As noted earlier on site in a Mike Lombardi quote, the Chiefs were only 2 of 10 on third down conversions in the game this weekend against the Ravens. That's obviously going to be the thorn in the Chiefs' side all season - as much as a lack of a pass rush on the opposite side of the ball. This has to be the primary focus for the Chiefs both as this season goes on as well as next offseason - plugging those two holes on the offense and defense.
The reason this is so frustrating is because the Chiefs ended up trading the best option for third down conversions in the offseason for a second round pick. Matt Ryan is rather enjoying his new toy as Tony Gonzalez wrapped up his first TD catch as a Falcon. And someone in the new Chiefs regime will have to step up and find this role for Cassel/Croyle to move the Chiefs forward.
Going against the Ravens will lessen anyone's third down conversion rate considering they ranked third in least amount of yards per play last year with 4.5 behind the Steelers and Eagles. Still, 20% is horrific by anyone's standards (the Raiders were dead last in third down conversion percentage last year with 28.5 on the year), so this wasn't about playing the Ravens. This signals a complete ineptitude on the part of the Chiefs offense to put themselves into position to move the ball forward.
When your defense is on the field for that amount of time and you're already without your best playmaker in Brandon Flowers, Joe Flacco is bound to have the kind of day that he did. The Chiefs simply must find a way to move the ball and find some offensive rhythm at least to keep their offense on the field and give themselves a chance for the entire 60 minutes of play. Every team has injuries so throwing out Flowers or Cassel as an excuse won't get it done.
Hopefully with more time in Haley's schemes, with returning players from injuries and perhaps some new personnel, things will come together. But the early offensive signs versus the Ravens paint an ugly picture for the next few games.
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