Numbers And Gut Checks
Sundays game was different. Yes… I know it was because the Chiefs “won” but I’m not talking about that little fact. The game… was different to watch. The experience. I didn’t have that fatalistic doom ridden feeling. Instead, there were… proofs of life… shades of hope… ecstatic moments… the release of some cynicism… and players to rally around.
Pride certainly arises following a victory over a team on their own home field. However, the way this team went about winning… never giving up (see Lyle Graversen’s “Does A Chiefs Win Restore Hope For 2014?”) was light years away from the hapless season opener.
Alex Smith was 19 for 25 which was an excellent pass completion percentage but… how did you “feel” about his performance while he was playing. Some of us can’t let go of preconceived notions about Mr. Smith long enough to enjoy a game like that.
Alex Smith’s 76% completion rate has him rubbing shoulders with a lot of other notable QBs on Sunday:
79% Andrew Luck
78% Tony Romo
77% Drew Brees
76% Alex Smith
72% Philip Rivers
66% Nick Foles
65% Tom Brady
65% Matthew Stafford
60% Jay Cutler
59% Aaron Rodgers
That looks really good but it’s not so much about the numbers is it. Winning is important but the way the Chiefs won by prescribing a heavy dosage of the run then making the perfect sum of passing deposits all adds up to a game that was a pleasure to watch. I predicted the Chiefs would come home with a win and I thought they would succeed there and so I went into the game getting exactly what I expected. That hasn’t happened since early last season.
A word that Andy Reid has been throwing around about this group is “progress.” So, by the numbers, let’s take a look at the first six quarters this year… and the last six quarters.
The first numbers that jump out are obviously the scoring. The first 6 quarters the Chiefs scored 20 total points and allowed 47 points. In the last 6 quarters the the Chiefs have scored 41 points and given up 18 points. Remember the last 6 quarters began with a 10 minute clock sucking drive that yielded no points but also kept the second most prolific TD passing QB off the field for the majority of the 3rd quarter. This is where the season began for the Chiefs. They sent a message… right then and there… to themselves.
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