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Here's how Alex Smith's rushing affects the Kansas City Chiefs

By Joel Thorman

So I put this out there:

I talk about "getting back to the 2013 Chiefs" because Alex Smith rushed for 431 yards that season. The Chiefs seem to play better when Alex rushes the ball well.

So far this season, the stats bear that out. Via Pro Football Reference:

During the Chiefs first six games in which they started 1-5, Smith averaged just under 20 yards rushing per game. In the Packers and Bengals losses, Alex was repeatedly scrambling from rushers. Since that game with the Chiefs winning six straight, Alex is averaging nearly 35 yards rushing per game. That's highlighted by the 78-yard game against the Lions, the second in their six-game winning streak.

The reason this works is because Alex is so smart about when he rushes. Some of these, obviously, are just avoiding a sack. But many others are intentional runs when the defense isn't prepared. The CBS commentators on Sunday talked a few times about how the Raiders said they wanted to keep Alex in the pocket. Alex didn't have his highest rushing output on Sunday but he did get a score.

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