Rams vs. Chiefs: Full Report Card Grades for Kansas City
Allowing a touchdown on the opening drive did not slow down the Kansas City Chiefs, as they did not allow a single point and went on to rout the St. Louis Rams, 34-7. Chiefs coach Andy Reid coached a nearly perfect game, helping the Chiefs to improve to 4-3, going above .500 for the first time in 2014.
The Chiefs were electric in all three facets of the game, making plays of their own and giving the Rams just marginal success. The Chiefs earned a big win after being on the road quite a lot to start the season.
After playing four of the first six games on the road, the Kansas City Chiefs returned to Arrowhead Stadium for the first time in nearly a month to play and gave the fans a lot to smile about.
Quarterback
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Alex Smith finished with 24 of 28 completions for 226 yards after going 14-of-15 passing for 111 yards in the first half while the rushing game was nonexistent.
Smith has been criticized for not throwing the ball enough downfield. Regardless, Smith did what he needed to do to put the Chiefs in position to win and had a hand in Sunday’s victory.
Four incompletions off of 28 passes is a tall order. Not many quarterbacks would be able to have a low incompletion percentage off of that many throws.
Grade: A+
Running Back
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It was a slow start for the Chiefs on offense, as Jamaal Charles could not get anything going. But Reid continued to stick to the running game in the second half.
Charles and Knile Davis got going in the second half, combining for 122 yards for three touchdowns off of 29 carries altogether. Kansas City’s rushing attack continues to be one of the best in the NFL, showing off its speed, agility and ability to gain yards and score.
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver
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For the second consecutive game, Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe stepped up when he pulled through with six catches for 64 yards. However, behind Bowe, Frankie Hammond was the only other player with a catch, unless you count De’Anthony Thomas, a running back who lined up as a wide receiver at times in Sunday's win.
With Donnie Avery out, the Chiefs have not had a lot of active receivers, relying mostly on their tight ends and running backs.
In case you did not know, the Chiefs wide receiver corps have zero touchdown receptions this season through seven games.
Even though Bowe made it a one-man band, he had a pedestrian impact for the Chiefs for a No. 1 receiver.
Grade: C
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Tight End
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Smith loves to use his tight ends in this game and did so again against the Rams. Anthony Fasano and Travis Kelce each caught four passes and combined for 62 receiving yards while working St. Louis' defense.
The tight end duo of Fasano and Kelce has been big for Kansas City, as those two have been part of many plays to help the Chiefs move the chains throughout the season.
Kelce is a unique tight end, as he is able to make defenders miss and uses his speed to move forward and gain the offense yards.
Grade: B
Offensive Line
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With the exception of one drive when Smith was sacked twice in back-to-back plays by Robert Quinn, Kansas City’s offensive line kept Smith on his feet and gave him time to make the passes he needed to make.
In the second half, Kansas City’s offensive line created holes for Charles and Davis, and the offense ended up with 143 yards on the ground.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
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After a quiet first three years in the NFL, Allen Bailey is making the most of his fourth season, as he currently has four sacks on the year and is coming off of his second 1.5-sack game.
Vance Walker and Jaye Howard also got in on the fun, splitting a sack, as Pro Bowl nose tackle Dontari Poe provided pressure on Austin Davis at times.
Kansas City’s defensive line was sound and solid, as it was responsible for 2.5 of the team’s 7.0 sacks.
Grade: A-
Linebacker
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It was a big game for Justin Houston, who had three sacks against the Rams. It was his fourth career game finishing with three sacks. He now stands in first place in the NFL with most sacks with 10 this year. Houston also got help from Tamba Hali, who, despite not getting a sack, provided pressure from the other side. Rookie Dee Ford also got in on the fun when he split a sack with Bailey, giving him his first career sack.
Josh Mauga continues his dominance in the middle, leading the team with six tackles and providing strong run support defense.
With the exception of the opening drive, Kansas City’s front seven overall played extremely well against the pass and managed to limit St. Louis in the running game.
Grade: A+
Secondary
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Kansas City’s secondary took advantage of the limited talent St. Louis has on offense and used it to give Davis trouble. Davis had issues finding open receivers due to the coverage by Kansas City, giving the front seven extra time to escape blockers and drag him down.
Ron Parker got in on the fun with the front seven by recording a sack. Parker also picked off Davis early in the game.
It was against the Rams, but a performance like this can motivate a unit to do well again in upcoming games.
Grade: A
Special Teams
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You could not have asked for a better performance from the players who handle field goals, punts, kickoffs and returns.
Rookie Cairo Santos continues to build on his success, making eight straight field goals this year as he makes his slow start a long-distant memory. He connected on a 53-yard field goal, the longest of his young career, giving Kansas City the lead in the first half.
Knile Davis got things going in the second half with a 99-yard kick return touchdown, captivating fans at Arrowhead Stadium. The special teams score was the start of the 34-7 rout.
Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt also had a career moment, as he had three punts inside the 20, surpassing the 300-mark for punts inside the 20 in his career.
Coaching
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In games where teams blow out opposing teams, it is because the coaches had studied the opposing team carefully and made the right calls to help produce the big win. Reid deserves a lot of credit for guiding the Chiefs to a 34-7 win.
The Chiefs have won four of their past five games and are set to make a postseason push for the second half of the season.
Reid gets a lot of credit for turning the Chiefs around after a 0-2 start, only to go 4-1 afterwards, as the team is above .500 for the first time this year.
Grade: A+
Overall
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QB: A+
RB: A-
WR: C
TE: B
OL: B+
DL: A-
LB: A+
DB: A
ST: A+
Coaching: A
Cumulative: A
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