Chiefs might be more dangerous than ever
I purposely waited two days to write this column, because there was a need for pause. After watching the greatest comeback in Kansas City Chiefs history on Sunday, there was a rush of emotions. Some were imploring me to be furious that the game had been such a mess early, while other begged me to look past the early mistakes and be glad the team is 1-0.
Ultimately, when my mental stability returned, I was left feeling conflicted as many of you likely are. A few things are clear, though. Kansas City has to figure out what is wrong with its run defense, and defensive coordinator Bob Sutton needs to start bringing more exotic pressures to rush the quarterback. The former terrifies me, the latter I feel more confident about.
The Chiefs also showed they have a powerful offense. Say what you will about the San Diego Chargers and their defense, but any offensive unit that can amass a comeback like that without a turnover is impressive. In past years, there is no way that comeback happens with a defensive or special teams score.
Which leads me to my ultimate takeaway from this game. If the Chiefs can survive the next two months without Justin Houston, they might just be more dangerous than ever.
Kansas City has been correctly maligned in the Andy Reid era for horrific clock management. Alex Smith has constantly been talked about as too conservative by nature to come from behind in such a tremendous capacity. In Week 1, the Chiefs bucked both those trends in a major way.
It was unfathomable to think a team coached by Reid could be so well-oiled down the stretch. The Chiefs were cruising down the field without having to use 30 seconds off the play clock or even a timeout. Smith was in complete control at the line of scrimmage, and the offense moved with conviction and purpose.
This was something we all saw Kansas City be incapable of in the playoffs last year against the New England Patriots. It was crushing to watch. Perhaps all that talk about focusing on being better in the two-minute drill wasn’t just talk. When the Chiefs needed to put it into action, it looked as though they mastered the craft.
Kansas City has holes. The defense has to figure out its gap assignments and the pass rush must improve. The offense is considerably further ahead, but may still have a problem at left guard. It’s going to be a process.
All that said, the Chiefs are 1-0 and headed to Houston for a tough, but winnable, game. Why? Because they fixed fatal flaws from years past, and that’s something to celebrate.