It wasn’t pretty…
For the first quarter it looked like the Washington Redskins and Kirk Cousins were going to end the Chiefs undefeated run at three. Cousins hit a bomb touchdown pass on the first series beating Chiefs all-pro Marcus Peters in the end zone.
Needless to say, the crowd got real quiet.
Next the Chiefs had nothing on offense.
QB Alex Smith looked a bit lost early on and the visions of Pat Mahomes began to bubble. The Redskins drove the field again scoring a field goal and taking a 10-0 lead deep into the second quarter.
Then it began to happen:
Smith got tough; he ran, he threw darts; Reid called insane movement plays on offense and everyone on the Chiefs side got tough and began to settle down.
Tavis Kelce showed up big and the Chiefs put up seven just before the half.
The second half was dominated by Kansas City.
Yes, the Redskins stayed in the game with another end zone shot again over Marcus Peters for 7. But the Chiefs defense played well overall in the second half – bending but not breaking.
What also saved KC were big time penalties against Washington to keep KC drives alive.
However it was the outstanding running of Smith and his throws on the run that were perfect. Smith utilized everyone. He threw for nearly 300 yards and more than 100 of those yards were to Albert Wilson, Chris Conley and even Charcandrick West.
The play of the game was Smith’s broken field run and long bullet to Albert Wilson to set up the late score. Smith played so strong and somehow looked younger and better than the last few years. No, he didn’t go downfield a ton; his wounded line couldn’t hold out the rush well enough, but he went mid range with authority and was on the button and he looked elite.
Hey gang, if Smith plays like this and the team keeps improving, boy it will be hard to say goodbye to him at season’s end. The guy could prove everyone wrong, me included and be that special quarterback.
Is it too late?
Does he need a Super Bowl to stay the starter here?
Smith’s current numbers say he is a top five NFL quarterback: Passer rating, 132.7 best in the NFL, 7 TD’s perhaps on way to 30 plus,0 INT’s, 65 of 84 completions with a 77.4 percent ratio. Way up the chart.
Oh, did I mention Kareem Hunt went over 100 yards for his fourth straight game and was a beast in the fourth quarter again. Hunt wore down the Washington defense and put about half of them out of the game with injuries. Hunt’s the NFL’s best rookie and best back today.
Fortunately Kelce behaved and had a very good game with over 100 yards in the air and a TD. Hey, he’s half way there to last year’s total of 4.
And let’s not forget the new place kicker, Harrison Butker.
He missed his first field goal – it was close and kind a long one – but hit the next 3 including the game winner just prior to Justin Houston picking up a last second fumble from the Skins and running it in for a TD.
The Chiefs played hard in a league of capable teams. Teams you need to beat if you want to go all the way. Because there is no dominant team.
Well perhaps there is: KANSAS CITY CHIEFS THE NFL’S ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM
But even at 4-0 and it doesn’t get easier.
Next week there’s another premier national tv game, Sunday Night against the dangerous Texans and Mister Watson. Who says the networks and the NFL can’t pick exciting teams and games to feature on the big stage.
The Kansas City Chiefs are now America’s team….who would have thunk it?
We will see, but so far, so good.
How fun was that game, CG? It had a little bit of everything.
Chiefs offer the best roller coaster ride in the NFL. No question.
Smartest, toughest and most talented guy on that field last night was Alex Smith. Period.
Jim I agree, he is proving me wrong….Alex is a game or two away from becoming rated an elite NFL quarterback by EVERYONE…no question.
Health always being the X-factor in the NFL, Hunt has the capability/talent to have a really special year. Currently, best RB in the league. If he forces more and more teams to focus on him, that should be good for the Chiefs’ passing game. I like how tough and effective the kid is in the 2nd half.
I’d feel a lot better about the Chiefs’ defense if Berry hadn’t gone down for the season. At some point, the loss of a superstar and defensive leader is going to hurt you in the W-L column.
“there is no dominant team”
– wanted to get our mutual consensus out the way first CG, so, agreed; as for the rest, parting ways be such sweet subjectivity…
“if Smith plays like this & the team keeps improving, boy it will be hard to say goodbye to him at season’s end.”
– reiterate, nigh on impossible: Smith were to win Superbowl 2017 (won’t), is no way he doesn’t return starter 2018. A QB leads his team to a Championship, is still under contract and his backup has never taken a single snap of any relevance… and doesn’t return? Name a Superbowl ‘winning’ QB replaced the next year as starter for reason other injury/retirement, a rookie? Smith’s contract can be reworked/even extended beyond 2018, and might be (DEN fit ma$$ive Manning under the cap as did NO an Bree$, 3 Superbowl wins career between them justification enough.
“another end zone shot again over Marcus Peters”
– vintage ‘Toast’ got burnt for a long td by a former failed NFL QB turned WR, then, allowed another td catch, before going off literally on the sidelines, appearing curse someone stands. This aft looking for a friend afield form a ref and finding none (he also still refuses actually tackle opposition member offense any more resolve than a teenage girl tackles her homework same.)
“Hunt’s the NFL’s best rookie and best back today.”
– Kerouac’s #1 rookie QB Deshaun Watson tied an all-time NFL record QB’s Sunday, and has 300 more yards (959 to 659) than Hunt, as well more than double the # tds (9 to 4) on the season. My vote for best RB’s are 1/1a PIT Bell & DAL Elliott (former Patriot and Trent Green knee-wrecker now tv talking head Rodney Harrison, agrees with Kerouac’s choices RB’s.)
