I was all ready to pump Matt Cassel and the Chiefs about how they were able to go into Houston and pull off a huge win. Up 31-21 with 7:11 to play and our offense rolling I thought for sure this was a victory. Alas, I was a little ahead of myself. Who knows what the Chiefs would be capable of after getting a victory here and heading back to 2 straight home games with a 4-1 record. We will never know.
This was not a disappointing loss, that was last week, this was a maddening loss. The Texans were just a flat out better team and the Chiefs had nothing for them. One of the best QB's in the league and the best WR in the league just couldn't be contained for an entire 4 quarters.
As always, here are my thoughts on the good and the bad from the loss:
Good:
Brandon Flowers - Again, he proves yet again that he is for real. He shut down an entire side of the field for the entire game. He wan't on Andre Johnson the whole game, but when he was, he locked him down. With the exception of the bad PI call late in the game (I will get into that later), he played amazing.
Dwayne Bowe - After nearly everybody calling for his head after a dreadful performance last week (including The Jeff Report), he had a HUGE game. Bowe caught everything thrown his way, had a couple of really big catches, and one big time catch and run for a 42 yard touchdown. He looked focused, in to the game, and like a big time receiver should. Hopefully, he can keep this going the rest of the year.
The Run Game - Again, the Chiefs showed we are a solid running team. Thomas Jones had a 100 yard day and Jamaal Charles ran for another 93. The O-Line run blocked amazingly well and when they didn't, our two headed monster was able to make something out of nothing.
Offensive Playcalling - I should temper this and say that I liked the play calling through the first 3 quarters. I like that Haley likes to go for it on 4th downs early in the game. I like the mix of play calls and the alternating use of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones. I think we can now officially lay to rest the "free Jamaal Charles" talk.
Bad:
The Defense - It isn't really fair to put the D here, but they could have sealed the game and they couldn't come through. They did the best they could but they were just overmatched. You can only expect to hold Matt Schaub and Andre Jones in check for so long before they make you pay. Our safety's are non-existent in the passing game. They can help the run like you wouldn't believe, but they do not help in the passing game. Our corners make all the plays and the safety's never seem to be around the receivers making the catch. This needs to change, this team needs big plays from our safety's if we are going to make a run at this thing.
Matt Cassel - After the first half I was thinking pretty highly of Cassel. He looked more comfortable in the pocket, he was actually going through some of his reads, and he was making some legit throws. Then the other team started playing. Cassel started to get his happy feet again, he looked uncomfortable in the pocket, and he looked like someone who didn't want the ball in his hands with the game on the line. The play of the game was his overthrow of Moeaki on 3rd and 2 late in the game. All he had to do was give 81 the chance to make the catch and he couldn't even do that. Houston got the ball back and scored the touchdown to go on and win the game.
Offensive Line - You couldn't tell by our running game, but our O-Line didn't pass block well. Cassel was under pressure more than he should have been and they let pressure get to the QB more than they should have. Also, even though they were able to open up some run lanes, they were not able to run block straight up. They could not just line up and beat the opposing D-line and that ultimately cost us.
The Pass Rush - Matt Schaub had all day long to throw the ball. When you give a solid QB like that that much time to make those throws and a WR like Andre Johnson to get open, it does not spell good news for your team. Tamba Hali was held in check as was the rest of the front 7. They played well against the run but were not able to get any pressure at all which was a big reason the Texans were able to stay in the game.
Final Thoughts - I was strongly encouraged before the D fell apart in the fourth quarter. The team was cruising on offense and the D was playing strong against a really good offense. However, it was too good to last. The D fell apart and so the Chiefs. Ultimately, when you lined the Texans up against the Chiefs one-on-one they were just a better team. The Chiefs were overmatched and it showed with the final score on the scoreboard. Despite being teased with greatness, the Chiefs showed that they are exactly who we thought they were, a strongly competitive team that still needs to grow and has some holes left to fill.
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