Chiefs in week 4, on Monday night at Mile High, the Chiefs have improved on both sides of the ball and with the crowd at Arrowhead in prime game condition, I’m looking for Denver to struggle in this game. I do believe Denver will provide more competition than the Bengals did, but not by much.
Injuries and Additions
It was disconcerting to have Jordan Devey placed on IR after playing every snap versus the Bengals. We should find out Wednesday if Mitch Morse returns to his center position, but with the cautiousness that the Chiefs usually deal with concussions we might see Erving moved to center and newly acquired Jeff Allen playing left guard.
I know a lot of fans are clamoring for GM Brett Veach to trade for a cornerback or a defensive back of some kind, but if Morse isn’t able to return for a while, Veach might be better served to use what little remaining cap space the Chiefs have and look to trade for an interior offensive lineman or two. I don’t think the Chiefs see Kahlil McKenzie as an option to play yet and injuries are piling up on the O-line.
Young Players Getting Snaps
It’s great to see some of the young players get some snaps. Unfortunately, injuries to others is part of the reason this is happening. Jordan Lucas has played well as the starting safety the last two games and even with Eric Murray back from injury, I hope Lucas keeps the starting role. Dorian O’Daniel saw several snaps against the Bengals and with his speed and aggressive play, he is just what the Chiefs defense needs covering backs and tight ends. Unfortunately, Terrance Smith getting injured and going to IR is the reason. Ben Niemann and Charvarius Ward also got a few snaps late in the game, but with both teams playing mostly reserves it was hard to tell how effective they were.
Some Good News
Eric Murray played 40 total snaps Sunday, about half on special teams and I don’t know if anyone noticed, but Tanoh Kpassagnon played 2 snaps on special teams Sunday, so it looks like some of the injured are starting to return. That line has been moving the wrong direction long enough.
If the Chiefs defense can play Denver close to how they played Cincinnati and keep that up for the next 2-3 weeks, they have a real shot at getting out of the cellar statistically. If the D does play that well on Sunday, I’m expecting another blowout win by the good guys. I think Mahomes will get his 7th straight 300+ yard passing game, but what I would really like to see is another game with zero interceptions.
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