Just how good ARE the Chiefs?

[rmilia1]

lol...I'm not worried...not sure if anyone else is....now, that said, its not as if the Bronco's have never had a total collapse before and gotten beaten by a much lessor team. I'm afraid it would require a total collapse again on the Bronco's behalf in order for the chiefs to beat them.

I dont know man. This KC team is better than last years Ravens team IMO ( Ravens were 12th in D and 10th in O ) any team can get hot at the right time but I dont think Dnever would have to collapse for KC to beat them. KC would have to play well, not turn it over, run it when they need to and on D they have to make a few plays. Tough to do?? Of course but its not like we are talking about Jacksonville or Tampa. Plus we are all assuming KC isnt going to win the division but that could be a faulty premise.

 

[rmilia1]

Fair enough. Personally I think they'd have a very tough time winning any of those games, but I respect your opinion.

Any playoff win is toug man. Hell the last few SB winners have largely been 9-10 win teams that just got hot at the right time. When was the last time a 1 seed won the SB anyway???

 

[KwitYerWhinin]

I dont know man. This KC team is better than last years Ravens team IMO ( Ravens were 12th in D and 10th in O ) any team can get hot at the right time but I dont think Dnever would have to collapse for KC to beat them. KC would have to play well, not turn it over, run it when they need to and on D they have to make a few plays. Tough to do?? Of course but its not like we are talking about Jacksonville or Tampa. Plus we are all assuming KC isnt going to win the division but that could be a faulty premise.

I guess we'll find out soon enough how these two teams stack up against each other

 

[iknowftbll]

GOOD enough for you Broncos fans to be worried about them.

KC
#5 defense in the league
#16 offense in the league

Denver
#24 defense in the league
#1 offense in the league

Looks pretty even to me. Good luck.

Denver's defense is a lot better than its rank suggests. The Redskins found out on Sunday. A few other teams are about to find out in the second half of the season.

 

[iknowftbll]

I dont know man. This KC team is better than last years Ravens team IMO ( Ravens were 12th in D and 10th in O ) any team can get hot at the right time but I dont think Dnever would have to collapse for KC to beat them. KC would have to play well, not turn it over, run it when they need to and on D they have to make a few plays. Tough to do?? Of course but its not like we are talking about Jacksonville or Tampa. Plus we are all assuming KC isnt going to win the division but that could be a faulty premise.

This is what the Colts did and we saw the result. The Colts scored 19 of their 39 points off of turnovers. That's important. What is also important is that the Broncos played like crap in that game and still put up 33. Not every team can do the Colts did on defense and exploit it the way they did AND outscore the Broncos in doing so. I'm not even sure the Colts would be able to do it again.

 

[Broncosr0k]

The biggest question about the chiefs is that offense. If they ever get behind or if Jamaal Charles struggles can Alex Smith and passing game keep them in the game? I don't think so. Smith can't or won't go downfield which means playing any kind of catch up is tough. I also don't think ball control works well against the broncos. We scored like 38 points in the 4th quarter. Manning can score quickly.

When it comes to the chiefs I think it becomes a first one to 25, and I don't think their defense has the juice to keep the broncos down that low. So, again, can Smith keep pace? I don't see it.

 

[rmilia1]

The biggest question about the chiefs is that offense. If they ever get behind or if Jamaal Charles struggles can Alex Smith and passing game keep them in the game? I don't think so. Smith can't or won't go downfield which means playing any kind of catch up is tough. I also don't think ball control works well against the broncos. We scored like 38 points in the 4th quarter. Manning can score quickly.

When it comes to the chiefs I think it becomes a first one to 25, and I don't think their defense has the juice to keep the broncos down that low. So, again, can Smith keep pace? I don't see it.

Im done second guessing Alex Smith man. Guy is 27-5-1 in his last 33 starts, nobody in the league ( including Peyton ) has been better. I may have questions about a few things involving the Chiefs but Alex Smith isnt one of them. Guy is a straight up winner. Period.

 

[iknowftbll]

Im done second guessing Alex Smith man. Guy is 27-5-1 in his last 33 starts, nobody in the league ( including Peyton ) has been better. I may have questions about a few things involving the Chiefs but Alex Smith isnt one of them. Guy is a straight up winner. Period.

A QB's W-L record is one of the most misleading stats in sports. I think Smith was a smart move for the Chiefs, but that does not change the fact that his style of play does not lend itself to being behind in a game. Or for matching the opponent score for score. And so far, the minimum number of points required to win a game against the Broncos is 34. The Chiefs highest point total is 31. They have problems with their O-line. The Broncos pass rush is going to have a field day with Smith. Even if the Chiefs hold the Broncos to a low point total, the Broncos are probably going to be able to return the favor.

