CHIEFS WIN AGAIN, THE 3 "B's" COME UP BIG, BUT LET'S NOT GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES
For the second Sunday in a row, the Chiefs gave us something to cheer about. It was fun wasn't it? Seeing them come back from 17-point deficits, twice. That equals the largest deficit the Chiefs have ever overcome in their history. To say K.C. started slow is an understatement, they were down 17-0 less than 20-minutes into the game all the while running their "Can-Can" offense........1-2-3-kick, 1-2-3-kick.
After a 67-yard TD, the Chiefs went to work. Matt Cassel & Dwayne Bowe looked as tho they were taking up where they left off last November. But in this game, Kansas City's first ever regular season win in the Hoosier State, they had a couple of new playmakers emerge, just in the nick of time. Free agent acquisition Steve Breaston provided good balance opposite Bowe. He caught 4 passes for 50-yards & two touchdowns including the winning score with just over 5-minutes left in the game. Running back Jackie Battle blew everybody away with his 119-yard performance on 19 carries. He was just what the doctor ordered, a bigger, stronger, more durable back than Jamaal Charles & easily a step & a half quicker than Thomas Jones. After watching Battle fumble way too often in the past two preseasons & seeing him miss blitz pickups one after another, we saw a more complete back Sunday. I was ready to discard Battle before the last cutdown on September 3rd. Bot for one day, he was the answer to "who will fill the void of Jamaal Charles?" We'll see if he can repeat something close to this performance down the road.
Jackie battle rips off a 12-yard run
After falling behind 24-7 with 1:09 left in the half, Cassel lead his team on the most important drive of the game. He lead them on an 80-yard, 7-play scoring drive culminating with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Breaston as he dove for the pylon. There was 00:13 left on the clock. This changed the mindset of the Colts, it was obvious being down 17-0 & 24-7 didn't damper Kansas City's determination. The Curtis Painter-led Colts recorded just 3 pass completions in the second half & 2 first downs. Cassel & Battle wore out Indy's undersized & underpowered defense after half. Ripping off 21-unanswered points, on the road, is no small feat, but Kansas City built a great foundation for their comeback with their commitment to the run. The Chiefs totaled 194-yards(5.1 avg.) on the ground while Indy could only muster 78(2.9 avg.). That's a huge disparity few teams can overcome, especially one playing without Peyton Manning.
Without Tony Moeaki or any realistic receiving option at tight end & the absence of #1 pick Jonathan Baldwin, the emergence of Breaston as a part of the Chiefs' gameplan cannot be minimized. A pair of 4th quarter, 3rd down catches by Kerry Colbert were huge as well. When Baldwin is able to take his place outside, moving Breaston into the slot & Colbert working when they spread 4-wide, Moeaki won't be missed quite as much.
Steve Breaston catches the game-winner
Honestly tho, the stars of Kansas City's win in Indianapolis were Cassel & Bowe. The pair hooked up for 15 TD's last year to lead the league. This game was a reminder of happier times. Bowe's first score was on a slant, Cassel hit him in stride & the big receiver just ran away from the safeties for a 41-yard touchdown. He made another very physical play on a 29-yard catch & run in their last minute touchdown drive just before halftime. But it was Bowe's circus catch in the third quarter that brought the Chiefs to within 3-points of Indy that will be shown all week on the highlight packages. With cornerback Jacob Lacey hanging all over Bowe, drawing a multiple flags for pass interference, Bowe used his right hand to tip the ball to himself not once, but twice, before falling to the ground, grasping the ball for a touchdown. For all the criticism I've heaped at Todd Haley's doorstep, I will admit he has made Dwayne Bowe a much better receiver. In fact I'd put him in the league's top-10 for certain. Three years ago, with the dropped passes, excuses, showboating & poor conditioning, I'd never believe he could be what he's become under Haley. Scott Pioli should blow the cobwebs off those piles of cash he's got stashed over at One Arrowhead Drive & sign Bowe to a new contract. With $29 million available & Hali, Flowers, Charles & D.J. already locked up, don't wait on Bowe, the price only goes up from here.
