National Football League

3 in the Kee: Is the magic of Dave Toub gone for good?

Published Sep. 15, 2014 12:30 p.m. ET

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Life in the NFL is the same as the real world, at least in this respect: As Charles R. Swindoll famously opined, it's 10 percent what happens to you, 90 percent how you react to it.

Week 1: Derrick Johnson, Mike DeVito go out for the year. The Kansas City Chiefs -- and their coaches -- roll into a fetal position.

Week 2: Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry leave the game in the first half with ankle problems. The Chiefs -- and their coaches -- keep punching anyway.

So, progress is progress, however slight. If the Chiefs are going to go down, going down swinging sure as heck beats the alternative, all things considered. That said ...

THREE LINGERING QUESTIONS FROM BRONCOS 24, CHIEFS 17

:03 ... Was I wrong, or did the offensive line actually improve? And didn't the same go for Alex Smith?

We're with you, in both cases. Smith was strong in both of the Chiefs' long second-half drives -- although the almost-pick and forward-motion fumble that was reversed on that last march might've turned out to be fortuitous on both counts.

But with Smith, it's about efficiency and consistency more than it is gaudy fantasy statistics (26 for 32, 255 yards passing). Last week against Tennessee, Smith was picked off three times and the Chiefs converted just 1 of 12 third-down opportunities. Against Denver: No picks (although a sack-fumble was just a call away) and the visitors converted 11 of 16 third-down chances. In the first drive of the third quarter, the Chiefs were 5 for 6 on third downs; in their only two drives of the fourth period, the Andy Gang was 5 for 6. More snaps for tight end Travis Kelce (four catches, 81 yards) helped, as did the return of Dwayne Bowe (three grabs, 40 yards) in his regular-season debut.

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The front five on the line remain a work in progress, but beleaguered left tackle Eric Fisher, left guard Mike McGlynn and center Rodney Hudson all had clear highlights while opening lanes for Knile Davis or for Smith on a scramble. No. 11 went down twice after being dropped four times against the Titans. In fact, with 10 minutes and change to go in the second quarter, the Chiefs had already piled up 81 rushing yards; the hosts, just seven. Rookie Zach Fulton continues to be up and down at right guard, but that's to be expected for a sixth-round rookie making just his second regular-season start. While hiccups continued across the board, a wall of Fisher-McGlynn-Hudson-Fulton-Harris showed much more cohesion than the week before.

:02 ... Is the magic gone for Dave Toub? Has the tao failed?

In the return game, until we get a healthy De'Anthony Thomas in there, it might be too early to fairly (or realistically) judge. Frankie Hammond Jr. looked better on kick returns (one for 37 yards on Sunday) than Week 1, but it's a different dimension, a different look, when you have someone back there that opposing coordinators respect -- or fear. Hammond Jr. (six punt returns, 8.16 yards per runback), for all his quicks, isn't DAT. Then again, who is?

That said, this Cairo Santos thing is starting to become a regular pain in the Brazil. The Chiefs stuck their respective necks out for the 22-year-old rookie out of Tulane, and he's rewarded them with a miss from 48 yards in Week 1 and a whiff from 37 yards at Denver. The former Groza Award winner is 2 for 4 so far. After the first two weeks of last fall, the man who was cut last month to make room for Santos, veteran Ryan Succop, was 1 for 2 -- but the newest Tennessee kicker is off to a 5-for-5 start already this season.

:01 ... Jamaal Charles? Eric Berry? Can this roster handle another long-term injury to a Pro Bowl player?

No, but the hope Monday morning is that it won't have to. Berry, who recorded a career-high 15 tackles in the season opener against the Titans, was supplanted by Ron Parker at deep safety, and the latter racked up a team-best seven tackles in Denver. After missing much of the preseason with a heel problem, the question remaining is whether Sunday's departure was the result of a new problem or because an old one suddenly got exacerbated again.

On the offensive side, second-year running back Knile Davis and third-stringer Cyrus Gray combined for 30 touches and 113 total yards -- not Charles consistent or Charles productive, but more than capable in a pinch. Just as with last winter's playoff loss in Indianapolis, the Chiefs lost No. 25 early (concussion then, ankle now) and still played relatively crisply and hung in there on the road. As with the Indy game, though, the offense wound up falling, at the end, one stinking completion short.

You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter at @SeanKeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com.