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Despite the loss yesterday, Chiefs fans saw a much improved KC team step onto the field in the RCA dome yesterday. Say what you will about the Colts' injuries, but the Chiefs did hold their opponent to 216 yards of total offense and Peyton Manning managed a paltry 52.0 quarterback rating against a resurgent Chiefs' defense. The stats may only tell part of the story but Brodie Croyle, in his first NFL start, outplayed the future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. It seems like I write this every week but even with the loss, the Chiefs are still only a game behind the AFC West leading San Diego Chargers and we have three straight divisional games coming up on the schedule. Make no mistake. This is the gut of 2007 schedule.

The First Half

The first half played out exactly how Herm Edwards likes to play football. The half ended in a 3-3 tie, in what was essentially a defensive struggle. The Chiefs forced one interception on Manning and held him to sixty-two first half passing yards. Manning completed only six of sixteen pass attempts and when the half ended, he had a 23.4 quarterback rating.

The defense came with pressure, as it usually does in the first half, with Jared Allen leading the way. Allen had four first half pass deflections. One of those tips led to an early second quarter interception by Jarrad Page.

The advantages of having Brodie Croyle under center are already clear. In the first half, Croyle completed nine passes to six different receivers. Dwayne Bowe was the biggest recepient of Croyle passes, catching three balls for nineteen yards. Croyle was sacked once and not even hurried in the first half of play. The offensive line played one of its better halves of football yesterday but slacked a bit in the second half.

Because of Croyle’s quick release, the Chiefs were able to take advantage of the "quick out" plays to the sidelines. I’m not usually a fan of those plays but Dwayne Bowe made the best use he could of those plays, consistently making defensive players miss.

Brodie Croyle's demeanor was perhaps the most impressive part of his first NFL start. Croyle was never rattled and never panicked. Each shot of him on the sidelines showed a collected and focused quarterback.

Priest Holmes showed us he still has the quickness and the toughness to play in the NFL. Despite leaving the game early in the fourth quarter with a currently undisclosed ailment, Holmes was the one delivering blows in the first half. Most notably, Holmes rushed to the left side of the field and before going out of bounds, delivered a hit that knocked the Colts defender to the ground. Holmes rushed the ball fifteen times for fifty-two yards in the first half.

The Chiefs committed two turnovers in the first half, with a late second quarter fumble leading to a Colts 27-yard field goal. The previous turnover, a fumble by Eddie Kennison on a punt return, yielded nothing. On the Colts possession following the Kennison fumble, Jared Allen made a great stop on Colts RB Kenton Keith for a loss of six yards. That play essentially killed the drive.

The half ended with the Chiefs kneeling the ball with a little over one minute left. Despite having ample time left to attempt a drive (and three timeouts), the Chiefs did the right thing by not taking any chances and ending the half in a 3-3 tie. In the future, as Croyle becomes more comfortable in the offense and gains more confidence, I'd like to see the Chiefs drive this ball down the field.

The first half played right into the Chiefs hands. The defense frustrated Peyton Manning and held the injured Colts’ offense in check. Turnovers were the difference makers in the first half. A Jarrad Page interception led directly to a Dave Rayner field goal and the Croyle fumble under three minutes left set up the Colts for a field goal.

Despite not moving the ball well on offense, the Chiefs had to go into halftime satisfied with their performance.

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The Second Half

The second half was really about Joseph Addai’s and the Colts’ ability to run the football .Addai had twelve second half carries for forty-nine yards, which translates into a very impressive four yards per carry.

After the two teams exchanged punts to open up the second half, the Colts went on a nine-play, 4:53 drive. Addai touched the ball on the first five plays of that drive and topped it off with a three-yard touchdown run.

With the score 10-3, the Chiefs roared back with their own eleven-play, 5:55 drive that was capped off by the best offensive play of the Chiefs season. As announcer Gus Johnson said, Brodie Croyle fit the ball into a shoebox for Dwayne Bowe as the big wide receiver hauled in a nineteen-yard touchdown catch in the back right corner of the end zone. The Colts challenged the touchdown call but were rebuffed as replays showed Bowe coming down with the ball between his legs. The score is suddenly tied and we’ve had what I’ve wanted all season – a Croyle to Bowe touchdown pass. Get used to it.

After exchanging a few more insignificant drives, the Chiefs got the ball back with eleven minutes left in the game and the score tied. Facing a third and three, Croyle dropped back and hit Bowe for fourteen-yards and a first down.

The next two plays are where the offense hit a wall. With time winding down against the Super Bowl champs, Kolby Smith was dropped for a five yard loss on first down. On the next play, Croyle was sacked for a three yard loss. Suddenly, the Chiefs are looking at third and eighteen and the prospect of giving the ball back to Peyton Manning and Co. with around seven minutes left. The Chiefs did the smart thing – a draw to Kolby Smith that only gained two yards– and let their defense take over. I don’t think you ask Brodie Croyle to make a nearly impossible play on third and eighteen. Not yet anyway. As primetime said in the comment section, it’s probably more likely that Croyle throws a pick than converts a third and eighteen (But he still thought we should have gone for it). Our defense was playing fantastic at the time and it wasn’t a bad call to put the pressure on them.

After getting the ball back with 6:59 left in the game, the Colts and Peyton Manning did what they do best. They manufactured first downs (five total on that drive) and ran the clock down. On fourth and one from the Chiefs’ three-yard line, Peyton Manning kept the ball for a QB sneak and converted the first down.

The game was over. The Chiefs had no timeouts and the Vinatieri field goal that followed was a mere formality. Chiefs lose. The Colts held the ball for almost seven minutes to end the game. Manning completed passes of 17, 19, 11 and 12-yards on the Colts final drive to win the game. The defense could not stop Peyton Manning when it needed to most.

Why the Chiefs Lost

It’s clear that Brodie Croyle has a lot of potential, especially with a receiver like Dwayne Bowe and a tight end like Tony Gonzalez. The main issue I had with yesterday’s game was, like DJ said, was that the Chiefs’ coaches didn’t unleash Croyle. The play calling, for the most part, was short passes and conservatives runs. Yet again, the Chiefs put together solid drives but are unable to convert on most of them. It's like Mike Solari goes into a conservative hole the closer the Chiefs march to the end zone.

Maybe this strategy will change as Croyle and the coaches become more comfortable with each other but Mike Solari’s track record would indicate that a change is not imminent.

Dave Rayner also missed a 43-yard field goal right before making a 47-yarder. Yeah…those extra three points would have been nice.

The defense was given their chance at the end of the game to stop the Colts but they could not do it. The play calling reflected a "play not lose" attitude rather than playing to win. The Chiefs lost it.

Defense Player of the Game: Jared Allen

Offensive Player of the Game: Dwayne Bowe