3 in the Kee: For a flawed, depleted Chiefs roster, 9-7 or 8-8 feels about right
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Admit it: If they'd have told you after Titans 26, Andy Gang 10, that you'd still be playing for a shot -- albeit a very, very, very, very, very, very long one -- at a postseason berth in Week 17, Kansas City Chiefs fans, you'd have bitten on that one. Hard.
Or if somebody told you (to coin a documentary promo) the Chiefs (8-7) would basically be without Derrick Johnson, Mike DeVito and Eric Berry for most of 2014 and yet still could finish with a winning record, you'd probably have snatched that one up, too.
We'll probably delve into this more next week -- or whenever the journey reaches its final destination. But whether you look at the home finale with the San Diego Chargers (9-6) as an opportunity or a letdown depends on how you saw this team's real colors, real ceiling: The scrappy but flawed AFC West co-leaders, at 7-3 on Nov. 16? Or the injury-riddled, free-agency-depleted roster of late August and early September, coming off a 1-3 preseason and facing the seventh-most difficult schedule in the loop?
Do you see Chiefs 41, Patriots 14?
Or Raiders 24, Chiefs 20?
Same team. Same flaws. And some of the same questions. Still.
THREE LINGERING QUESTIONS FROM STEELERS 20, CHIEFS 12
:03 ... Can ANYBODY play left guard on this team?
From Mike McGlynn (ProFootballFocus.com grade as of Monday morning: minus 32.6) to Jeff Linkenbach (minus 5.5 and minus 4.5 this past Sunday), few NFL teams have gotten less from a single position -- let alone a single position on the offensive line -- than the Chiefs have from that one spot next to left tackle Eric Fisher.
After a solid week against Oakland the Sunday before, veteran Linkenbach was notable for the abuse he took at the hands of Steelers end Cameron Heyward. The former Ohio State star bull-rushed the Chiefs' guard in order to forge an express lane to Alex Smith on several occasions, and PFF charged Big No. 74 with two sacks and three quarterback hurries allowed.
In Linkenbach's defense, he was signed as a swing guard/tackle, a utliltyman who might be able to do some of the things Donald Stephenson and Geoff Schwartz did for the line late last fall. The line was thrown into disarray when the expected starter at right tackle, Stephenson, was cited for violating the league policy on performance-enhancing drugs, shelving him for the first month of the regular season. Left guard Jeff Allen was tried at right tackle late in the preseason, but his limitations were exposed on the edge of the pocket before an elbow injury put him on season-ending injured reserve on Sept. 12.
A good rushing attack in Week 2 at Denver got the Fisher-McGlynn-Hudson-Fulton-Harris line a little positive mojo to build on, but the more the Chiefs trailed and opposing defenses could pin their ears back, the worse things got. A healthy Allen back at left guard in 2015 -- he's signed through the end of next season -- might help stop the bleeding, at least in the short term. But between McGlynn's oft-reported struggles and Linkenbach's weaker points, an investment will have to be made to upgrade the position -- or, at the least, upgrade the backup plans at the position. And the clock is ticking at left tackle, too, where Fisher's gradual forward progress seemed to stall out against the Steelers.
:02 ... Albert Wilson: Star in the making? And why did he vanish in the second half?
Funny, isn't it? John Dorsey's first-round draft picks have drawn the most scrutiny for their production relative to expectations (Fisher in '13; Dee Ford in '14, although the latter did force what appeared to be a Ben Roethlisberger fumble that was ruled a forward pass), while undrafted rookies, free agents and late-round picks have left a better impression. Wilson was the former, a burner out of Georgia State who impressed from the very beginning of organized team activities and was able to stick on the roster, even as the likes of Junior Hemingway and A.J. Jenkins kept him pushed to the lower reaches of the depth chart.
With 4.3 speed, Wilson is a poor man's -- or rather, a more cost-friendly -- version of Donnie Avery, and flashed the wheels again on a 19-yard reception at the end of the first quarter that helped set up one of four Chiefs field goals on the day. Wilson finished the first half with a team-best five catches and 87 receiving yards, but was without a single grab for the rest of the afternoon. The 5-foot-9 Florida native has drawn attention, and eyeballs, over the past month -- including more than a few in the Steelers' secondary. But as the pocket shrunk around Smith late in the game, and the Chiefs were playing from a double-digit deficit, No. 11 had less time to look for Wilson deep. Or look for anybody anywhere, really.
:01 ... Could there be a silver lining? ANY silver lining?
Lookin' good! Flip through our photo album of Chiefs cheerleaders.
How 'bout at cornerback? It's been Sean Smith and a cast of thousands on the boundary this fall, but we've been so focused on the thousands -- Chris Owens, Phillip Gaines, Ron Parker, Jamell Fleming, etc. -- that maybe we haven't given enough love to what No. 21 has pulled off on his end.
Smith's +15.1 PFF grade as of early Monday ranked fifth among NFL cornerbacks who've played on at least 25 percent of their team's defensive snaps through Week 16, and his pass coverage grade of +14.5 ranked fourth. His interception count remains stuck at one, but it's not for lack of getting a hand out, as his nine pass breakups, as charted by PFF, ranked sixth among corners heading into the final week of the regular season.
The veteran defensive back hasn't answered every question in terms of helping in the run game, but he has remained a physical defender who can still go step for step with the best tall wideout offered up by the other side. And the Chargers, with 6-foot-2 Keenan Allen on the edge, could wind up being one of Smith's biggest challenges yet.
You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter at @SeanKeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com.
