Chiefs vs Titans: Grading Kansas City’s Win Over Tennessee

Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs toppled the Titans in Tennessee 26-17 on Sunday to stay undefeated on the young 2013 season. The game was moving in the direction of a true “tale of two halves” story as Kansas City dominated the first two quarters, and then came out pretty stale to start the second half. But alas, the Chiefs turned it back on in the fourth quarter to maintain their winning streak, and stay perfect on the year.

The game today was another sloppy one, and this report card reflects that.

Offense:

This was probably the worst game of the season so far for Alex Smith, right? Something about his throws just seemed a bit off. On the day, Smith was 20/39 for 245 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT. Not awful, but not great.

Aside from his fumble, Jamaal Charles was incredibly effective in this game. Charles was, without a doubt, the saving grace for the offense today.

There’s still a ton of room for offensive improvement. This can’t be their ceiling.

Grade: C-

Defense:

All things considered, the D played well today. By not sustaining many long drives, the offense kind of hung them out to dry. Also, Was it just me, or did it seem like every time Tennessee made a play it was after we had nearly sacked Ryan Fitzpatrick?

This just in: Marcus Cooper is a stud.

Grade: B-

Special Teams:

Dustin Colquitt’s shank was something Chiefs fans don’t see every day. It was most likely due to the poor snap, but still: 9 yards? Really? Ryan Succop was the stud on special teams in this one, going 4/4 on some pretty important field goals. Throw in a solid return, and the team’s first touchdown due to a Titans muff, and you’re looking at the best unit on the field this Sunday.

Grade: B+

Coaching:

There were too many penalties in this game. Additionally, the ball should be going to Dwayne Bowe more. I know Smith likes to go to the open man, but Reid needs to figure out a way to get Bowe involved in this offense. Right now, Dwayne Bowe is the most expensive decoy in football.

Grade: C+