Chiefs stock up / down: Dontari Poe, Alex Smith, Eric Fisher

Let’s look at the stock report for the Kansas City Chiefs after the loss to the Houston Texans.

Stock up

Dontari Poe

Poe looked like Poe on Sunday. He was able to get into the backfield and cause havoc. He affected the run game (five tackles, two stops) and pass game (two QB hits). He even got a hand on a field goal in the fourth quarter, but it somehow still went in. Reid said it was one of his best games in the last couple of years. Perhaps Poe is hitting his stride.

Tyreek Hill

His 105-yard TD that was called back is just a glimpse of what we can expect this year. (and the penalty was questionable at best). He can be a game changer as a returner, that much is clear. Can he start to command more snaps as a WR?

Dee Ford

Ford didn’t have a sack this week but his overall level of play was solid. He made plays in the run game, including one open field tackle on third down, and got some pressure and a QB hit. On both plays where the Chiefs got sacks, Ford was getting good speed rushes into the backfield, forcing the QB to step up into the Chiefs other rushers.

Others worth mentioning: Chiefs run defense, Ron Parker

Stock Down

Alex Smith

This was NOT the new Alex. He struggled with accuracy, held the ball too long at times and was a part of way too many turnovers. The passing offense was clearly out of sync all day and Smith had some ugly throws. Let’s hope this was just an off game because after seeing what he did against San Diego, expectations are higher.

Jeremy Maclin

I doubt we’ll ever see Maclin with multiple drops in one game again. We shouldn’t ever see him with 15 targets and only six catches again either. Maclin and Smith were just not on the same page on Sunday. More than once it appeared that Maclin ran the wrong route, or Alex was expecting him to be somewhere else. Maclin had plenty on his mind last week

Andy Reid

The team has been outplayed in the first half of the first two games. They were out of sync and at times undisciplined. These point squarely to the coaching staff. Reid needs to do a better job getting the team ready to play.

Others who were worse than expected: Chiefs offensive line (four sacks and too many penalties), Albert Wilson (two catches, 11 yards)

Stock Flat

Eric Fisher

He’d be in the stock up category if it weren’t for the three penalties. Penalties are killer for the offense’s ability to sustain drives. They don’t totally negate a couple weeks of good blocking, but they keep his results mixed for the week.

Spencer Ware

He had a fumble, which Ware stated was his first ever ... at any level. Many would say he had a bad day. He rushed for 57 yards on 10 carries and had two catches for 48 yards. Over 100 total yards on 12 touches is an off day? That’s still pretty damn good. He had a couple of plays were he lost his footing (I noticed that was an issue for several Chiefs) and the blocking clearly wasn’t great overall. The results certainly could have been better, but watching him play is still among the highlights of any Chiefs game.

Cairo Santos

He was 4/4 on field goals, including a career high 54 yarder. However, he did have a kickoff that bounced out of bounds inside the five yard line, causing a penalty and giving up good field position. I’ll call that a fluke play that was par for the course in a tough, mistake-filled Chiefs loss on Sunday. Santos is a reliable kicker who had a bad kickoff this week.

Others who were about as expected: Travis Kelce (still needs more targets), Tamba Hali (sack, pressures, solid against the run)