With a few days to reflect on the Chiefs overtime loss to Dallas, coach Todd Haley’s observations pretty much jive with what I saw on Sunday. It was a another missed opportunity for a Kansas City team that just doesn’t seem to have the talent or skill sets to take advantage of what was given them.
The Cowboys committed a list of penalties the length of their arm. They turned the ball over twice. Actually, KC got 10 points from that and didn’t commit a turnover themselves. But a chance to win the game with a field goal was blocked and great field position was squandered in the OT.
There are continued complaints from fans about Haley’s play calling and insistence with trying to run the football with next to no success, but you can’t just stand back and throw in the NFL. Not with the line the Chiefs have. Unless you have a death wish for your QB.
Maurice Leggett gets a lot of the blame for two missed tackles that led to both of Miles Austin’s long TD receptions, but I’m just as concerned with Mike Brown at safety. His job is to be there to back up the cornerback in both instances and he not only missed the tackle, but he took bad angles to get there. It’s clear to me that he’s a player that is past his prime and doesn’t have the speed to make up for mistakes he makes on the field...and every payer makes mistakes.
Matt Cassel began to show signs of the player the Chiefs expected when they traded for him. His two minute drive for the game tying touchdown was impressive to everyone including his coach. Haley also said they will look at picking up the tempo at times in the future if it will help the offense move the ball.
Next up is Washington, a team that has two wins, both against winless teams at home, and a loss against Detroit. They’ve yet to score more than 17 points in a game. If any team is ripe for the Chiefs to get their first win against, the Skins could be it.
But KC still has to eliminate negative plays. They had 15 against the Cowboys. They have to find a way to run the football. Larry Johnson can only pound himself into a brick wall so many times. Same with any other Chiefs back for that matter.
Improvement has come in very small increments so far for Todd Haley’s team. They need to step into the win column this weekend.
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