Chiefs Make Statement In 45-10 Demolition of Redskins
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs took care of business against a team they should have beat, and walked away from FedEx Field with a resounding win over the Washington Redskins.
Resounding may actually be too tame of a word to describe how the Chiefs looked this Sunday afternoon.
Dominant would be more like it.
Kansas City finally put all three phases of the game together, and the result was a 45-10 win. Is the win a bit skewed considering the fact that Washington came into this game with a 3-9 record which has them placed fourth in the underwhelming NFC East? Perhaps, if you choose to look at it that way.
That’s now how I see it, though. This was a game that Kansas City needed to win, and it’s never, ever, easy to win on the road in the NFL.
Facing a three-game losing skid dead in the eye, the Chiefs walked into Washington and enforced their will upon the Redskins.
The offense, led by a surging Alex Smith, put up 347 yards. That means the Chiefs “average” offense has now totaled 1,538 yards in the past four games.
Jamaal Charles was once again great, as he rushed for 151 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 carries. He also added a touchdown through the air.
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Dwayne Bowe continued his streak of playing well, as he added 69 yards and a touchdown to the cause.
Defensively, Kansas City finally got back on track. The Chiefs held Washington to 257 yards and 10 points. Robert Griffin III was 12-of-26 for 164 yards and a touchdown, and he also threw an interception; courtesy of Derrick Johnson. Kansas City’s defense was soo good, in fact, that Washington coach Mike Shanahan pulled RGIII early in the fourth quarter in favor of Kirk Cousins. Kansas City then responded by putting in Chase Daniel.
Also impressive is the fact that Washington came into this game with the best rushing attack in the NFL, but the Redskins were only able to put up 65 yards on the ground against Kansas City.
The Chiefs were finally able to get after the quarterback again, and that’s going to be a huge takeaway from this game. After weeks of struggling with a mediocre pass rush, Kansas City was able to sack Washington six times. Tamba Hali and Tyson Jackson both recorded two sacks, while Eric Berry and Frank Zombo each notched one.
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For as good as the offense and defense was though, it was Kansas City’s special teams that really stole the show on this snowy and cold Sunday.
Dave Toub’s unit was on fire, led by Dexter McCluster, who returned seven punts for 177 yards and a touchdown. Quintin Demps added a 95-yard kick return for a touchdown of his own, and Ryan Succop went 1-of-2 on field goals for three points.
This was a statement win for Kansas City.
Yes, it came against a bad team, and yes, the remaining schedule won’t be a cakewalk. The Chiefs came out and showed what they can do when all three units are on and this team is clicking though.
The Chiefs’ statement to the NFL was that they can be a very dangerous team in the playoffs, and you’d be naive to think the rest of the league didn’t notice.