X-Factors Inside the Huddle Playoffs begin NOW for Chiefs The playoffs have begun for Kansas City. At least they just as well have. There are three games remaining on the schedule and if the Chiefs win all three they’re guaranteed a playoff spot. If they only win two of the three, then there’s still a chance they can get into the post-season, but then a whole lot of other things come into play like how Orion is lined up with the North Star, if the moon is in the seventh house and . . . well, you know how the rest of it goes. In other words, if we take care of business the next three games then it doesn’t matter what else happens. That said, this team remains a mystery. How can any team in the NFL go an entire year without throwing a touchdown pass to a wide receiver? The last time someone claiming to be a Kansas City wide receiver caught a pass that resulted in a touchdown was on Dec. 8, 2013, against the Redskins. Dwayne Bowe was on the receiving end of the 21 yard pass from Alex Smith. It hasn’t happened since. There hasn’t been a streak like this since the forward pass was invented. The inability of Smith and his wide receivers to make a connection are a major reason why the Chiefs are ranked 31st in the league in passing yards per game (189.2). It’s not as though Smith hasn’t taken an occasional shot down the field. There have been a few. Many would argue there haven’t been near enough, which has made it more difficult for our offense because opposing defenses don’t feel threatened by KC extending the field. In Smith’s defense, the offensive line hasn’t always given him much time in passing situations. On the other hand, Smith isn’t the kind of quarterback who will take risks, which is why he has just six interceptions on 389 passing attempts. Kansas City’s receivers haven’t helped their cause. The Chiefs have 24 dropped passes, which trails only Indianapolis (35) and the Giants (25). KC receivers have dropped 6.3 percent of the passes thrown to them, which is second highest in the NFL. The team also lacks a serious threat at the No. 2 receiver position to take double-team pressure away from Dwayne Bowe. The loss of Donnie Avery to an early season injury hasn’t helped and hopes that A.J. Jenkins would have a breakout season haven’t materialized. And we didn’t add to our receiver options during the draft earlier this year. The addition of Jason Avant to our receiver corps a couple of weeks ago should help. He had five catches for 64 yards against Arizona last week. In addition, rookie Albert Wilson had 53 yards on four catches. So there is some hope. Just as encouraging is the fact that Smith seemed to be targeting tight end Travis Kelce a little more, which is what more of us fans have been wanting to see. Kelce had 110 yards on seven catches - his first career 100-yard game. Charles Disappears Again What continues to be a head-scratcher for KC fans is how head coach Andy Reid uses - or doesn’t use - runningbacks Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis. Charles had 75 yards rushing, including a 63 yard touchdown, in his first three carries against Arizona. He was given the ball just seven more times the rest of the game and finished with only 91 yards. Our success begins with the running game, yet we seem too eager to abandon the run. It’s something that has Chiefs’ fans very frustrated. Kansas City’s playoff run begins this week at Arrowhead against Oakland. If we want to end our three game losing streak and keep our playoff hopes alive we need to stop the Oakland running game and force turnovers. If we can accomplish both of those goals - and get back to running the ball - we will get a win before we head to Pittsburgh. The good news is that we’re pretty healthy this late in the season and that we still have something to play for. On the other hand, we’ve squandered what little cushion we had left. We have no more room for error if we want to make it back into the playoffs.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 18:33:29 +0000
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