Chiefs vs. Redskins: Live Grades and Analysis for Kansas City

In their most well-rounded effort of the season, the Kansas City Chiefs (10-3) added an extra digit to their win column and all but clinched a 2013 playoff berth.

Final

Kansas City - 45

Washington - 10

	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	A-	B+
Run Offense	B	A+
Run Defense	B+	A-
Pass Defense	B-	B+
Special Teams	A+	A+
Coaching	A	A

Final analysis for the Kansas City Chiefs

Pass Offense: If critics glanced at Alex Smith’s stat line, they’d probably roll their eyes and accuse him of cautiously dinking and dunking. That wasn’t the case, though, as the success of Kansas City’s return units reduced the  total number of offensive drives and routinely lent ideal field position to the Chiefs quarterback. Smith only attempted seven passes throughout the second half. 

Run Offense: Jamaal Charles (19 ATT, 151 YDS, 2 TD) was an on-field artist regularly painting Washington’s defense in a negative light. The All-Pro tortured the opposition’s front seven nearly every time he cradled the rock in the final quarters, affording Knile Davis the opportunity to wow the crowd with an ankle-breaking 17-yard score (the first rushing touchdown of his NFL career). 

Run Defense: With the exception of a few chain-moving scrambles by Robert Griffin III, Washington’s ground game was thwarted with relative ease. 

Pass Defense: Griffin, coming off of one of his most promising performances of the season, completed less than 50 percent of his passes (12 of 26, 164 YDS, TD, INT). Although he showed flashes of last year’s brilliance, they were just that: flashes. The pass rush recaptured its relentlessness, and the secondary redeemed itself after a string of poor outings. 

Special Teams: Dave Toub’s special teams completely demoralized Washington throughout the first half, adding two touchdowns to the Chiefs’ comfortable lead. Dexter McCluster doubled as open-field magician.

Coaching: Andy Reid never shied away from ground attack, and Bob Sutton effectively utilized more off-man coverage than in weeks past. At the end of the day, Toub reigned supreme, though. 

First-half analysis for the Kansas City Chiefs

Pass Offense: Smith produced one of his sharpest halves of the season. While he only churned out 108 yards (10-of-13 passing with two touchdowns), it wasn’t due to conservative decision-making—the Chiefs constantly took over possession in Washington territory. 

Run Offense: Charles found daylight early and often, averaging a respectable 4.2 yards per carry throughout the first two periods. Although the Chiefs defied expectations by continually airing it out, the ground game stepped up to the plate when it was called upon.

Run Defense: Washington entered today’s contest leading the league with a gaudy average of five yards per carry. However, the Redskins finished the half with a meager 38 rushing yards on 12 attempts.

Pass Defense: The Chiefs’ asphyxiating pass rush reemerged in spurts, as the Redskins’ polarizing passer was corralled for four sacks. Griffin did manage to find a groove minutes before the teams filed into the locker rooms. 

Special Teams: McCluster amassed 158 punt-return yards, breaking the former franchise record (141) in two quarters of play. He and Quintin Demps both posted adrenaline-pumping return touchdowns. 

Coaching: Andy Reid and Bob Sutton penned effective blueprints on both sides of the ball, while Toub’s special teams unit grabbed the lion’s share of headlines throughout the first half.

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