Chiefs grades: No excuses, the offense blew it
By Andrew Jones
Defense: B+
Generous grade right? I don’t think so. This defense FORCED three turnovers. It wasn’t silly mistakes by the Titan’s offense but real takeaways. By the end of the game they were so gassed and overused they got beat. Defenses without four starters cannot be expected to shut down one of the best running games after the offense stalls on drive after drive.
Imagine you have played a stellar game and the offense has driven down inside the opponents 20 four times. You’d feel pretty good right? Now imagine the offense only got 10 points out of those drives. That is what it was like to play defense for the Chiefs on Sunday. Extremely deflating for a unit that is so good at creating opportunities for its offense.
The defense had its issues but much like Tampa Bay the offense was in position to win it and failed to do so. Now with Marcus Peters possibly nursing an injured hamstring the Chiefs will face a desperate Denver team that can’t run the ball. If the pass rush can get home then the offense of the Chiefs will have a tough time giving the game away.
Special Teams: B
The special teams didn’t really help or hinder the Chiefs on Sunday. They covered punts fairly well and made the one field goal attempt they had. But they also couldn’t get a strong push to block a kick that had a low trajectory at the end. They also could not get Tyreek Hill or De’Anthony Thomas any running room on returns.
It might surprise other fans that we count on so much production from the special teams. Some might think it a win when special teams doesn’t affect the game much. Well here in Kansas City if they don’t score or at least make a huge play then a one score game usually goes to the opposition.