Chiefs vs. Lions: Five Players To Watch

Matt Cassel

The entire team is playing like garbage and that isn’t putting Matt Cassel in a very good position to succeed. That being said, the dude has to step up. The line play may be inconsistent and the running game non-existent but he has enough weapons at his disposal now, Moeaki or no Moeaki, that he should be getting the job done. He’s missing wide-open receivers in favor of check-downs and passes to the flat.

We’ve seen Cassel play well. His game against the Titans last season was fantastic. The Chiefs need that Matt Cassel to show up and pull them out of this funk. He’s the only one that can do it. Jamaal Charles, remarkable as he is, isn’t going to be able to get much going if teams don’t fear Cassel. If Matt can’t step up and make defenses pay by making accurate passes and smart reads over the middle of the field, the Chiefs are in for a long season.

And they’ll be in the market for a new QB.

Jim Zorn, I’m looking at you.

Kendrick Lewis

Lewis just lost his best friend. Playing next to a guy like Eric Berry is a huge gift. But Berry is gone and now Lewis is stuck with the likes of Sabby Piscitelli. He had one of his worst games as a pro last week, missing three tackles. A safety who misses tackles is not a safety…he’s a liability.

Lewis has to step up in Berry’s absence or the KC secondary is in major trouble.

Kelly Gregg

Sweet Ron Edwards is looking pretty good right now, isn’t he?

Maybe Gregg just had a bad game but right now the dude looks washed up. On top of that, Amon Gordon looked average, which, given the way the rest of the team played, is like having an All-Pro.

The Chiefs didn’t even have Jerrell Powe active last week. I expect that will change this week.

If the Lions start running up the middle like crazy, the Chiefs would be wise to up Gordon’s snaps and get Powe in there a few times.

Jon Asamoah

The second-year player struggled last week. Things aren’t going to get any easier this week when he lines up against the Lions and their beastly defensive line. Asamoah pretty much has Matt Cassel’s life in his hands. Come to that, I don’t want Mr. Suh getting his hands on Jamaal Charles either.

If Asamoah can bounce back this week, he’ll show us why the Chiefs were high enough on him to cut Brian Waters.

Justin Houston/Cameron Sheffield

Houston had a rough game. So did Sheffield. Hey, it happens. Houston is a rookie, and it was his first game. Sheffield is also a rookie as far as I am concerned and he hasn’t played football in a year. But both of these guys are talented, and the plan appears to be to have them split snaps while the Studebaker is parked on the sidelines. These pups need to learn quickly, though, because the rest of the team isn’t playing well enough for them to make mistakes.

There you have it, Addicts. Those are my five players to watch Sunday. Who will you be keeping an eye on?