I went back and re-watched the Kansas City Chiefs 20-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Along the way, I made some notes of things said during the broadcast or other tidbits that I missed while at the game.
Why 32 observations? That's just the way it came out.
For those who saw the game, here's a review of the game. For those who didn't see it, here's some more on the Chiefs loss.
First quarter
- Demorrio Williams got to Kevin Kolb untouched on his first sack. If it wasn't him, it would have been Tamba Hali who was pursuing as well.. Eagles screwed something up there.
- Matt Cassel's interception was thrown about a yard behind Tony Moeaki, who got his hands on the ball.
- The Chiefs had some sort of plan for Michael Vick. Whenever he came into the game, the Chiefs defense was communicating with each other and tweaking their defensive lineup.
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Eric Berry knocked down a Kevin Kolb pass and really was about a half-step away from the interception. If he wasn't running he would have had a good shot at the pick and probably six points.
- On a deep Kolb pass to Jeremy Maclin, Brandon Flowers probably should have been called for pass interference (he didn't look back for the ball).
- One of the most frustrating plays: Tamba Hali came around Kolb's blind side and nearly knocked the ball out of hiss hands when he pump-faked. Somehow Hali wasn't able to take him down and Kolb got away running for the first down.
- Derrick Johnson nearly had a sack. On a 3rd and 14, DJ rushed from Kolb's left and almost got to him before he threw it away. It was an effective way either way.
Second quarter
- Shaun Smith saw a series at nose tackle.
- Andy Studebaker just didn't quit on his first sack. There was great coverage by the Chiefs secondary and Kolb couldn't find anyone until Studebaker tripped him up. The Chiefs only rushed four on the play.
- The Chiefs had a pair of fourth and two's. Why not go for those at midfield?
- The Eagles had a strange penalty. Lining up for a punt, the whistle blew and looking at the ref's initial movements it looked like it would go against Kansas City (false start). But they called a delay of game giving the Chiefs a first down.
- The Chiefs put Jackie Battle in at running back on a third and two and he got the conversion. That says something about him if he gets the call in that situation. I think he's got a good shot to make the roster.
- Asante Samuel's big hit blindsided McCluster. It was a hard, hard hit but he got right back up. I didn't notice this but announcer Trent Green said of the play, "That was the most animated we've seen Todd Haley all night . After Asante Samuel came out flexing his muscles [after hitting McCluster], Todd Haley came running down the sidelines trying to catch the attention of the officials wondering why that's not taunting or showing up a player.
- Bowe seems to get at least an extra yard or two falling forward on every catch.
- Announcer Mike Kelly said, "The football placed down inside the five yard line. It is fourth and short here in Kansas City and this crowd is ready to erupt." Uhh....all 35,000 of them.
- Cassel's 2nd and goal pass to Jones probably should have been intercepted by Ernie Sims. It hit him right in the chest on the goal line. Cassel took advantage of that on the next play throwing a touchdown pass to Bowe.
- Maybe the Chiefs best defensive series: Studebaker rushes Kolb unblocked for the sack, then an Eagles receiver drops a pass, they have a false start, and then RB Mike Bell was absolutely drilled by Derrick Johnson knocking the ball out of bounds.
- I'm not trying to be critical but Charles went down and was clearly injured and all the announcers said was, "Fell down awkwardly on that elbow." I just thought the Chiefs team MVP going down deserved a little more attention.
- Ryan Lilja was called for a hold at the end of the first half. It was a 33-yard penalty as it erased McCluster's 23-yard catch.
Third quarter
- Dustin Colquitt's first punt was a thing of beauty going 71 yards. Give the Chiefs coverage unit credit for getting in the returner's face quickly so that he didn't catch it and it could bounce another 15 yards.
- Like his first sack, Demorrio Williams came untouched up the middle on his second sack.
- Great job by Quinten Lawrence side-stepping his blocker and tackling the return man on a Colquitt punt.
- Demorrio Williams had a very good shot at an interception but couldn't quite haul it in.
- On the Kendrick Lewis interception, Kolb was pressured by a Javier Arenas blitz. It was also the Chiefs first interception of the preseason.
- Chiefs LB Cameron Sheffield's injury looked very bad. You could tell on the faces of the players that they thought it was bad.
Fourth quarter
- Tyler Palko came on at the start of the fourth quarter.
- McCluster had three consecutive carries of 8, 15 and 8 yards. He's so fast that he can turn a sweep into an 8-10 yard gain.
- Palko missed Lance Long by several feet on a third down. You gotta hit those.
- Corey Mays went untouched up the middle of the field and punished Mike Kafka...but he threw it away a split second before Mays got there.
- After Dion Gales sack, his celebration was awesome. He was dancing and jumping around and you could see it continued to the sidelines. That's gotta be a good feeling for a guy like Gales who doesn't get a lot of sacks.
- I bet I saw a dozen ads for Chiefs season tickets.
- Bottom-of-the-roster guys that got closer to securing a spot on the roster: Jackie Battle and Jeremy Horne.