FanPost

Let's not get ahead of ourselves...

3-3 feels much better than 0-3, doesn't it? LeRon McClain is starting to look like a prophet! :)

Anyway, it's time for our weekly big plays (and the weekly "Play by Play couresy of ESPN" message).

1st and 10 at KC 23 M.Cassel pass incomplete deep left to S.Breaston.
2nd and 15 at KC 18 M.Cassel pass incomplete deep left to J.Baldwin [L.Houston].

***Here is what I like about this: Cassel started the game with two DEEP passes. Obviously, he didn't convert, but I'm glad that he's finally putting his big boy pants on and throwing the ball deep. Props to Cassel for rebounding nicely the last few weeks after that INT in San Diego. More on Cassel later...

3rd and 6 at KC 48 (Shotgun) K.Boller pass short left intended for J.Ford INTERCEPTED by K.Lewis at KC 41. K.Lewis for 59 yards, TOUCHDOWN. The Replay Assistant challenged the runner was in bounds ruling, and the play was Upheld.

***If you can rattle any QB, let alone a backup QB, early, it's really hard for them to recover...especially if it's a pick 6. What was the most impressive about this play, obviously, was Kendrick's tightrope along the sideline to score the TD. Big play by a very crucial piece of KC's defense (considering our loss of Berry).

1st and 1 at OAK 1 L.McClain up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.

***Okay, I like McClain. In my opinion, it's almost like he picked up the slack that Shaun Smith left behind. He's the hype guy. However, that was a TD for Asamoah, but WHO CARES (other than maybe Asamoah)?! It was good to see McClain score a TD for KC. That's why we brought him in: power football in the Red Zone. I just hope he hangs on to the ball next time (and there WILL be a next time).

4th and 1 at KC 1 (Shotgun) K.Barnes reported in as eligible. M.Bush left guard to KC 1 for no gain (D.Johnson).

***DJ has been bringing it the last few weeks. He was a monster yesterday (even got a shout out from Mel Kiper...not a fan of his...just sayin'). This is why we drafted him. He's always had the potential. He played well last year, and it looks like he is continuing to progress. Here's to hoping DJ keeps it up!

1st and 10 at KC 36 (Shotgun) K.Boller pass deep left intended for D.Heyward-Bey INTERCEPTED by B.Carr at KC 10. B.Carr to KC 12 for 2 yards (D.Heyward-Bey).

***In my opinion, this was the play of the game. We were up 14-0. Oakland was driving (started at their own 2 and had made it all the way to our 36), and Carr (even though the pass was basically right to him) made the play. Sometimes, it's about making the plays you're SUPPOSED to make, and Carr came through. I can't say how many times I've seen guys drop easy INT's. A TD for Oakland (or even a FG) would've been a positive boost for the Faiders, especially since they got the ball to start the second half. This shifted the momentum from the Raiders' drive and kept them (again) from putting any points on the board, and conserved our two TD lead.

###I won't list the plays of the drive, but I was very disappointed with our not trying to score at the end of the half...too conservative. When you're up and have the chance to add to the lead before the end of the half, GO FOR THE KILL! P.S. A Hail Mary at the end of the half doesn't count. Props again to Cassel for throwing it, though. I feel like we could've moved the ball down and tried for a FG at the end of the half, had we been more aggressive.

3rd and 1 at OAK 7 J.Arenas up the middle for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

***This was a brilliant call. Based on how the play unfolded, I'm sure the Raiders D thought DMc was getting the ball. It was nice to see Arenas go in virtually untouched.

1st and 10 at KC 45 C.Palmer pass short right intended for D.Moore INTERCEPTED by B.Flowers at KC 42. B.Flowers for 58 yards, TOUCHDOWN. PENALTY on KC-B.Flowers, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between downs.

***I'm not going to list all of our INT's, but I had to give Flowers a shout out. Oakland was sort of driving here again, and AGAIN we shut them down. To top it off, we scored another TD.

To summarize, let's look at it this way: Our defense (OBVIOUSLY!) won the game for us yesterday. While there were some things I DID like about our offense's performance, there is still PLENTY of room for improvement. Let's look at a couple of stats:

*There are too many of them to post them all, but KC faced eight third downs in the first half...and ALL of them were 3rd and long (the closest was 3rd and 7 a couple of times). We have to execute better on the first two downs. We found a way to improve in the second half, but for us to continue our winning ways, we have to figure out earlier in the game how to move the ball on 1st and 2nd down.

*Battle had another solid day, going for 76 yards with a 4.8 yards/carry average. I feel like we messed up by not giving him a few more touches.

*Cassel was 15/30 with 161 yards. While I am glad that he tried to throw the deep ball, the accuracy still wasn't there. He HAS to improve the deep ball to make defenses respect him more.

*TJ 2.0 had another rough day, 9 carries for 19 yards, averaging 2.1 yards/carry. Coach Haley, the ship has sailed. If you want to keep him on the team for moral support, I'm cool with that. However, most of those yards came on one carry (our last play of the game, other than kneel downs, for 14 yards). That means his other 9 carries were for 5 yards....it's time to give those carries to Battle and keep TJ 2.0 on the bench.

Either way, we have to realize the two main reasons we won yesterday: McFadden's injury and Oakland's QB's. Our defense DID step up, and the offense was "efficient" at times. However, we won the game yesterday because of Oakland misfortunes. Not raining on the parade (because I'm loving it)...just stating the facts. We made the plays that we SHOULD have made against an offense that was without it's starting QB AND RB.

That's it, Chiefs fans. I'll be at Arrowhead for the MNF game...hopefully watching our boys move up to 4-3 and into a tie for the division lead.

GO CHIEFS!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.