Hi, Chiefs Kingdom! Welcome to Talking Touchdowns!
One word: heartbreaking. We fell to the Buffalo Bills 16-10 last week. The Chiefs just couldn’t find their rhythm and struggled to move the ball down the field. The Chiefs have now lost five of their last six games.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets
Offense
Quarterback Alex Smith completed only 23 of his 36 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked twice. Rookie running back Kareem Hunt ran the ball only 11 times for 17 yards. In his first five games, he ran for 609 yards and four touchdowns. In the last six games, he has rushed for only 281 yards, and he has been unable to complete a touchdown. Why? Has the offensive line failed to provide adequate cover? Have other teams reviewed film on Hunt enough to stop him consistently? One of the highlights of the game was Harrison Butker’s 45-yard field goal, his 23rd of the season. He set the new franchise record for the most consecutive field goals. Wide receiver Albert Wilson scored the game’s only touchdown with his 100th career reception. Wilson, we see you and need more touchdowns next week against the Jets.
Defense
The Chiefs defense did a nice job last week against the Bills. Linebacker Reggie Ragland repeated the previous week’s performance with nine tackles. Safety Daniel Sorensen and linebacker Justin Houston had a combined 11 tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hits. The Chiefs defense needs to continue this performance next week and apply pressure to McCown.
The 4-7 New York Jets, who have lost five of their last six games as well, host the 6-5 Kansas City Chiefs at MetLife Stadium. Let’s see what we are up against. The New York Jets lost last week to the Carolina Panthers, 35-27. Jets’ quarterback Josh McCown completed 19 of his 36 passes for 307 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is ranked 12th in the NFL and has completed 2,549 passing yards this season. The Jets offense ranks 23rd in the league, averaging 315 total yards a game. Jets wide receivers Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse, combined, caught the ball 13 times for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Chiefs defense need to stay on them and shut down the Jets’ passing game. The Jets’ defense is ranked 19th in the league. However, their rushing defense is ranked 25th, giving up a 120 yards a game. Let’s hope the Chiefs can take advantage of this and block for Kareem Hunt.
The biggest opportunity for the Chiefs right now is our offense, and many people are calling for quarterback Alex Smith to be benched and for Patrick Mahomes to replace him. When head coach Andy Reid was asked in the postgame press conference whether he’s considering making a change at the quarterback spot, he said, “No, that’s not where I’m at right now. There’s a couple of other things I’ve got to take care of.” The Chiefs offensive line needs to keep Smith protected from Jets linebacker Demario Davis and Darron Lee, who, combined, had 16 tackles, two sacks and three quarterback hits in last week’s game against the Panthers. Newly signed cornerback Darrelle Revis, formerly of the Jets, should get some playing time next Sunday against his former team.
Game Prediction
I have not bet against the Chiefs all season and I am not going to start now. We as Chiefs fans need to stick together and support our team. We need to shore up the offensive deficiencies, continue to play good defense and the Chiefs should be able to come back home with a win. Whether they win or lose, loyalty is always number 1. Go Chiefs!
[NFL-Chiefs-footer]Photo Credits:
- Kansas City Chiefs on Wikimedia Commons by Kansas City Chiefs
- Buffalo Bills blue on Wikimedia Commons by Moe Epsilon
- Alex Smith on Wikimedia Commons by Lance Cpl. Matthew Bragg
- New York Jets on Wikimedia Commons by New York Jets
- Justin Houston on Wikimedia Commons by Jeffrey Beall
- Josh McCown on Wikimedia Commons by Erik Drost
- Met LIfe Stadium on Wikimedia Commons by MarineCorps NewYork
- Carolina Panthers Logo on Wikimedia Commons by Moe Epsilon
- Travis Kelce on wikimedia commons by Jeffrey Beall
- Tyreek Hill on flickr by Brook Ward
- Andy Reid on Wikimedia Commons by Sgt. Zach Sheely
- Demario Davis on Wikimedia Commons by Trevorpeelman
- Darrell Revis on Wikimedia Commons by Jeff Kern