The Chiefs ended the season on a great note and gave us a little ray of light in this otherwise putrid season by dismantling the Broncos on the last game and preventing them from having any chance at getting into the playoffs.
There were some definite positives from this game.
-Jamaal Charles - Wow. Wow. Wow. What more can you say about this kid? He was given an oportunity after Larry Johnson got dismissed and he has seized it in every way possible. In only a half season of starting he ran for over 1,100 yards, including the Chiefs record setting day today in which he rushed for 259 yards on 25 carries, to go along with his 2 touchdowns. With the exception of Chris Johnson, I don't know of any running back who had a better second half of the season than Charles. He is no longer a budding star, but is now a legitimate star and is primed for a HUGE season next year. Just imagine what he will be capable of when we get a better O-line in front of him. This is definitely something to look forward to in the future.
-Matt Cassel - He had a point a little while back where he lost a lot of confidence, but he played very well against the Broncos and his confidence looks to be riding high heading into the offseason, which is nothing but good news for Chiefs fans. On the first play of the game he had a perfect strike to Terrance Copper that went for 50 yards and was probably his best downfield throw of the season. I am still on the fence about Cassel but he has shown me enough to be excited for what he is capable of with a better O-line and some good receivers.
-Glenn Dorsey and the run defense - The last two games have made it apparent how much of an impact Glenn Dorsey has on the run game and how much of a force he has actually become in his second season. A DE in a 3-4 scheme is not supposed to grab a lot of stats and Dorsey certainly hasn't, but he has been great against the run, caused havoc in the backfield, and makes a difference when he is on the field. If the Chiefs were 12-4 instead of 4-12, everyone would be talking about how great Dorsey is and how he is going to be one of the greatest defensive forces in the league soon. He will prove his worth as a top five pick. He also had a great sack today which was his first of the season.
-Derrick Johnson - After a sub-par season of spot duty he showed up big today and pretty much won the game for the Chiefs single handedly. He made two great plays on 2 interceptions and ran them both back for touchdowns propelling the Chiefs to victory. There are still too many times when he is not in the right place and doesn't make the plays he is capable of making, but when he is in the right place and makes the plays, he is something special.
-Tamba Hali - Ended his great season by getting a sack making it a career year for him with 8.5 sacks. Like Dorsey, on a better team, people would not be able to shut up about how good he is, all in due time I suppose (I hope).
-Chris Chambers - Had another solid game and only continues to make plays downfield for the Chiefs. Over the second half of the season he was the best receiver the Chiefs had, better than Dwayne Bowe, and I look forward to what he can do with a full offseason with our QB.
-O-line - They have definitely taken their lumps this year but they opened up some good holes for Charles and gave Cassel the time he needed to throw. Throw in a couple solid starters and this O-line might not be all that bad.
Now for the disappointing stuff that I saw today.
-Brandon Carr - This was hands down the worst performance I have seen on the Chiefs in a long, long time. This is by far the worse game of his career and I hope it was just because it was the last game of the season and he had nothing to play for Seriously, this was just a pathetic performance.
-The secondary - In general the secondary did not play that well and allowed Kyle Orton to throw for over 300 yards and Jabar Gaffney ran wild. That's right Jabar Gaffney. I don't know what was wrong with the secondary today, but hopefully it is not a harbinger for next season, and I don't think it will be.
-Dwayne Bowe - He has just looked disinterested all season and hasn't nearly played to his potential. I have a feeling that he might be dealt in the offseason. If we can get something good for him in return, say a 2nd round pick, then I would take it. He just doesn't seem to be the player we need on this team right now.
Final Thoughts: This has been a tumultuous season of many ups and many historical downs, and more downs than ups. We have had the occasional bright spot that we can look forward to for next year, Glenn Dorsey, Brandon Flowers, Jamaal Charles, encouraging play from Matt Cassel, Tamba Hali, Chris Chambers and playing well against some good opponents and even stealing a few wins. The Chiefs have a lot of work to do in the offseason but there is enough there to keep this fan positive about the possibilities. Stay tuned for posts about prominent offseason moves and draft updates about who I think the Chiefs should draft. Countdown to April and the draft has begun, the Chiefs have a top 5 pick for the 3rd year in a row.
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