Keys for Chiefs vs. Jets
Alex Smith:
Alex Smith played almost flawlessly last week against the Rams. In fact in every win the Chiefs have had this season Alex Smith has looked amazing, which leads me to believe the play of Alex Smith directly affects the outcome of the game. Lets take a look at his passer rating in some of the Chiefs wins this season versus some of their losses.
Wins:
- Week 3 @ Miami – Passer rating of 136.0
- Week 4 vs. New England – Passer rating of 144.4
- Week 7 @ San Diego – Passer rating of 103.4
- Week 8 vs. St. Louis – Passer rating of 98.7
Losses:
Week 1 vs. Tennessee – Passer rating of 45.2
Week 2 @ Denver – Passer rating of 79.0
Week 5 @ San Francisco – Passer rating of 65.7
Oct 26, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) runs for yardage against the St. Louis Rams in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won the game 34-7. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
The only reason his week seven and eight passer ratings aren’t as high is because he only threw one touchdown in the Chiefs game against the Chargers to the Chiefs fullback Anothy Sherman and didn’t throw one at all in the game against the Rams while only completing one pass longer than ten yards. To me that if more a reflection of the Chiefs weak receiving core than it is a reflection of Smith’s quarterback play. It gets much harder to spread the ball out down the field if you don’t have receivers that can consistently get themselves open.
Based on these numbers though, Alex Smith has performed much better in each of the Chiefs wins than he has in their losses. So if the Chiefs are going to win this week Smith needs to continue to be his efficient self and complete passes without turning the ball over.