I like the Broncos chances in both games. More so in Denver, of course. But I won't count them out of the game in KC.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Im done second guessing Alex Smith man. Guy is 27-5-1 in his last 33 starts, nobody in the league ( including Peyton ) has been better. I may have questions about a few things involving the Chiefs but Alex Smith isnt one of them. Guy is a straight up winner. Period.

And what was Alex Smith's record with crappy defenses (or, for that matter even respectable ones)? There's a reason he's a Chief now instead of a 49er. That record represents the play of the 49ers and KC defenses, more than it highlights Smith's play. One thing he's avoided is making costly mistakes. Other than that, he's not the reason he has that record.

 

[Barrelman Fan]

This Chiefs team reminds be a lot of the team Denver had with Tebow at the helm. Think about it.

During Denver's 6 game win streak they led the NFL in avg points against per game. The defense also looked pretty solid in the final 3 losses to the season. But during that 6 game win streak, how many backup QBs or RBs did we play? Way too many.

That Denver team could look good against a team with an average offense like the Steelers in the playoffs. This would give the offense the opportunity to do what it needed to do. But when the Broncos went up against a healthy, explosive offense it was a blowout.

I think Kansas City's offense is better than that Denver teams. Not by much, but it is.

Kansas City is a good team. And I think there's only two teams in the AFC that have the kind of offense that will hurt the Chiefs. The first is the Broncos, and the second is the Bengals. The Colts have been up and down and inconsistent and are now missing Reggie. The Patriots just do not look very good offensively.

Do I think Denver can beat KC in November in 50 degree weather? Absolutely. It shouldn't be close.
Do I think Denver can beat KC in January in 20 degree weather? It'll be much closer. But the Chiefs would have to score more points than us, and I can't see Alex Smith doing it. I'd say Jamaal Charles, but the Broncos run D has been stout this year.

 

[rmilia1]

You guys are out of your mind if you think its the defenses solely that have been winning games for Smith. Chiefs had the same defensive guys last year and went 2-14. Id tend to agree with you if we were talking about a small sample size of games that Smith has been winning but 2 years worth??? Come on now. If going 27-5-1 in your last 33 starts was as simple as having a great D then Russell Wilson wouldnt have lost a game at QB yet. I know this is the Broncos board so you have to downplay the Chiefs but a guy doesnt win 85% of his games over 2 years only because he doesnt turn it over much.

 

[iknowftbll]

You guys are out of your mind if you think its the defenses solely that have been winning games for Smith. Chiefs had the same defensive guys last year and went 2-14. Id tend to agree with you if we were talking about a small sample size of games that Smith has been winning but 2 years worth??? Come on now. If going 27-5-1 in your last 33 starts was as simple as having a great D then Russell Wilson wouldnt have lost a game at QB yet. I know this is the Broncos board so you have to downplay the Chiefs but a guy doesnt win 85% of his games over 2 years only because he doesnt turn it over much.

Likewise you are out of your mind if you think Smith's record would be as impressive with an even mediocre defense. The Chiefs defense last year was missing a lot of pieces, but has been healthy this year and has finally come together as a unit. If you split the difference between this year's unit and last year's you have a 4-4 team at best. The fact is the Chiefs defense is a solid unit. They are the strength of this team. Smith's style of play is complemented by this defense, but it would probably not be viable when teams start having success against that defense. And that is going to happen. The Broncos and Chargers both have the potential to put up 30 on them, and the Chiefs have a total of 4 dates remaining with those teams. The Redskins and Colts are also viable candidates to have success against this defense.

I think Smith will be able to match score for score at least once. The Redskins defense isn't good, so the Chief may be able to match them. And the Chargers defense is hit and miss, so I guess that depends on the location. But the Colts defense isn't going to struggle to keep the lid on the Chiefs offense, and after what we saw against the Redskins I don't think the Broncos defense will either.

 

[WalkerBoh]

You guys are out of your mind if you think its the defenses solely that have been winning games for Smith. Chiefs had the same defensive guys last year and went 2-14. Id tend to agree with you if we were talking about a small sample size of games that Smith has been winning but 2 years worth??? Come on now. If going 27-5-1 in your last 33 starts was as simple as having a great D then Russell Wilson wouldnt have lost a game at QB yet. I know this is the Broncos board so you have to downplay the Chiefs but a guy doesnt win 85% of his games over 2 years only because he doesnt turn it over much.

One of the biggest issues at KC last year was poor coaching. Crennel was almost mailing it in, and it showed. Sure, Cassel sucked. But there was still enough talent on that team to win more than 2 games.

