Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs: Winning without hitting their stride

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

foxsports

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t play a perfect game on Sunday, but ultimately did enough to win the game. Everything may not have gone exactly how I would have drawn it up but when the clock finally hit zero and the scoreboard read 27-21 in favor of the Chiefs you could hear the Chiefs Kingdom let out a collective sigh of relief. In the NFL, a win is a win. Period. This particular win raised KC’s record on the season to 4-2. You can make a pretty strong argument that KC hasn’t played great football through much of their first six games but the end result is all that matters. Now the Chiefs find themselves in great position as the season progresses.

I don’t mean to imply that KC didn’t do some good things against New Orleans. The defense made enough plays to hold one of the league’s best offenses to their second lowest point total of the season. The offense, while frustrating at times, made a couple of big plays that ultimately gave them enough points to get the job done. There were a number of great individual plays throughout the game. Daniel Sorensen was off to the races with an interception after Eric Berry batted a pass up in the air. Ron Parker may have saved the game with his punch out forced fumble in the second half. Spencer Ware was spectacular on his long screen pass touchdown run. Tyreek Hill made an amazing touchdown grab on a deep ball from Alex Smith and Chris Conley made an equally impressive sideline grab on a long third down to keep a drive (and therefore the clock) going in the fourth quarter.

There are plenty of bright spots to be found if you have been watching the 2016 Kansas City Chiefs. The frustrating thing is that there also seems to be a lot of mistakes, questionable decisions, and missed opportunities along the way as well. The glass half empty outlook on this team would be that Kansas City is probably lucky to be 4-2 and if they can’t find a way to improve their overall execution they may not be able to reach the goals that they have set for this season. The glass half full outlook on this team would be that the Chiefs are 4-2 despite not playing their best so if they can learn from their mistakes and improve they have a chance to make some noise in the AFC this season.

So why should you believe that the Chiefs will get better as the season progresses? I’m glad you asked.

Oct 4, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid instructs his team during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The number one reason I believe the Chiefs will continue to improve as the season progresses is because they showed the ability to do so last season. Andy Reid is known as a great teacher and a players coach. In other words, he has a tremendous amount of knowledge, the ability to pass that knowledge on to his players and a good relationship with his team so that they listen. Not all coaches have this and I truly believe it is why the Chiefs were able to get things turned around last season and improve as the season went along. Andy Reid makes some questionable calls and decisions in game, but his knowledge and coaching ability is simply above reproach.

The offense in particular has been incredibly inconsistent and frustrating at times. While Reid deserves more than his fair share of the blame for that he also has the ability to improve on this as the season progresses. As I stated last week I think Reid needs to not overthink things and rely on his running game. Even without Jamaal Charles for most of the season (more on that in a minute) they have proven to be a good running team with Spencer Ware as the feature back. Alex Smith simply performs better when defenses are focused on the run and he is able to take shots where he feels comfortable without the weight on the entire offense resting on his shoulders. The Chiefs offense finally has enough playmakers to get things done. Jeremy Maclin, Chris Conley, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce give them four legit NFL weapons in the passing game. If you combine them with a dominant run game this offense can be good enough to get this team to the playoffs and beyond.

The Chiefs just need to commit to being the type of offense that has proven to work and then get everybody on the same page. That really falls on Reid’s shoulders. Don’t overthink things Andy. Don’t get too cute Andy. Run the ball consistently, supplement the run game with short efficient passes and occasionally stretch the defense deep to keep them on their toes. That’s it, it’s not super complicated. Reid is a master play designer and has proven to be a good play caller when he stays out of his own way.

The Chiefs young players on this team should only continue to improve with quality coaching as well. Young guys like Parker Ehinger, Tyreek Hill, Chris Jones, Steven Nelson, and D.J. White that have been forced into key roles with very little experience should see their play get better each week thanks to a combination of valuable playing experience and quality coaching. If the Chiefs are already 4-2 and can coach up their young players and find some offensive consistency this team could even compete for a division title and possibly a first round bye.

But that’s not the only reason this team should get better….

Oct 26, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston (50) celebrates after sacking St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis (9) (not pictured) during the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 34-7. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In a league known for its parody, a team being without their most talented player on both offense and defense should be enough to tip their scales in the wrong direction. The Kansas City Chiefs have found themselves in that position in 2016 as they have essentially been without star running back Jamaal Charles and their premier pass rusher Justin Houston. Imagine where the Broncos might be if they had been without Demarius Thomas and Von Miller so far this season? As it stands now the Chiefs and Broncos both have a 4-2 record, but the Chiefs should be adding two of their best players back into the mix as the season plays on. That’s a huge advantage in KC’s favor.

Granted, the Chiefs have minimized the loss of Jamaal Charles because of the outstanding play of Spencer Ware. In fact, Ware’s play has been so good that it has allowed KC to continue resting Charles despite his actual return to the active roster several weeks ago. Charles has totaled just 14 touches through three weeks since officially returning from his injury. If the Chiefs can get to a point where Charles is 100% and they can interchange he and Ware to keep them both fresh and even use them both on the field at the same time it will only help the offense. A KC offense that has six legit playmakers in Charles, Ware, Maclin, Conley, Hill, and Kelce is one that should be effective.

The bigger addition to this team will be the return of Justin Houston. The Chiefs defense has played pretty well since the Pittsburgh game but they would benefit greatly from a pass rush. Dee Ford and Chris Jones have flashed some and provided some pressure here and there, but nothing like what we have come to expect from a healthy Justin Houston. Adding a premier NFL pass rusher to an already solid defense should take it to the next level.

Justin Houston playing also takes Frank Zombo off the field which is a good thing. It should also mean less snaps for Tamba Hali which should help keep him fresh (also a good thing). Assuming he can upgrade the pass rush at all it will also help KC’s young defensive backs. Obviously Marcus Peters is already amazing, but players like Steven Nelson and D.J. White should benefit the most from an improved pass rush. The shorter the time an opposing quarterback has to get the ball off the less time a young corner has to stick to his man.

If the Chiefs can get their two biggest star players healthy and contributing again it will only improve a team that is already 4-2. You combine that with improved play from the rest of the team through coaching and player development and this 4-2 team could find itself one of the favorites in the AFC before the season is over. That’s where many of us saw them before their mediocre start to the season.

So were the Chiefs clicking on all cylinders in their close win over the Saints? No, but that’s okay as long as they are winning and working to improve on and learn from their mistakes. They were able to do that last year only instead of a 4-2 record at this point they were 1-5. If they have even half of the improvement from this point of the season on that they did last year AND get Charles and Houston back….watch out.

So what do you think Addicts? Was this latest squeaked out victory a sign that this team is just another mediocre NFL team or a sign that they are a good team that hasn’t completely hit their stride yet? I’m leaning towards that latter but I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!!!