New Orleans Saints

Chiefs grades: Who shined in win vs. Saints?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 23, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Albert Wilson (12) runs the ball during the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 27-21. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs played well in a win on Sunday against one of the best offenses in the league.

They forced two key turnovers on defense that turned out to be the difference in the six-point win. The offense made big plays during the first half but stayed conservative again in the second half. Here are the grades for each group from the game.

Offense: B

This might upset some Chiefs fans who may think I just can’t be satisfied with a win. Some could say that the defense of the Saints made adjustments. What defense? The Saints allow an average of 34 points per game and that’s without a Drew Brees pick-six. Yet, for the second straight week the Chiefs got conservative in the second half and failed to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers.

Travis Kelce had zero catches in the second half and zero targets. When you have a tight end like Kelce you need to get him the ball. As was pointed out to me last week I am not qualified to grade playcalling since I am not in the game plan. However anyone can see that the head coach and quarterback tend to withdraw in the second half.

One play in the second half that I will commend Alex Smith for was his 18 yard pass outside to Chris Conley. The throw was impressive and the hand strength by Conley was even better. The fact that Alex Smith is throwing downfield on third down proves that he can do it. So why don’t the Chiefs do it more often?

It gives me hope for the future that this team may go on another tear and the offense will evolve and grow. New reliable targets like Conley and Tyreek Hill may ease the coverage on Kelce and Jeremy Maclin. The defenses don’t really get any better until Denver so the Chiefs have four weeks to really explore that capability of this offense. I can’t wait.

Oct 23, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) fumbles the ball as he

Defense: A

What a first half by a defense that has a rookie starting corner and two other corners that are only in their second year. This team still has no Justin Houston and yet they are holding two of the best offenses (statistically) to a combined point total of 31. Drew Bree’s still got his yardage but the Chiefs got some pressure on him and forced turnovers in key moments.

This defense clearly wants to be the strength of this team. Most of us thought at the beginning of the year that it would take longer for this team to get to this point. The Saints avoided Marcus Peters and still failed to score more than seven points in the first half.

The only thing that keeps this grade from being an A+ is the inability to get a stop on the opening drive. Both the Saints and the Raiders jumped out to seven-point leads on their first drives. No only do they score, they look unstoppable on their way to the end zone. Bob Sutton and this defense need to get stops on opening drives.

Oct 23, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos (5) kicks a field goal during the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 27-21. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Special Teams: A

This week the Chiefs did enough on special teams to make a positive impact. Hill didn’t get a chance to show his abilities as a returner but it shows the respect he isn’t garnering when they want to keep the ball away from him. Cairo Santos was perfect in kickoffs, field goals, and extra points. It was good to see that again in the beautiful sunshine of Arrowhead Stadium.

If the Chiefs get home field advantage then we all better hope the weather holds up for his sake.

Coaching: B+

After the first drive, Sutton and Andy Reid made the adjustments to both offense and defense to win the game. The only issue I have is that the second half should not have been that close. Had Reid remained in attack mode then the Chiefs could have easily put up 38 total points. It was there for the taking and he let off the gas.

I’m not saying that late in the fourth quarter he should be a jerk but you have to know that eventually Bree’s will get his against a young defense. Attack and it won’t matter if Brees does his thing.