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As for last night’s comedy of errors unforced, Redskins: and that’s how the better team drops victory careless clutches defeat, 24-20 Skins win.
Recipe: take one butterfingers WR, mix with one DC Head Coach his version KC Andy Reid’s ‘clock mismanagement 101’ unnecessary timeout and voila! Once again an local fandom suspends their annual disbelief another chorus of, ‘this is our year!’ (sorta like Barney Fife trying recite the ‘Emancipation Proclamation’… and just as effective.)
Like the swiss, another ‘one word’ relic late 1960’s nod ‘The Graduate’:
‘1970’
Translation: here in Kansas City we spell ‘merit’ b-e-t-t-e-r t-o b-e l-u-c-k-y t-h-a-n g-o-o-d’, swiss mantra (with apologies the late Lou Gehrig) – “tonight, we feel like the luckiest team on the face of the turf, NFL’.
Part 2017
Verse 48
Still waiting be impressed, swiss… Kerouac will leave the lights on for you.
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Battle of the rookies SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY: Watson (5 tds last game/9 on the season)/Houston vs Hunt/Kansas City (o tds last game/6 on the season); meantime, Mahomes (0 tds ytd, Patrick pining away bench, wishing he were in Lubbock instead Kansas City)
Winner: Watson/Texans
@Texans 38
the swiss 16
🙂
The Chiefs are still looking good. Maybe the Redskins would have beat us if they didn’t lose their defensive players like they did last night? Plus, the Skins were oh so close to that TD late in the 4th, we really could have lost the game on that play.
We’re playing 4 games in 17 days, that’s insane. Sometimes an NFL team doesn’t play 3 games in a whole month or more.
We simply can’t keep this up, KC has come out flat two games in a row. I’m thinking Reid just put his Chiefs on cruise control for this upcoming Sunday night game AT Houston. Houston 38-13 over KC and then we’ll get ready for the next game..a HUGE late Sunday afternoon game vs. the Steelers AT HOME.
E.H. boy you might be right on Houston, the dark horse AFC CHAMP this year…with likely the man who will be rookie of the year if not our guy, Hunt…Mister Watson I presume. He is a mirror image of our guy, Pat M…and now a bit seasoned. He will be hard to stop, moving around the pocket, running and throwing on the run. Houston has a solid D as well. I fear our linebackers and D line are just too slow to stop him and them. His moving around out of the pocket will open up his receivers downfield against an already not fantastic pass D. We kinda seem a bit slow on D. Sometimes our guys break through the O line and can’t grab slow quarterbacks like Rivers…something to worry about…Texans might show the blueprint on beating KC! Hope not….this is a no bet game….I don’t want to bet on Texas but on a tease with lots of points on a big bet I’d have to do it…..
Hey maybe we win a close one…maybe Hunt can run over them….again hope so…look E.H. we ain’t going 16-0 so this might be one of our losses….I see this team at 13 wins or so…now barring more injury….again if we lose Houston, another D back, D.J. on the D uh oh, now we are a low level playoff team at best….we lose Hunt or Hill bye bye….course we have the 4 wins now….that helps but we need to show up on our game in playoffs not limp in…
Last year I said Steelers likely beat us, we had no offense at all, none but Hill…no running game and Smith was off his game…our D was just o.k. needing big plays to stop the other team, sometimes you just have to stop them without turnovers…
Its all up in the air now, a win Sunday night would be huge and if we play well then everyone will finally say and believe its a KC year…super bowl or bust.
C.G. I think Reid is going to try to save the best for last, he learned from his 2014 fiasco that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
I’m thinking the next 5 games are going to go like this.
Sun Oct 8: KC AT Houston – KC treats this as a preseason game. Get’s blown out but the advantage is they get to rest.
Sun Oct 15: PIT AT KC – I’m up in the air on this, Pit is always a tough game and they have awesome talent all around. I’m going to go with PIT as I think it’s a game that doesn’t really matter so early in the season.
Thu Oct 19: KC AT Oakland – I haven’t seen anything from Carr or Cooper this year, plus Carr is OUT due to back injury. KC wins this one fairly easily.
Sun Oct 30: DEN AT KC – KC will be coming of an 11 day rest. They’ll be ready and they’ll beat the Donkeys.
Mon Nov 5: KC AT DAL – I just don’t see KC going into DAL and winning on their home turf. Still, Dez Bryant isn’t the deep threat he used to be. Might be close but I think Reid will be happy going into the bye at 6-3.
“if we play well then everyone will finally say and believe its a KC year…
– well, not everyone… miles to go. To wit, not merely Kerouac but a forefather/fellow countryman my own temperament:
“I come from a state that raises corn, and cotton, and cockleburs, and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.” – Missouri U.S. Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver, 1899.
Conservative, ungullible and unwilling to believe short adequate evidence, ‘if’ another step forward number five the 19 episode odyssey minimum but likely to require more, Chiefs the form Wile E. Coyote trying catch ’69 lightning in a bottle their Roadrunner.
“super bowl or bust.”
– the choice super or bust (make my consolation prize a 36 DD if must be, yes please), Kerouac chooses the Bosom of Abraham, football’s Valhalla; believing however willst come not sans seeing.
🙂