The Chiefs may have lost on Sunday, but Dontari Poe was tremendous.
Before diving into the film room, last Sunday’s game against Houston got me thinking about momentum. ‘Momentum’ is one of those words that seem to be predominantly used within the context of sport. I honestly can’t even remember the last time I heard it in regular conversation – no, not even in business speak. But the funny thing about momentum in sports is that it doesn’t really, you know, exist.
Of course, I’m not even close to the first one to say this (Bill Barnwell’s Grantland pieces from 2013 are great reads), but I say it now because of last week’s performance in Houston.
After staging the largest comeback in franchise history, against a division rival no less, you’d think the Chiefs would have ‘momentum’ heading into Houston, right? Well zero touchdowns, four field goals, and a .500 record later, the argument in support of momentum takes a serious hit. Anyways, I digress.
It’s onto the Jets, a team that has a remarkably similar makeup to the Texans: an inconsistent quarterback, a stout defense, and a commitment to the ground game. The last point is particularly important as Jets running back Matt Forte is third in the league with 52 rushing attempts in the first two weeks (trailing only Lamar Miller and DeAngelo Williams). I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that the Chiefs front will see a lot of Forte on Sunday.
Luckily, the Chiefs possess a one man run stuffing force in Dontari Poe. Whether you ask Andy Reid, PFF, or the game film, they all say the same thing: Poe balled out on Sunday. And in order for the Chiefs to stymie the Jets offense, Poe is going to have an encore performance. Why don’t we take a look at what exactly that would entail.