Chiefs Roll to 9-0 on the Back of the Defense

Nov 3, 2013; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (27) intercepts the ball and runs it back for a touchdown during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Chiefs beat the Bills 23 to 13. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Sometimes being lucky is better than being good. That could be applied to the Kansas City Chiefs today as they tied a franchise best record with a perfect 9-0. But, today’s game was anything but perfect.

On the day, the Chiefs offense only managed to total 210 yards and only accounted for three field goals worth of scoring. The “O” was unable to find the end zone on drive after drive, being forced to settle for Ryan Succop field goals of 27, 39 and 41 yards. Coming into the game against the Bills, the Chiefs defense lead the league in sacks. However, they were unable to get to the Bills quarterback one time during the game.

The big play of the first half didn’t belong to the Chiefs, but rather was against the Chiefs as they watched undrafted rookie quarterback Jeff Tuel hit Mark Goodson for a 59 yard strike for the touchdown.

However, the defense still won the game.

After going into halftime losing for the only the second time all season, the Chiefs kicked off to the Bills and then allowed them to drive the entire length of the field and were three yards from scoring another touchdown. It appeared the Bills were about to go up by two touchdowns when cornerback Sean Smith stepped in front of a Tuel pass and returned it 101 yards to the house, putting the score back to an even keel and giving the Chiefs renewed life.

The defense stopped the Bills on the ensuing drive and the Chiefs offense moved into field goal position, taking their first lead of the game.

The Bills would tie the game back up at 13 on a Dan Carpenter later in the third quarter, but that would be as close as they would get for the rest of the game.

In the fourth quarter, Marcus Cooper stripped the ball from T.J. Graham on the Bills 11 yard line and Tamba Hali picked up the ball and walked it in to the end zone for his second touchdown of the year. A late Succop field goal ended the Bills’ hope of upsetting the still undefeated Chiefs.

The Chiefs offense was completely off on the day. Smith had a couple of opportunities at big plays but wasn’t able to connect with his receivers. Running back Jamaal Charles had a couple of opportunities to break off big runs but just couldn’t find that next gear. There were at least 11 points left on the field and while Alex Smith haters would love to blame them on the quarterback, they belonged to Dwayne Bowe and Dexter McCluster drops.

At the end of the day, the win goes down as just that, and the Chiefs tied their all time best start with the 2003 team. But, the bye comes at the perfect time. This team is tired and beat down and needs a break before heading to Denver to face the Broncos on Sunday Night Football in two weeks.