SUNDAY WAS A GLIMPSE OF CHIEFS' TEAMS PAST
I was going to do a "Good, Bad & the Ugly" bit on the Chiefs' game, but I couldn't come up with anything that could be classified as "good." There certainly was plenty of bad & ugly wasn't there? It was like watching a Herm Edwards' team or some of that scary Dick Vermeil defense. What the hell went wrong?
Like Mizzou on Saturday night, the Chiefs had their opponent on the ropes in the first half & then the wheels fell off, everything went sour. Twelve penalties for 100-yards was bad enough, but two of them cost a 72-yard Javier Arenas punt return touchdown & a Ryan Succop field goal. That's 10-points. Also costing them points was Matt Cassel's underthrow at the goal line just before the half that resulted in an interception robbing Kansas City of at least a field goal. That's at least 13-points. On a 4th & 1 Ryan Lilja false started, Leonard Pope was flagged twice for holding, Tim Castille once, Javier Arenas lost a fumble on a kick return & on & on & on.
The Chiefs allowed rookie Jacoby Ford to become relevant on his own team. Before this game he had just 7 receptions for 37-yards & no touchdowns. He was averaging 20.8 yards on 18 kickoff returns. Ford caught 6 passes for 148-yards & returned the 2nd half kickoff for a 94-yard score. His 29-yard reception on a ball he wrestled away from Brandon Flowers with 29-seconds left in regulation set up Sebastian Janikowski's game-tying field goal sending it to overtime. On Oakland's first snap after the Chiefs went 3 & out, Jason Campbell hit Ford 47-yards downfield to once again, set up Janikowski, this time for the game-winner. The Raiders were without their top-2 receivers, tight end Zach Miller & WR Louis Murphy, both were inactive due to injuries. It should also be noted All-Pro cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha was absent from the Raider lineup with an ankle sprain.
The officiating in this game was dreadful(27 for 240-yards), it hurt both teams. Punt returner Nick Miller's knee was clearly down before he fumbled but with no challenges left, the Raiders couldn't do anything about it & Cassel hit Dwayne Bowe with the go-ahead score with 6:13 left in the game. Jeff Triplett's crew called two phantom pass interference penalties, one on Brandon Carr & the other on Oakland's Stanford Routt. Raider left tackle Jason Veldheer held Tamba Hali at least 5-times & they were blatant, but was only flagged once. Rock Cartwright clearly held on Ford's kickoff return score, no flag. Chiefs special teamer Jake O'Connell clearly held three times, only flagged once. I've watched football long enough to know there's holding on nearly every play, but it was so obvious in this game, guys being held had their jersey's yanked down over their pads or were spun to the ground. It was the worst officiated game I've seen this season. Anyone have a doubt Verran Tucker got both feet down in the endzone? The assembled masses in the TV bunker all thought it was coming back. Triplett & Co. lost track of downs after the Moeaki review reversed a touchdown. They did a miserable job.
A couple of more complaints. Did you like the 3rd & 1 bomb to Moeaki? Throwing the ball downfield with touch is not Cassel's strong suit. The bullet he threw Bowe for the last score was great, but I'm beginning to believe Cassel is a candidate for "game manager" at best. He's not going to take you the length of the field to win in the 4th quarter or in overtime, at least he can't be counted on for such heroics. I will give him some slack tho, he wasn't the reason Kansas City lost. He didn't drop a pass that would've given them a crucial 1st down with just over 2-minutes remaining in the game, Dwayne Bowe did. He didn't fumble or commit any stupid penalties, no, but just about everyone else did. Well except Jamaal Charles, who only got 15 touches for 100-yards. An under utilized weapon & it escapes me as to why.
The Chiefs had a decent pass rush, tho it was mostly on blitzes. Eric Berry ran down Jason Campbell twice & Tamba Hali & Wallace Gilberry each recorded a sack. Derrick Johnson continues to improve to the point he could garner some pro bowl votes. Brandon Flowers had his worst day of the season, Ford took a pass away from him when an interception seals a Chiefs' victory. He got beat on the 47-yard completion in overtime as well.
The team Todd Haley preached about, limited turnovers, limited penalties, a squad that could run the ball effectively & control the clock, wasn't the team we saw yesterday. It looked like what we'd been forced to watch the past 5-6 years. A solid win in Denver next week followed by a home victory over Arizona now appear to be a must if they are to stay in 1st place & regain their confidence. No one wants to see a Chiefs' time capsule again this season.
