Alex Smith: Captain Checkdown or Comeback Kid?

The best part is that if he is playing that well without the offense’s best player what will it be like when Charles returns? The Chiefs have a window here with Alex and the rest of the team. If the defense can find a way to get a seven or eight stops a game the Chiefs defense should be able to find a way to survive until Houston can return.

What is it about Sunday that has so many Chiefs fans talking? Was it the Leonidas type look that he had after the game and was immortalized by the KC Star photographer? Was it the multiple passes that Smith made look easy that to this point you’d never see him throw? Or was it that he finally had a centerpiece to discount the pundits who said he could never be the guy?

The absolute craziest part of the way it all happened was that it all began with an interception. Smith tried to hit Maclin on a slant but Verrett jumped over Maclin’s shoulder and pulled the ball away. It was a tremendous play by Verrett. In the past this was the type of play that would have been Alex’s undoing. He would start to get happy feet or just check down and go back into his shell, but not this week.

San Diego’s drive stalled quickly and the Chiefs got the ball back with close to 10 minutes to go in the game. Smith drove the Chiefs down the field even converting on fourth down to Charcandrick West on a swing pass. A couple plays later Smith threw a perfect back shoulder throw to Maclin on the outside. The beauty of the throw wasn’t just that it was back shoulder. Verrett never looked back for the ball. The pass was thrown eventhough Maclin was completely covered.

Two drives later Smith again makes a throw that sets up Spencer Ware’s TD run. Verrett covers Maclin off the line, but drops coverage as San Diego is playing zone. Maclin is running a post and makes his break to the middle of the field. The ball is thrown to him in the middle of three defenders.