State of the Franchise - Kansas City Chiefs - Matt Cassel is our Savior? Edition

Chiefs Handle the Rams, win 27-13

Have we really reached this point in KC?  In the short span of roughly 4 months we have collectively gone from “Cassel has to go” to “we can’t win without Cassel.”  This is happening folks, Matt Cassel is the lynchpin to the Chiefs success and it is his performance that helped lift this Chiefs team to victory.  I wrote after their abysmal performance last week that Cassel’s leadership was sorely missed and having it against the Rams was what was missing from the week before.

It was a pretty uneventful game minus the Chiefs victory part.  They came out slow and then woke up and took care of business in a workmanlike victory over the *cough* first place *cough* Rams. 

As always, here are the good and the bad:

Good:

Matt Cassel – He showed his leadership and that he is the most important part of this team.  The players respond better to him and everyone seems to play better and think they know they can win.  I have done a complete 180 on Cassel and I believe now.  I believe.

Jamaal Charles – Again, nothing left to be said.  He is the best player on the team and can make an argument against Cassel for the most valuable as well.  He is approaching a historical NFL season and it’s apparent he is one of the best RB’s in the league.

Derrick Johnson – The man is a new player.  He was all over the field making tackles and breaking up passes.  Not sure what Haley did to make this guy play but he did it well and Johnson is one of the vital parts of our defense.

Tamba Hali – Didn’t get a sack but showed up and got pressure all day.  He finally looks like he’s returned to form.

Wallace Gillberry – The man continues to make plays in pass rush situations.  He had 3 sacks and played a great game.

Kendrick Lewis – The rookie is almost as valuable as Eric Berry.  Lewis had 2 picks and he constantly makes plays on the football field.  He and Berry will become the best safety tandem in the league going forward.

Bad:

Offensive line – The Rams don’t have a great front 7 and the Chiefs were not able to make much room for their RB’s.  Take away Charles 80 yard scamper late in the game and their rushing numbers are far more pedestrian.  If the Chiefs want to get to the playoffs and make noise they need to do a better job of opening up the running game.

Dwayne Bowe – He made two big catches but still had a couple drops and needs to return to the form we saw for that amazing 8 game stretch earlier this season.  The Chiefs need him to be that player if they are gonna make noise in December and January.

Final Thoughts:  I liked some of what I saw and the Chiefs looked confident they could win that game.  That’s what the Chiefs need these last two games, confidence they can win these games, take the division, and get to the playoffs.  We will see how it unfolds but the Chiefs control their own destiny.