Chiefs grades: Flying colors in win over Colts
By Andrew Jones
Special Teams: B+
Tyreek Hill is a stud. When punter Pat McAfee allowed him to field a kick Hill averaged over 15 yards per return. He hasn’t returned one for a touchdown yet but he has been great at giving the Chiefs good field position. He limited his mistakes on Sunday by fair catching when he needed to and allowing the ball to bounce inside the endzone. As he continues to learn the position he will provide a major spark to this team.
In the kicking game the Chiefs struggled a little more than usual. Dustin Colquitt did his job, placing 3 punts inside the 20 and dropping one inside the 5. Cairo Santos missed a field goal and his surprise onside kick went directly to a Colts player. I am still very pleased Santos this season and the occasional missed kick won’t hurt the Chiefs in the grand scheme. When it really comes down to it, he has been very clutch.
Coaching: A
Other than the aforementioned onside kick, Andy Reid coached a good game against the Colts. He called the right plays and allowed his passing system do the work against a depleted Colts defense. That system is why Nick Foles wanted to come to Kansas City and it’s a good thing he did. Reid looks like a genius by signing Foles now as Smith may be out for a few weeks. Had they instead kept Kevin Hogan or Aaron Murray they still win but not by the margin they did. The Chiefs have confidence with Foles moving forward and its all because of Andy Reid.
Bob Sutton didn’t need his normal quarterback-confusing tactics of complex blitzing to get the job done on Sunday. His front four guys consistently got pressure on Andrew Luck and sacked him 6 times. This allowed Sutton to keep the rest in the secondary and shut down the Colts’ talented receivers. Moving forward, Sutton can continue to rely on his front four as he gets back Justin Houston and plays offensive lines that aren’t exactly world beaters.