Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs vs Jets: Kansas City Team Grades

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

foxsports

Sep 25, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Derrick Johnson (56) is congratulated by tight end Travis Kelce (87) after returning an interception for a touchdown against the New York Jets in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won 24-3. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs played their third regular season contest of the year. This time, they welcomed the New York Jets to Arrowhead for an afternoon of defense, defense, and more defense.

The Chiefs forced eight turnovers and committed only one of their own. The one turnover committed occurred on a strange play where Spencer Ware dove at the pylon and lost the ball after it hit said pylon. Upon replay, the referee overturned the touchdown call and ruled it a fumble out of the end zone, which gave the Jets the ball back. That pretty much ended the Chiefs ability to move the ball but it didn’t matter much as the defense continued to catch more Ryan Fitzpatrick passes than his own receivers. (not really, but it was over 25 percent)

Fitzpatrick was so bad that he earned the lowest grade of any quarterback ever on pro football focus. (subscription required) Giving the Chiefs six interceptions and making poor decisions in the face of pressure will earn any quarterback the worst grade of their career. A good question that almost no one is asking is how bad is Geno Smith that Fitzpatrick doesn’t get benched after his 4th pick?

The Chiefs impressed after a dull game in Houston and are back on track in the AFC.

Sep 25, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) hands off to running back Spencer Ware (32) during the second half against the New York Jets at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 24-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Offense: C

The Chiefs struggled to move the ball after their second series due to poor offensive line play and questionable decisions. The offensive line was unable to open up the middle and the Chiefs had to bounce it outside too often to have any real success. With the guards of the Chiefs continuing to suffer from injury it was the third combination of big men in as many games. For the most part the pass protection could not give Alex Smith enough time to read more than two routes. This resulted in two two sacks and several pressures, forcing the Chiefs to rely on the slant and short crossing routes. Once the Jets began to shut down the short passing game the offense was extremely limited.

Outside of the offensive line, the Chiefs played well enough to win the game but not to impress anyone. Smith played poised and accurate but missed high on at least two throws that would have been first downs. Some of his best throws were unfortunately wasted by good coverage and Jeremy Maclin’s recent inability to hold on to a football. One in particular that Maclin would love to try again was a perfectly thrown fade by Smith over the middle with under a minute left in the first half. Maclin had one arm up for the ball and though the defender was close, I saw no reason he couldn’t get his other arm free. He dropped the pass and the Chiefs took another sack to end the half.

Andy Reid’s play-calling was suspect yet again in the redzone and with little time left. After a Marcus Peters interception, the Chiefs worked the ball inside the Jets’ 10 yard line. They had Ware ready but instead decided screens and the speed option were the way to go. Not only did they not work, they lost yardage and settled for the field goal. Later on, with two minutes left in the half the Chiefs had a chance to go up another score on the Jets and get the ball back to start the second half.

So what does Reid call? A run, waste 40 seconds of game time, call timeout, then throw two deep shots to Maclin. The deep shots were promising as neither were bad passes from Smith, so why the 40 second runoff? Trent Green in his broadcast booth sat just as baffled as the rest of us.

Sep 25, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; A Kansas City Chiefs shows his support during the second half against the New York Jets at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 24-3. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Defense: A

What else can you give to a defense that took the ball away 8 times and limited the passing attack of the Jets to 188 yards? Maybe they should have a plus on the end of that “A” but a game without a sack and allowing 117 yards rushing docked them a few points. The defense was put in some interesting positions late in the game due to ultra conservative play calling and yet did not allow a touchdown. There were some bending moments as the Chiefs forced three of their picks in their own end zone, but ultimately this side of the ball won the game.

Bob Sutton bullied Ryan Fitzpatrick all day and even without sacks, there was pressure. Tamba Hali and Dee Ford provided an edge rush that was serviceable. They forced Fitzpatrick to make bad decisions and throw either too soon or under duress. Dontari Poe and Jaye Howard also often pushed into the backfield just missing a shot at the quarterback. The Chiefs will have the respect of Ben Rothlisberger next week but unless they get hits on him, he will be patient enough to pick them apart.

Special Teams: B

The special teams play of the Chiefs looks really good so far this season. Cairo Santos was yet again perfect in his performance and is now one of only seven who are perfect on both field goals and extra points. Dustin Colquitt had a solid day punting and was able to pin the Jets deep on three different occasions. His best came from a heads-up play by standout Tyreek Hill to give the Jets the ball back on their own 1/2-yard line. Speaking of Hill, his play on both sides of the punting game will eventually earn him ST player of the week honors. He continues to impress as gunner and in his electrifying returns.

Where the Chiefs struggled here was kick coverage and kick return. Sure they recovered a fumble for a touchdown but twice the Jets were able to return a kick close to the 50 yard line. It seems that if Anthony Sherman is not there for the tackle then the returner has a big gain. On their own returns Hill struggled to pick a lane and then make his move. He is treating kick returns like punt returns and instead of kicking it in gear and then making people miss, he is dancing while it is still developing. Knile Davis may find his way back into that role if Hill struggles.

Overall: B

The Chiefs won a home contest over a solid AFC team. Calling the Jets anything but is just foolish. Their biggest issue now is at the quarterback position where FItzpatrick can either be really good or really bad. Meanwhile the Chiefs are just fine with their not bad but not great quarterback leading their team. They are opportunistic and patient which may be invaluable when the cold starts setting in. The scary part is that they still don’t have arguably their best two players in the lineup yet. Jamaal Charles and Justin Houston will make it back eventually and the hope is that the Chiefs can be 3-1 or maybe 4-1 when they do.

Next week will be the most difficult matchup yet as they travel to Pittsburgh. The Steelers are coming off a bad loss and will be looking to right the ship at home in prime time. The offense will have to play better and the defense needs pressure if the Chiefs are to go into the bye week above .500.