Alex Smith was okay with the 49ers, but they recognized his limitations. KC is also seeing that. Charles is much more important a factor to the Chiefs' 8-0 start than Smith. He hasn't made many costly errors, but he's also not able to carry that team if it needs it. You take him out, and I would wager they still have at least 5 wins. Keep him and take Charles out, or sprinkle key injuries to that pass rush, and they maybe win 1 or 2.

 

[Broncosr0k]

You guys are out of your mind if you think its the defenses solely that have been winning games for Smith. Chiefs had the same defensive guys last year and went 2-14. Id tend to agree with you if we were talking about a small sample size of games that Smith has been winning but 2 years worth??? Come on now. If going 27-5-1 in your last 33 starts was as simple as having a great D then Russell Wilson wouldnt have lost a game at QB yet. I know this is the Broncos board so you have to downplay the Chiefs but a guy doesnt win 85% of his games over 2 years only because he doesnt turn it over much.

The broncos went 8-8 and into the playoffs with Tim Tebow, I can assure you he was not the reason we got that far. Look at the ranking of Alex Smith's defenses over his last 33 games. I am willing to bet he had a strong run game and solid defense. The chiefs defense underperformed last year, I had even stated that last year. We are not saying the defense is the only reason the chiefs are winning but if they can hold opponents to 15 points and you have a good run game you do not need to be anything beyond average at QB to have a winning record. Those are two things Alex Smith had going for him the previous two seasons and this one. Smith is a game manager, Bronco fans know them, we have spent over a decade rotating through them after Elway.

Also, let us not just cherry pick the last 33 games. Over his career:

Wins: 46
Losses: 36
Completion %: 59.2
TD-INT: 90-67
QBR: 79.5

Those are not stats indicative of a great QB.

 

[iknowftbll]

Knowing the types of teams the 49ers fielded in the first few years of Smith's career it's safe to say the man's W-L record greatly improved once the 49ers started fielding good defenses.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Im done second guessing Alex Smith man. Guy is 27-5-1 in his last 33 starts, nobody in the league ( including Peyton ) has been better. I may have questions about a few things involving the Chiefs but Alex Smith isnt one of them. Guy is a straight up winner. Period.

The phrase "done second guessing Alex Smith" really made me LOL. People still routinely second guess PMFM! I have seen Alex Smith play and he is no PMFM!

I do think, however, that a more moderated view of the point that you speak to is in order. Game management can be effective. KC plays a more challenging schedule than it played the first half of the season. Is Smith simply taking care of the ball enough to "win" those remaining games? Maybe, but I suspect that he will need a lot of help from guys like Albert, Bowe, Charles, Fasano, Powe, Hali, Houston, Johnosn, Flowers, Smith, and Berry, for example.

There is also the possibility that a "game manager" like Smith can turn into something special. Flacco did that last year. Can Smith do it? I certainly don't know, but I am skeptical.

 

[rmilia1]

The broncos went 8-8 and into the playoffs with Tim Tebow, I can assure you he was not the reason we got that far. Look at the ranking of Alex Smith's defenses over his last 33 games. I am willing to bet he had a strong run game and solid defense. The chiefs defense underperformed last year, I had even stated that last year. We are not saying the defense is the only reason the chiefs are winning but if they can hold opponents to 15 points and you have a good run game you do not need to be anything beyond average at QB to have a winning record. Those are two things Alex Smith had going for him the previous two seasons and this one. Smith is a game manager, Bronco fans know them, we have spent over a decade rotating through them after Elway.

Also, let us not just cherry pick the last 33 games. Over his career:

Wins: 46
Losses: 36
Completion %: 59.2
TD-INT: 90-67
QBR: 79.5

Those are not stats indicative of a great QB.

So guys cant get better??? Of course they can. Hell Elway sucked balls his first 3 or 4 years.

 

[iknowftbll]

So guys cant get better??? Of course they can. Hell Elway sucked balls his first 3 or 4 years.

Do you think Smith's record improving over the last few seasons has nothing to do with the improvements the 49ers made on defense? Do you think the Chiefs would be 8-0 without that defense?

 

[MrMoJoRisin63]

It's really tought to say at this point, both they and the Donks have had cake walk schedules but appear to be the best teams in the AFC. They play each other twice in the next four weeks, this will be the tell all for both teams.

 

[RoboticDreams]

Do you think Smith's record improving over the last few seasons has nothing to do with the improvements the 49ers made on defense? Do you think the Chiefs would be 8-0 without that defense?

No. His improvement came from having Jim Harbaugh and a consistency that he never had.