Kansas City Chiefs: How much have they improved?

Nov 1, 2015; London, United Kingdom; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (21) deflects a pass intended for Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson (81) during game 14 of the NFL International Series at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Obviously, the quality of opponent has a lot to do with things. Pittsburgh’s numbers are skewered by playing their third string quarterback vs Kansas City, but let’s take a quick look at Detroit to give some perspective. On the season (including the Kansas City game) Detroit’s defense has allowed offenses to convert about 44 percent of their third downs.

That’s the fifth-worst percentage in the NFL as of my writing this. On offense Detroit has converted about 35 percent of their third downs on the season. While that is almost double what the converted against Kansas City’s defense, its still in the bottom eight in the league.

Bottom line, until Kansas City can produce on third down against a quality opponent there will still be reason for skepticism.

The Chiefs have next weekend off to prepare for their rematch with Denver. When they do take the field I will be watching closely to see how both sides of the ball perform on third down. If Kansas City can do a better job of winning on third down against a good team like Denver it will go a long way towards convincing me that the improvements we have seen the past two weeks are for real. If Kansas City could pull off a win in Denver I might even let myself start dreaming of the playoffs again, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

So what do you think, Addicts? Are the Chiefs improvements on third down a sign that this team has turned a corner or just the result of playing teams that are struggling? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!!