Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Full Report Card Grades for Kansas City
With a lot of excitement built going into the season opener at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City Chiefs fans were let down. The Chiefs were out-coached and outplayed by the Tennessee Titans, losing 26-10.
Former Chiefs Dexter McCluster, running back, and Ryan Succop, kicker, outplayed Kansas City’s running back and kicker.
To put it into perspective, Succop (14) outscored all of Kansas City (10) in this game. It was that bad, and Chiefs fans aren’t pleased with the way the team opened the season.
It is time to hand the Kansas City Chiefs their grades.
Warning: harsh grading curve ahead.
Quarterback
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Alex Smith did not look like himself in this game. He completed just 54 percent of his passes, was sacked four times and threw three interceptions for the first time since October of 2012.
Smith did not lead the first-team offense to a touchdown in the preseason, and it took the team until the fourth quarter to get that score.
He did not get much help from the players around him. However, Smith, as the leader of this team, he must some accept responsibility for this loss.
Grade: C-
Running Back
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Titans running backs Shonn Greene (71), McCluster (29), Bishop Sankey (25) and Leon Washington (23) all outrushed Jamaal Charles (19) by themselves. Charles finished this game with a 2.7 yard-per-carry average in a very rare performance from the three-time Pro Bowler, who was responsible for 37 percent of Kansas City’s offense last year.
Like Smith, Chiefs fans will make the same excuse for Charles that the offensive line did not do him any favors. But Charles still has to take some responsibility as his longest run went for six yards.
Grade: D+
Wide Receiver
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CBS color commentator Rich Gannon mentioned that all three of Smith’s interceptions occurred when he threw to Donnie Avery. Avery, who had a couple of flashes last year, quietly caught seven passes for 84 yards. Outside of Avery, Frankie Hammond was the only wide receiver who caught a pass, pulling in only one.
If Dwayne Bowe wasn’t missed before, Chiefs fans are hoping he can make a difference when he returns. But even then, that might be too much to ask.
Grade: F
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Tight End
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Anthony Fasano and Travis Kelce both showed signs of promise during the preseason and contributed in Sunday's game. Both tight ends caught six passes for 78 yards combined as Fasano caught the team’s only touchdown score.
But Fasano’s touchdown score came late.
The offense was built to get the tight ends heavily involved. Because of the poor blocking, Smith had little time to dish the ball out to his tight ends.
Grade: C
Offensive Line
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Kansas City’s offensive line allowed 16 sacks in the preseason, the third most in the league. Most fans would respond with “it’s just preseason,” but that is not the case. The bad blocking in the preseason carried over to Week 1 of the regular season.
See Smith’s four sacks and Charles’ 2.7 yard-per-carry average.
With Donald Stephenson suspended for three more games, the Chiefs also lost Jeff Allen during the game with an elbow injury. According to The Kansas City Star’s Terez Paylor, Allen had a sling on his right arm.
Mike McGlynn, who signed with the Chiefs 11 days ago, was responsible for allowing a pair of sacks.
Did the offensive line give us a preview of what could be a very long season? If so, there are reasons to feel concerned about Smith and Charles making it through the year healthy.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
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Kansas City’s front seven, starting with the defensive line, played exceptionally well and played a hand in shutting out the Titans for 27 minutes.
Nose tackle Dontari Poe and defensive ends Allen Bailey and Mike DeVito all got noticed in one way or another early in the game.
However, as the Titans began to put points on the scoreboard, the injury bug invaded Kansas City’s front seven. DeVito was one of two players to suffer an Achilles injury, the Chiefs announced.
Grade: B
Linebacker
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The Chiefs were competitive for the entire first half, thanks to the defense. Justin Houston earned a pair of sacks as Tamba Hali shared a sack with another defensive player to limit Titans quarterback Jake Locker in the first half.
The linebackers had little to frown about until losing Derrick Johnson to injury.
Alongside DeVito, Johnson also left the game due to an Achilles injury.
Hali and Houston showed up and fought hard to keep the Chiefs competitive. There was not anything more they could have done to help the team be competitive.
Grade: A-
Secondary
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Kansas City’s secondary did not allow a long catch after getting torched in the preseason. The longest catch the defense allowed was 39 yards in a pass to Justin Hunter.
At the same time, the secondary did allow Locker to make just about any pass he wanted to make.
At the same time, Tennessee’s receiving corps are not a strong bunch, and the Chiefs will face more challenging receivers soon.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
9 of 11
The Chiefs are more qualified than we are when it comes to putting together a 53-man roster. However, the question must be asked. What was the deciding factor in keeping Cairo Santos over Succop?
Santos had a rough NFL debut as his field-goal attempts involved hitting the crossbar each time, going 1-of-2. As for Succop, he made four field goals from 31, 36, 46 and 47 yards away as he single-handedly outscored the entire Chiefs team.
Hammond, who filled in at punt returner for rookie De’Anthony Thomas, struggled on special teams. His 17-yard punt return looked good, but it came late in the contest when the game was already decided.
Grade: D-
Coaching
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Consider this game a surprise. No one saw it coming in Kansas City, even with some of the concerns involving the offensive line and secondary.
In addition, Charles, Kansas City’s best offensive player, got only 11 touches. Although Charles struggled with the rest of the team, it was surprising to see him get just a few touches.
Coach Andy Reid has to take a lot of responsibility for this loss as the Chiefs were clearly unprepared. With all of the suspensions and injuries taking place, Reid is in a bind as he has to find a way to turn the team around with four tough games coming up before the bye week.
Grade: F
Overall
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QB: C-
RB: D+
WR: F
TE: C
OL: F
DL: B
LB: A-
DB: B-
ST: D-
Coaching: F
Cumulative: D
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