The Kansas City Chiefs improved to 6-0 this weekend with a win over the Oakland Raiders, becoming one of this season’s biggest surprises.
While they have clearly had one of the lightest schedules in the NFL (not one of the teams they have faced this season has a record over .500), it’s how they’ve done it that suggests the KC could find success in the postseason.
It all begins with the defence.
Six games into the season and Kansas City has an outstanding third-ranked passing defence that has allowed on average only 189.7 yards per game. Only the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks are better against the pass.
While they are only ranked second against the run, the Chiefs overall defensive rankings still place them fifth overall, only allowing 306.3 yards per game total.
The stingy yardage totals aren’t what have allowed the Chiefs to earn that 6-0 record, however – it has been their +12 turnover differential that has allowed them to takeover and control games.
The Chiefs have managed 18 takeaways this season (10 interceptions, eight fumbles), and only given the ball up six times (three interceptions, three fumbles). These takeaways come from big pressure up front.
Arguably the biggest part of the Chiefs’ defensive dominance has been thanks to linebackers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali.
The pair have already managed 17 sacks between them and three forced fumbles. Lest we forget second-year defensive tackle Dontari Poe, who has already managed 4.5 sacks of his own as well.
They’re more than able to get to the quarterback.
Kansas City have 31 sacks on the season, nine more than the No. 2 sacking team Baltimore Ravens, and it has been their pressure that has forced so many bad throws and interceptions from opposition quarterbacks.
While the Chiefs’ greatest strength is clearly their defence, their offence has done their part too. Generating turnovers is useless if your own offence gives the ball straight back.
Kansas City has done a great job this season protecting the ball. Only the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans have given the ball up fewer times this season, and the Colts are a game behind.
This was in no small part due to the ball-safety skills of Alex Smith, who with just three interceptions and a single fumble this season has turned the ball over fewer times than both Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.
Smith is notorious as a short- to intermediate-throwing quarterback. The very definition of a game manager, he rarely challenges defences vertically with high-risk, high-reward throws, and he is always willing to take the safe option rather than the flashy big play.
That’s how he played in San Francisco and how he’s been asked to play now in Kansas City.
He suffers plenty of criticism for his dinking and dunking style, and it’s obvious he couldn’t succeed like he has without a quality running back to hand the ball off to.
But the fact is over the last three years he has managed a 25-5-1 record as a starter. Whatever he’s doing, it’s working, and the Chiefs have been smart to play to his strengths this season.
Of course, Kansas City are a run-first team, and with running back Jamaal Charles why wouldn’t they be?
Charles has already managed 775 all-purpose yards, including seven total touchdowns. His catching ability coupled with his speed and agility make him the Chiefs most dangerous – and consistent – weapon on offence.
Charles is the final piece of the puzzle in KC. While the defence frequently gives him and Alex Smith the ball back, they’re able to control the clock on the ground and grind out a victory.
It’s not the most exciting offence (actually that might not be fair, Jamaal Charles is fantastic in the open field), but it keeps the ball and swallows up the clock.
As it stands, KC are the forth highest team in the NFL in terms of time of possession.
The Chiefs’ schedule has been light, and it’s impossible to deny the fact that they’re yet to play a team with a winning record. But to win play-off games you need to have a defence and a rushing attack.
Right now, the Chiefs have both.
The best way to play the NFL’s ever-popular high-octane passing offence is to be able to rush the passer and dominate time of possession. That’s undoubtedly something the Chiefs are able to do.
We won’t see them come up against a quality offence until they take on Denver for the first time mid-November, but aside from the Broncos, the only other match-up they have this season that could give them trouble is their game against the Colts in Week 16.
Despite those tricky match-ups, it’s not hard to see the Chiefs finish with 12 wins this season, easily capturing one of the AFC Wild Card spots.
By then, we’ll know how well they can truly play against elite opposition.
Don’t discount what the Chiefs have achieved this season despite the quality of their opponents. They’ve built a team worthy of the play-offs and deserve the recognition that comes with their unbeaten record.
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