Like Mizzou on Saturday night, the Chiefs had their opponent on the ropes in the first half & then the wheels fell off, everything went sour. Twelve penalties for 100-yards was bad enough, but two of them cost a 72-yard Javier Arenas punt return touchdown & a Ryan Succop field goal. That's 10-points. Also costing them points was Matt Cassel's underthrow at the goal line just before the half that resulted in an interception robbing Kansas City of at least a field goal. That's at least 13-points. On a 4th & 1 Ryan Lilja false started, Leonard Pope was flagged twice for holding, Tim Castille once, Javier Arenas lost a fumble on a kick return & on & on & on.
The Chiefs allowed rookie Jacoby Ford to become relevant on his own team. Before this game he had just 7 receptions for 37-yards & no touchdowns. He was averaging 20.8 yards on 18 kickoff returns. Ford caught 6 passes for 148-yards & returned the 2nd half kickoff for a 94-yard score. His 29-yard reception on a ball he wrestled away from Brandon Flowers with 29-seconds left in regulation set up Sebastian Janikowski's game-tying field goal sending it to overtime. On Oakland's first snap after the Chiefs went 3 & out, Jason Campbell hit Ford 47-yards downfield to once again, set up Janikowski, this time for the game-winner. The Raiders were without their top-2 receivers, tight end Zach Miller & WR Louis Murphy, both were inactive due to injuries. It should also be noted All-Pro cornerback, Nnamdi Asomugha was absent from the Raider lineup with an ankle sprain.
The officiating in this game was dreadful(27 for 240-yards), it hurt both teams. Punt returner Nick Miller's knee was clearly down before he fumbled but with no challenges left, the Raiders couldn't do anything about it & Cassel hit Dwayne Bowe with the go-ahead score with 6:13 left in the game. Jeff Triplett's crew called two phantom pass interference penalties, one on Brandon Carr & the other on Oakland's Stanford Routt. Raider left tackle Jason Veldheer held Tamba Hali at least 5-times & they were blatant, but was only flagged once. Rock Cartwright clearly held on Ford's kickoff return score, no flag. Chiefs special teamer Jake O'Connell clearly held three times, only flagged once. I've watched football long enough to know there's holding on nearly every play, but it was so obvious in this game, guys being held had their jersey's yanked down over their pads or were spun to the ground. It was the worst officiated game I've seen this season. Anyone have a doubt Verran Tucker got both feet down in the endzone? The assembled masses in the TV bunker all thought it was coming back. Triplett & Co. lost track of downs after the Moeaki review reversed a touchdown. They did a miserable job.
A couple of more complaints. Did you like the 3rd & 1 bomb to Moeaki? Throwing the ball downfield with touch is not Cassel's strong suit. The bullet he threw Bowe for the last score was great, but I'm beginning to believe Cassel is a candidate for "game manager" at best. He's not going to take you the length of the field to win in the 4th quarter or in overtime, at least he can't be counted on for such heroics. I will give him some slack tho, he wasn't the reason Kansas City lost. He didn't drop a pass that would've given them a crucial 1st down with just over 2-minutes remaining in the game, Dwayne Bowe did. He didn't fumble or commit any stupid penalties, no, but just about everyone else did. Well except Jamaal Charles, who only got 15 touches for 100-yards. An under utilized weapon & it escapes me as to why.
The Chiefs had a decent pass rush, tho it was mostly on blitzes. Eric Berry ran down Jason Campbell twice & Tamba Hali & Wallace Gilberry each recorded a sack. Derrick Johnson continues to improve to the point he could garner some pro bowl votes. Brandon Flowers had his worst day of the season, Ford took a pass away from him when an interception seals a Chiefs' victory. He got beat on the 47-yard completion in overtime as well.
The team Todd Haley preached about, limited turnovers, limited penalties, a squad that could run the ball effectively & control the clock, wasn't the team we saw yesterday. It looked like what we'd been forced to watch the past 5-6 years. A solid win in Denver next week followed by a home victory over Arizona now appear to be a must if they are to stay in 1st place & regain their confidence. No one wants to see a Chiefs' time capsule again this season.
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