The best catch I've seen in the NFL this year.
I said last week, the Haley-Cassel sideline dustup might have been a good thing for Cassel down the road. I saw more of that fire on display inside Lucas Oil Stadium. I still don't believe Cassel is a Super Bowl quarterback, but he's playing better than a few bigger names right now. Eli Manning, Matt Schaub, Mark Sanchez & Donovan McNabb all come to mind. But with the exception of Schaub, the other three have proven they can win playoff games, home or away, that's where I have my doubts about Cassel. I desperately want to be proven wrong.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Don't let your jubilation overcome the reality of this season. The Chiefs have won on consecutive Sundays, beating teams with a combined 1-9 record. Their three losses are against teams with a combined 12-2 record. That reminds me of last season, beat the bad teams, get whipped by the good ones. The Colts started 3 offensive linemen who were either out of position or recently watching NFL games from their sofa, yet zero sacks & only one real QB pressure from Romeo Crennel's defense. Brandon Flowers was fooled badly on the 67-yard touchdown by Pierre Garcon, I think he's better than that. It wasn't superior scheming that won the second half, it was a battle of attrition won by the Chiefs. They were bigger, stronger & more physical in the second half, wearing down the Colts to the point they were barely able to mount any type of resistance. There aren't too many games left on the schedule where this is going to work. But honestly, if they play as hard as they've played the past three Sundays, I can live with whatever record they finish with. Losing Eric Berry, Moeaki & Charles were big blows for a team like Kansas City. A team that has very little depth & a few gaping holes that still need fixing. What happens in Oakland after the bye week should tell us a lot about the competitiveness of Todd Haley's team. I've already given my salute to the late Al Davis, the Raiders won a game in Houston they had no business winning. Maybe Davis was looking down on his Silver & Black, helping them thru to the last play of the game. But having said all these nice things about Al Davis & his team, it is the Oakland Raiders & I'd just as soon whip 'em good on the 23rd.
It's entertaining to win like yesterday but it does nothing to convince me K.C. can get thru this 5-game gauntlet they have beginning on Halloween. Until the trend of losing to the NFL's better teams changes, I'll hold onto these doubts.
After a 67-yard TD, the Chiefs went to work. Matt Cassel & Dwayne Bowe looked as tho they were taking up where they left off last November. But in this game, Kansas City's first ever regular season win in the Hoosier State, they had a couple of new playmakers emerge, just in the nick of time. Free agent acquisition Steve Breaston provided good balance opposite Bowe. He caught 4 passes for 50-yards & two touchdowns including the winning score with just over 5-minutes left in the game. Running back Jackie Battle blew everybody away with his 119-yard performance on 19 carries. He was just what the doctor ordered, a bigger, stronger, more durable back than Jamaal Charles & easily a step & a half quicker than Thomas Jones. After watching Battle fumble way too often in the past two preseasons & seeing him miss blitz pickups one after another, we saw a more complete back Sunday. I was ready to discard Battle before the last cutdown on September 3rd. Bot for one day, he was the answer to "who will fill the void of Jamaal Charles?" We'll see if he can repeat something close to this performance down the road.
Jackie battle rips off a 12-yard run
After falling behind 24-7 with 1:09 left in the half, Cassel lead his team on the most important drive of the game. He lead them on an 80-yard, 7-play scoring drive culminating with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Breaston as he dove for the pylon. There was 00:13 left on the clock. This changed the mindset of the Colts, it was obvious being down 17-0 & 24-7 didn't damper Kansas City's determination. The Curtis Painter-led Colts recorded just 3 pass completions in the second half & 2 first downs. Cassel & Battle wore out Indy's undersized & underpowered defense after half. Ripping off 21-unanswered points, on the road, is no small feat, but Kansas City built a great foundation for their comeback with their commitment to the run. The Chiefs totaled 194-yards(5.1 avg.) on the ground while Indy could only muster 78(2.9 avg.). That's a huge disparity few teams can overcome, especially one playing without Peyton Manning.
