Five Keys to Victory: Chiefs vs. Cowboys
By Kenny Cember
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Every week, we here at Arrowhead Addict break down the Chiefs’ matchup of the week and predict five things the team will have to do in order to win. Welcome to Five Keys to Victory.
Key #1: Pressure Tony Romo
Tony Romo is very well known for the poor decisions he makes when he drops back to pass. There are so many memes about Tony Romo getting intercepted that I’m about to unlike the NFL Meme page on Facebook. The Kansas City Chiefs currently lead the NFL in sacks and Justin Houston has half of the six sacks that the Chiefs have. If Dontari Poe, who will be going up against rookie center Travis Frederick, can pressure Romo along with Houston, you can bet the ball will end up in the hands of someone on the Kansas City Chiefs defensive unit.
Key #2: Special Teams Needs to Be Special
Last week we saw something no one expected. David Toub’s punt unit let up a blocked punt safety that gave the Jaguars an early lead. After a fantastic preseason this was a shock to many people. I think that can be contributed to all the new guys on those special teams units. You can bet after this week problems like these aren’t likely to happen. Dexter McCluster had the longest punt return in week one so we know there is still something going on there. Special Teams needs to look like they did in the preseason against the Dallas Cowboys so the Chiefs can get an early edge.
Key #3: Alex Smith Needs to Take Some Chances
You can bet your bottom dollar that the Dallas Cowboys have watched the tape of the Jaguars game and know that Alex Smith is check down McGee. They will be keying the short passes and keying the running backs out of the backfield. Alex Smith nearly had a huge play to Anthony Fasano on the first play of the game against the Jaguars. The Chiefs should try to make some plays and make them early. I wouldn’t even be against a trick play or two. This is going to be a much tougher game than the Jaguars. The Chiefs need every advantage they can get because you know everyone and their mother is rooting for “America’s team” to upset the small market team from Kansas City.
Key #4: Chiefs Fans Showing Up and Being LOUD
This is important. This is the Chiefs home opener and it’s arguably one of the most important games of the year. This is the real test. This could be the Chiefs coming out party. A win would spoil ESPN’s day. The Chiefs blew out a horrible team last weekend. Now they come back to Arrowhead against a solid team. The fans need to be so loud, that they feel this all the way in Dallas. 116 decibels.
Key #5: Defend the Run
With guys like Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, and Jason Witten, you know the Cowboys will throw the football. However, I know the Chiefs will game plan that. What I am worried about is the Chiefs being so worried about the pass that DeMarco Murray runs well and sets up the play action for Tony Romo to pick apart the defense. The Chiefs need to use Bob Sutton’s aggressive style defense, use the home field to their advantage, and stop Murray like they stopped Maurice Jones-Drew, who is by far and away the more talented player.
Alright Addicts, I hope I did as good of a job as Jason, let me know what you think and as always GO CHIEFS!!!