Kansas City Chiefs: Ugly wins still count!
Dec 6, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Tyvon Branch (27) runs for a touchdown after an interception against the Oakland Raiders as cornerback Marcus Peters (22) and free safety Eric Berry (29) celebrate during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Oakland Raiders 34-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Then there is the defense.
The defense may have been inconsistent at times but they’ve absolutely done their fair share as well. There have been missed tackles. There have been stupid and costly penalties. There have been some big plays allowed, but in the end they always seem to do enough to win the game.
The Chiefs allowed Derek Carr to pass for 283 yards and two touchdowns. They also picked him off three times and came up with several key stops when the offense couldn’t get going in the first half. The previous week they allowed Tyrod Taylor to pass for 291 yards and three touchdowns but again turned it on down the stretch and shut the Bills down as KC pulled away late.
The Chiefs defense may not lead the NFL in any particular stat, but they do everything well enough. As of my writing this not every team had this week’s data in at NFL.com, but using what was in the Chiefs defense ranked in the top ten in all of these following categories.
Yards per game allowed
Yards per play allowed
Points per game allowed
3rd down conversion % allowed
Interceptions
Sacks
Rushing yards per game allowed
Rushing yards per carry allowed
Passing yards per game allowed
Passing yards per attempt allowed
Passing completion % allowed
QB Rating against
That’s pretty impressive. It just shows that there isn’t any glaring weakness in the KC defense. Yes, they give up plays here and there, but they find a way to win and they get stops when it counts. This is despite the fact that they have had multiple key players miss time this season.
Key players that have missed time at some point include: Sean Smith, Phillip Gaines, Husain Abdullah, Mike DeVito, Allen Bailey, and Justin Houston. If you count the nickel CB as a twelfth starter (and in today’s NFL you should) that’s 50 percent of KC’s starting defense that has missed time. Obviously, the Chiefs need Houston back as soon as possible, but the defensive unit as a whole deserves credit for finding ways to make plays and get stops regardless of who is on the field.
The Chiefs haven’t always been pretty lately, but a six game winning streak is still a beautiful thing. As long as Alex Smith and the defense continue to make enough plays there is no reason that the Chiefs can’t continue to stack up more victories. I look forward to catching my first game in person next week when the struggling Chargers come to town. I hope the Chiefs can roll the same way they did in San Diego a few weeks back, but if it turns out to be another ugly win that’s okay by me. The ugly wins still count.
As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!