Without Tony Moeaki or any realistic receiving option at tight end & the absence of #1 pick Jonathan Baldwin, the emergence of Breaston as a part of the Chiefs' gameplan cannot be minimized. A pair of 4th quarter, 3rd down catches by Kerry Colbert were huge as well. When Baldwin is able to take his place outside, moving Breaston into the slot & Colbert working when they spread 4-wide, Moeaki won't be missed quite as much.
Steve Breaston catches the game-winner
Honestly tho, the stars of Kansas City's win in Indianapolis were Cassel & Bowe. The pair hooked up for 15 TD's last year to lead the league. This game was a reminder of happier times. Bowe's first score was on a slant, Cassel hit him in stride & the big receiver just ran away from the safeties for a 41-yard touchdown. He made another very physical play on a 29-yard catch & run in their last minute touchdown drive just before halftime. But it was Bowe's circus catch in the third quarter that brought the Chiefs to within 3-points of Indy that will be shown all week on the highlight packages. With cornerback Jacob Lacey hanging all over Bowe, drawing a multiple flags for pass interference, Bowe used his right hand to tip the ball to himself not once, but twice, before falling to the ground, grasping the ball for a touchdown. For all the criticism I've heaped at Todd Haley's doorstep, I will admit he has made Dwayne Bowe a much better receiver. In fact I'd put him in the league's top-10 for certain. Three years ago, with the dropped passes, excuses, showboating & poor conditioning, I'd never believe he could be what he's become under Haley. Scott Pioli should blow the cobwebs off those piles of cash he's got stashed over at One Arrowhead Drive & sign Bowe to a new contract. With $29 million available & Hali, Flowers, Charles & D.J. already locked up, don't wait on Bowe, the price only goes up from here.
The best catch I've seen in the NFL this year.
I said last week, the Haley-Cassel sideline dustup might have been a good thing for Cassel down the road. I saw more of that fire on display inside Lucas Oil Stadium. I still don't believe Cassel is a Super Bowl quarterback, but he's playing better than a few bigger names right now. Eli Manning, Matt Schaub, Mark Sanchez & Donovan McNabb all come to mind. But with the exception of Schaub, the other three have proven they can win playoff games, home or away, that's where I have my doubts about Cassel. I desperately want to be proven wrong.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Don't let your jubilation overcome the reality of this season. The Chiefs have won on consecutive Sundays, beating teams with a combined 1-9 record. Their three losses are against teams with a combined 12-2 record. That reminds me of last season, beat the bad teams, get whipped by the good ones. The Colts started 3 offensive linemen who were either out of position or recently watching NFL games from their sofa, yet zero sacks & only one real QB pressure from Romeo Crennel's defense. Brandon Flowers was fooled badly on the 67-yard touchdown by Pierre Garcon, I think he's better than that. It wasn't superior scheming that won the second half, it was a battle of attrition won by the Chiefs. They were bigger, stronger & more physical in the second half, wearing down the Colts to the point they were barely able to mount any type of resistance. There aren't too many games left on the schedule where this is going to work. But honestly, if they play as hard as they've played the past three Sundays, I can live with whatever record they finish with. Losing Eric Berry, Moeaki & Charles were big blows for a team like Kansas City. A team that has very little depth & a few gaping holes that still need fixing. What happens in Oakland after the bye week should tell us a lot about the competitiveness of Todd Haley's team. I've already given my salute to the late Al Davis, the Raiders won a game in Houston they had no business winning. Maybe Davis was looking down on his Silver & Black, helping them thru to the last play of the game. But having said all these nice things about Al Davis & his team, it is the Oakland Raiders & I'd just as soon whip 'em good on the 23rd.
It's entertaining to win like yesterday but it does nothing to convince me K.C. can get thru this 5-game gauntlet they have beginning on Halloween. Until the trend of losing to the NFL's better teams changes, I'll hold onto these doubts.
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