Are the Chiefs doomed offensively?
By Brandon Fry
Hey Addicts, thanks for stopping by. I hope you’re all doing well on this last day of September. The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a bad loss against the Green Bay Packers where not many expected them to win. The most troubling part of this public embarrassment was the team just didn’t look ready to play. After having 10 days to prepare for the Green Bay, Andy Reid couldn’t conjure up a creative game plan to help Kansas City even just compete with the Packers.
After falling to the Denver Broncos on a Thursday night game, Reid responded to questions regarding loss with “We’ve kind of moved on, so that’s where I’m at. If you’re still on that game, you and I are in different places. We’re deep into the Packers and getting ourselves ready there.”
It wasn’t deep enough as Kansas City went to halftime in Lambeau Field trailing 24-7. Chiefs fans have seen enough of this offense to know that when an opponent builds that large of a lead the chances of this offense coming back to tie the game is slim to none. The offense’s struggles aren’t completely pinned to one person but one person seems to be under major fire lately, Alex Smith.
I have tried to stay away from being overly critical of him because you occasionally see flashes of the good things he can do. The problem is, it’s really rare when he has those great kinds of games or moments. Sure, Smith did some nice things in garbage time the second half of the game and the Chiefs finally killed that wide receiver touchdown streak, but it’s almost like when the game doesn’t matter and the pressure is off that Smith shines the brightest.
It was really eye-opening to me Monday night how scared Smith is of making a mistake. It’s so bad that he chose to literally run on a Hail Mary! I couldn’t believe it, I just sat there with my jaw dropped like the scene on the sandlot when “Smalls” runs and hands over the ball instead of throwing it. This is our quarterback that our team has to go to battle with? If fans are losing confidence in this guy I can only imagine what guys in the locker room are starting to think.
What we saw Monday night were two quarterbacks going two completely different directions. You have Aaron Rodgers who radiates with confidence so much that he knows he can make a big play every single snap. You don’t see that with Smith, he’s always looking for the safest option or the path of least resistance. At the end of the game when they were trying to make things more interesting, it took 17 plays to run a two-minute offense. That is unacceptable, you can’t nickel and dime your way down the field when your racing against the clock down multiple scores.
To Smith’s credit he’s playing behind a not so good offensive line but not all of the seven sacks Green Bay registered were the offensive line’s fault. Smith has a problem holding onto the ball and can be indecisive with throwing which I believe (going back to the hail mary run) is driven by fear of making mistakes.
The season isn’t over Chiefs fans, it’s just beginning and a lot can change between now and the end of Week 17. Can Andy Reid improve on his game planning? Sure he can and I hope he does. Can the offensive line improve? Yes, I think there’s a lot of new pieces there and we’ll have to wait and see if they end up geling better. Can Alex Smith become a more aggressive passer? I have my doubts but am hoping for the best.
We’re Onto Cincinnati:
Did anyone else catch the irony of last night post game press conference with Andy Reid? I have the notes below.
On whether they considered a change at QB:
We’re gonna move on here quickly.
On the penalties:
That’s my fault, that’s my fault. Too many penalties. Not disciplined enough.
On what he saw from the players:
That’s my responsibility to make sure they do that right.
On a question I couldn’t hear but doesn’t even really matter:
Again that’s my responsibility to make sure we do a better job as a team. And it starts with me.
On whether Rodgers was targeting specific cornerbacks:
I gotta make sure everything is taken care of on that front there. That’s my responsibility.
On the Packers defense:
Green Bay did a nice job.
On the sequence at the end of the first half:
We’re moving on. We’re moving onto Cincinnati. We’ll fix all that. I’ll make sure I look at the tape.
After a blowout loss on Monday night and an upcoming game against the Bengals, did the Chiefs just find the same magic carpet that took the Patriots to the Super Bowl? I guess we’ll be able to fully confirm that if the score ends up being 43-17 in the Chiefs favor.
In all seriousness, Kansas City has had a very tough schedule these first four games and it would be a lot to ask any team to go 3-1 or even 2-2. I think most Chiefs fans when they saw the schedule initially thought the Chiefs would be right where they are now. The Bengals game however looks a lot more difficult than it did three weeks ago on paper. I don’t think this is a make or break game for Kansas City to make the playoffs but it would sure make the team and fans feel a lot more confident finishing that first quarter gauntlet 2-2.
On a positive note, Kansas City is getting back their sorely missed starting corner back Sean Smith which should help bolster up what’s been an ailing secondary. If the Chiefs are going to cool down a hot Bengals team, Reid, Smith, and that offensive line need to be much better this Sunday.
That’s what’s on my mind, Addicts, what’s on yours?