A win is a win, right? At the end of the season, the home win against the Denver Broncos on Monday night will count the same as the win against the Pats, Eagles, Chargers, Redskins and Texans. Were there players that could have played better? Yes. Were there play calls or schemes that were questionable? Yes. Can these same questions and answers be applied to every game?
I think you know the answer to that one too. Yes.
Wins in the NFL rarely come from teams that make zero mistakes, but rather the team that makes the least amount of mistakes. For every negative that has been pointed out from Monday Night’s game, there is a positive to be found. And if you can’t find a direct positive for each negative, then go ahead and use the win-loss column in that instance.
Not even 36 hours after the game has ended, it has been discussed at length from many angles from multiple people that come from all kinds of backgrounds and view the game of football in different lights. I am no different in the fact that I am different than all of you in my football background and views. While I could go into the negatives; DJ looking old, Peters’ avoidance of tackling, Reid’s ability to get too cute in the play calling and re-hashing my distaste for Bob Sutton… a win needs to be celebrated, so here you go:
Travis Kelce played as a man among men against the Broncos. 10 targets, 7 catches for 133 yards and a celebration dance after scoring a touchdown. Alex Smith looked to his top target early and often. Fun fact: Kelce had zero catches from the traditional TE position, all 7 came from either the slot or split wide. Also, I’m loving the yellow gloves.
Houston did drop in coverage, something I have been against as well as some of you, but he also pinned his ears back and got after Siemian with a 14.8% pressure rate, ranking towards the top of the league for the week. He also recorded 2 sacks. Previously this season, it seemed that when a big play was needed in the pass rush department, you could find Houston covering a TE in man to man coverage. Monday Night, it seemed that he was in Siemian’s lap when a big play was needed.
Compared to the early part of the season, Alex Smith had an off night. With that said, even in an off night, Smith looked better than he had in the past while having an “off” night. Yes, his stat line was down. Yes, he missed a few passes that could have sustained drives and iced the night even earlier than it was. But even with the miscues, he was still aggressive, still trying down the field throws that were being opened up by the lead and the commitment to the run game. I still think Smith took a hit to the arm, or maybe his right side. In the second half, while missing on at least 4 consecutive passes that were the types of throw Smith has built his name on, he looked off. And even more so, you could see it on his face after each miss. It wasn’t the look of annoyance or disbelief we have seen before, it was a grimace, a look of pain. I could be wrong, wouldn’t be the first time.
Last but certainly not least, Harrison Butker (aka Buttkicker) has earned his minimal contract with ease since missing his first NFL field goal attempt. Since that first try, and miss, Butker has went 18 for 18, half of which have been over 40 yards, 2 going for 50 plus. I was worried about releasing Santos from IR when Butker was signed, but if things keep going the way they have, we will all be saying Santos who before the year is out. Butker was my highest scoring fantasy player this week in a league that I had three guys go for 20 points. For those that don’t play fantasy, over 20 points is good, a kicker going over 20 is incredible.
Well Chiefs fans, there you have it. Who would you give the game ball to? Am I the only one that thought Alex Smith looked like there was something wrong with him? Will the team be able to knock off the Cowboys in Jerry’s World before the bye week?
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