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The Buffalo Bills dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, 41-7, and it's hard to come up with any good things to write about this game. I think I have one good thing to remember on this list of 10 things to remember.
As usual, turnovers played a big part in the Chiefs loss. They lost two fumbles in the Bills territory and QB Matt Cassel's interception was brought back to Bills territory. When that happens, even an elite team stands a very, very small chance of winning. Add those turnovers to the Chiefs playing very little defense and failing to demonstrate any consistency on offense and you have the recipe of a blowout.
The "Give Jamaal Charles More Carries" folks won't be getting any quieter. Maybe you can argue that the score took Charles out of the game but even at the start of the second half this was a 20-7 game. The Chiefs could have stuck with him, in my opinion. He had two second half carries.
Thomas Jones' carries were down, way down. He had just two carries. Haley said earlier this offseason that Jones, who lost weight this offseason, would likely see less carries. I wonder how many carries he would get in a normal game.
Todd Haley takes 100 percent responsibility for the loss. Good call by the coach saying this. It doesn't change things or make it better but I'm glad he said this.
So was it the offense or the defense that played worse? Through 1,000 votes, our poll is saying it's the offense.
The search to replace Tony Moeaki. Four receptions from Leonard Pope and Jake O'Connell for a combined 39 yards. Not great but Pope had a couple of decent gains, including a near-touchdown. That said, the Chiefs won't be able to replace Moeaki.
On the bright side, Dexter McCluster's getting involved more. The Chiefs moved him to running back and he was active throughout the preseason and today against the Bills. His final numbers: four carries for 42 yards and five receptions for 25 yards. Nine touches for 67 yards is a nice day for McCluster.
Any other bright sides? Seriously, i'm not sure that there is. The Chiefs had one solid drive that resulted in points but, other than that, I can't find a bright spot. I guess we'll cancel our weekly "Five Good Stats" story this week.
The Chiefs have now lost four of their last six games (that mattered). In those four losses, they were outscored 31-0, 31-10, 31-7 and 41-7 for a combined score of 133-24. Ouch.
This was the worst season opener in franchise history. That sums things up.