State of the Franchise - Kansas City Chiefs - Perfection is Unattainable Edition

Chiefs Defense Plays Amazing but Cassel Can’t Lift the Chiefs to Victory

Well, it couldn’t last forever.  We all knew the Chiefs weren’t going undefeated this year, but even that realization doesn’t make the pain from the loss any easier.  For my first every Chiefs away game in person, I couldn’t have picked a better place than Indy and seeing my boy Peyton Manning in person; however, as much as I like Manning, the trip would have been better if the Chiefs pulled out the victory.

Despite the fact the Chiefs went home with their first loss, there were still some positives to take from this game, along with the negatives that come from a loss.

As always, here are the good and the bad from the game:

Good:

The Secondary:  One of the major questions coming in to the game was this: is Brandon Flowers and the rest of our young secondary legit?  Going in to the game against one of the best receiving cores in the league and the best QB to walk the planet, if they could contain he passing game then the secondary is legit.  Question: answered – and the answer was yes.  Peyton Manning was struggling all game long to find open receivers, and he was routinely having 5-6 seconds to try to find them.  Even when he did complete passes it took the skill of Peyton Manning to complete them and they were still covered well.  Manning was held to under 300 yds for the first time all season and didn’t throw a touchdown.  This secondary will rule the NFL for the next 10 years.

The Front Seven:  Again, the front seven played very well.  Tamba Hali is a big time force.  4.5 sacks through 4 games this season sets him up for a real good year.  Not to mention, he rocked Manning on his sack. I don’t know what happened to DJ in the offseason but he is an absolute beast now and is playing unbelievable.  Glen Dorsey is another player who is playing like a stud.  It has taken him to his third season, but he if finally playing up to his top 5 draft status.  He is occupying blockers and getting good push, he will only continue to get better as the year goes on.  The other front seven and their backups played very well too as they all seem to be interchangeable, which keeps everyone fresh and helps the defense dominate all game long.  One nose tackle and one pass rusher added to this defense makes them the scariest defense in the league.

Jamaal Charles:  Yet again he ran the ball well.  There is not much to say other than that he is a legit stud.  Finally, in this game the distribution of carries was as it should be (Charles – 16, Jones – 8).  I like the way they’re using both of them, should keep them both fresh till late in the season.

Romeo Crennell:  Just could not be more impressive as a defensive coordinator.  Have you ever seen a scenario in which a coach made this much of a difference in one year?  Eric Berry and Kendrick Lewis are the only new starters this year (assuming Tyson Jackson starts over Shaun Smith when healthy) and look at how good this D is.  It’s remarkable. 

Bad:

Matt Cassel:  Atrocious.  Just awful, he’s not a starting NFL QB.  Bad footwork, weak arm, uncomfortable in the pocket, and he’s lost himself.  He has no confidence and his body language is horrible, the players are rallying around themselves because Cassel’s not a leader and they know they have to win despite him.

Dwayne Bowe:  Get off my team.  His drops are inexcusable.  His drops show lack of concentration and focus, which is a mental thing and if it can’t be fixed now then it can’t be fixed.  His days as a Chief are numbered.

Passing Game:  Cassel can’t get the job done, our receivers can’t get separation and can’t get open.  Combined it makes for one awful, pathetic looking passing attack.  Something needs to be done, whether that’s benching Bowe, Chambers, or Cassel, I don’t know, I’m not the coach.  What I do know is something has to be done cause this isn’t cutting it.

Final Thoughts:  I told my dad going in to this game, “if we lose by ten, and it’s because they score a touchdown late to make it 10 points, I’m OK with that.”  And that’s exactly what happened, and I’m OK with it…and I’m not OK with it. 

I’m OK with it because our defense played lights out and showed that they are legit.  With our defense we showed that we can compete with the elite of the league and we will all season.  I am so excited about this defense and it’s only getting better from here folks.

I’m not OK with it because it showed our glaring weakness was no longer glaring, it was blinding.  Matt Cassel and our passing game just isn’t getting the job done.  Cassel has had time this year, he hasn’t been getting harassed like he was last year, and we are still doing nothing in the passing game.  Something needs to be done because Cassel is not the answer.

At 3-1 I still feel pretty good.  Maybe we can sneak a win against the Texans, maybe we can’t but after that game, every game on the schedule is winnable (especially with our D) and playoffs are a realistic possibility.  I’m excited to see where this season goes.