By William Anari
Correspondent
The question has now been answered: The Chiefs are overrated.
Entering week 10 of the NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs remained the only undefeated team, had the No. 1 overall defense and an Andy Reid, West-Coast offense that just seemed to be clicking. But the numbers, in my opinion, aren’t a true representation of reality.
The Chiefs have won nine straight, and don’t get me wrong, that is an impressive statistic in itself. But do they have any respectable wins under their belt? Let’s look at the schedule, game by game.
Week 1: 28-2 win at the league’s worst team, Jacksonville (1-9): Blaine Gabbert is probably the worst QB in the NFL and doesn’t belong in the league. Easy win.
Week 2: 17-6 win vs. Dallas (5-5): Playing against a decent Dallas squad, the NFC East favorites, this was arguably a “good win” for KC.
Week 3: 26-16 at Philadelphia (6-5): Not even the Eagles knew what was going on in Philadelphia at this time. KC defense dominated this game.
Week 4: 31-7 at New York (4-6): The Giants have yet to start clicking and are just a bad football team. Eli threw another INT, and KC scored on special teams. KC offense didn’t need to be great again; Smith threw 3 TDs and 2 INTs.
Week 5: 26-17 at Tennessee (4-6): Backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had more rushing than any of the Tennessee RBs. Defense scored, Alex Smith was average. Again.
Week 6: 24-17 vs. Oakland (4-6): Oakland signed Matt Flynn (Where is this guy going to finally land?). Terrell Pryor threw 3 INTs. Can anyone remember when the Raiders were good? The Chiefs’ defense dominated in another win.
Week 7: 17-16 vs. Houston (2-8): Case Keenum’s first NFL start. Young gunslinger torched the secondary. The Chiefs squeaked by a declining, disgruntled and injured Houston late in the game.
Week 8: 23-17 vs. Cleveland (4-6): Jason Campbell, a third-string QB, started and threw for almost 300 yards. The defense saved them again late for KC, however.
Week 9: 23-17 at Buffalo (4-7): Jeff Tuel’s first NFL start for Buffalo, the KC defense shined again. Alex Smith was held to just 124 yards and 0 TDs.
Week 10: 17-27 at Denver: Peyton Manning lit up the KC secondary and the defensive line was nonexistent. Alex Smith was average again, but lacked the big play threat.
The Chiefs have beaten only one team with a winning record — the Eagles (6-5) — to date. They also have compiled wins against teams that have serious concerns at the quarterback position. Denver was their first true test, and I think that they were dominated on both sides of the ball.
Moving forward with the season, the Chiefs play only two teams with winning records: Denver in week 13 and Indianapolis in week 16 — both at home in Kansas City. Alex Smith needs to step up as a leader and playmaker in order for KC to win, and the defense cannot let up the big play. Let’s see if Smith can shake the “game manager” title and become a “game changer.”
KC now plays a San Diego Chargers team led by QB Philip Rivers, though, who is having a career year in 2013. Possible trap game considering SD is 4-6? Lets see if the Chiefs can bounce back after a loss and enter into the double-digit win column.
