Chiefs’ Players Talk Moving On From 3-Game Skid
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It’s been a rough stretch for the Kansas City Chiefs.
They entered Denver a few weeks ago 9-0 and on top of the world. Three games later, all three losses, and the mood around the team feels a lot different.
This is a team that needs a win to get out of this funk, and even though the Washington Redskins are just 3-9, the Chiefs do have the hard task of winning a NFL game on the road in front of them.
So how are the Chiefs feeling after this three game skid? Linebacker Derrick Johnson seems to believe the right mindset is key to bouncing back.
“Well that’s the hard thing about being in the NFL. You have to have a short-term memory. We say that every week, win or lose,” he said. “More importantly, this week we’ve dropped three in a row, so it is so much more important for us to go back to the basics. We’re not in panic mode at all, but a sense of urgency is definitely required during this time to get on the right track,” he explained.
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“We have a great opportunity to go down to Washington and get win number ten, which in this league, regardless of anybody’s record, is going to be hard to get it. We got nine straight in a row so we need to find a way to win one.”
The leader of the offense, quarterback Alex Smith, also talked about the challenges that lie ahead of the team. First and foremost, Kansas City has to focus on Washington. For Smith, he’ll be faced with a defense that he talked highly of.
“I think first you turn on the tape and those two guys on the edge jump out. They’re good football players, elite players. And then across the board they’re good up front. They play a three-four defensive front, which will be a new test for us,” Smith said.
“Then they have a lot of experience on the back end, a lot of guys who have seen a lot of football and are capable of making some big plays. Then they, scheme-wise, throw a lot at you. They can be very aggressive at times.”
Smith also took a positive approach to the game. Instead of dwelling on the three loses, he’s looking forward to the opportunity to make the playoffs.
“Yeah I mean, for me, I don’t necessarily view it that way in the sense that yeah we have lost three in a row, but you kind of flush that stuff behind you,” he said. We’re 9-3 and we have a chance, a potential chance to clench a playoff spot this week. To me, how exciting that is, we have a chance here to go on the road and win a game and punch our ticket to the dance.”
“That’s a huge opportunity, not many teams get to do that and that’s what you’re playing for all year,” Smith said. “That’s what you work for in the offseason is to be able to get to the post season because once you get there it doesn’t matter what your record is, you’re in the tournament. For me, that’s the way I’m looking at it right now. That’s my view of things.”