Kansas City Chiefs: Another unbelievable win

Let me preface what I’m about to write with this disclaimer:

The Atlanta Falcons are REALLY bad on defense. I get it, putting up good numbers against the Falcons is different than doing it against the Broncos. That being said…..

Alex Smith did what he needed to do against a team that we all knew was going to put up points. The fumble was hard to watch (of all the times for him to not tuck the ball and take off). The missed easy touchdown pass down the sideline to Spencer Ware in the fourth quarter looked like it could be costly. Still, when the smoke cleared Smith was 21-of-25 for 270 yards and a touchdown. If you want to complain about those couple of mistakes you can, but you have to be a flat out Smith hater not to see that he did his part to get this win.

The biggest plus was that Smith pulled the trigger and threw the ball downfield even if his target had a man on him. The past few weeks Smith was just flat out too timid and gun shy. That wasn’t a problem this week. I especially appreciated how he converted a few key third downs this week. While the Chiefs were still only 3-of-10 on third down, they converted a couple of big ones when it counted and Smith was at the center of it.

If this is the Alex Smith that we get from this point on the Chiefs have a shot to make some noise in the playoffs. The defense has proven themselves capable of making the big plays when it matters most. They just need an offense that can keep up. Today they got that and if Alex Smith can keep the same mindset as the season plays out (even against tougher defenses) it may be enough to get the job done.

Next up, a few thoughts on head coach Andy Reid.