Cheer up, Kansas City Chiefs fans. We've got some things to smile at this morning from yesterday's game.
Here's what we're talking about after the jump:
- Third downs;
- Run defense;
- Carson Palmer;
- Big plays; and,
- Wallace Gilberry.
Click over and give us your comments.
Third down efficiency
The Chiefs tied their Week 14 high of seven third down conversions by converting 7/15 against the Bengals.
Here's how those third downs were converted:
- 3rd and 1 - Jamaal Charles 5-yard run
- 3rd and 9 - Dwayne Bowe 10-yard catch
- 3rd and 7 - Defensive pass interference
- 3rd and 4 - 5-yard pass to Bobby Wade
- 3rd and 8 - 15-yard pass to Jamaal Charles
- 3rd and 7 - Pass to Bowe for 9-yards
- 3rd and 2 - Jamaal Charles 8-yard run
The sad part is that these conversions didn't translate into more than 10 points. Interestingly enough, the Chiefs also put up only 10 points against Buffalo too.
What about the run defense?
The Bengals were the 6th ranked rushing offense coming into yesterday's game. The Chiefs, who had been giving up gobs of yards on the ground, did a pretty solid job of containing the Bengals as a whole on the ground.
Bengals RB Cedric Benson had 133 on 29 carries. Larry Johnson only had 11 yards on four carries. Overall, the Bengals as a team only rushed for 144 yards. For the Chiefs, that's a good stat.
Keeping Carson Palmer in check
It was assumed that the Bengals would heavily favor the run after the numbers the Chiefs allowed over the last few weeks.
Palmer was 17/25 for 139 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw a pick to Jon McGraw. He ended the day with a QB rating of 91.9.
Palmer has 25 or fewer pass attempts in five games this year, showing that it's not uncommon for him to put up that few attempts. The Bengals had 36 rushing attempts compared to those 25 passes.
No big plays
Finally, the Chiefs had a week where they didn't allow a career day or some other ridiculous stat. In fact, they did very well containing the big play.
Here are the top five longest plays for the Bengals yesterday:
- 32-yard run by Cedric Benson;
- 21-yard pass from Palmer to Coles;
- 20-yard run by Cedric Benson;
- 15-yard catch by Chad Ochocinco; and,
- 14-yard run by Cedric Benson.
Not too shabby Chiefs' D. I told my Dad on the phone after the game that the biggest take away from yesterday's game was that the defense looked much improved against a talented opponent. Not only that, the Chiefs' defense was on ESPN all week and I'm sure they used that to get motivated. I'm glad to see the Chiefs' defense respond to a solid dose of negativity.
Yes, the team gave up over 200 yards in the second half. You can't describe this game not mention that. But they held the Bengals to under 150 yards rushing; didn't give up any big plays and generally kept every Bengal in check. It's all relative. This week was pretty good.
Wallace Gilberry
Gilberry's sack yesterday solidified his spot as the #2 pass rusher for the Kansas City Chiefs. Gilberry has 4.5 sacks on the season. He's behind Tamba Hali (7.5 sacks) and ahead of a handful other guys with 2 sacks each.
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Thoughts on the Chiefs' best stat from yesterday?