Jets vs. Chiefs: Full Report Card Grades for Kansas City
It was not the most exciting victory for the Kansas City Chiefs, going into halftime with a 21-10 lead and finishing the second half with a score of 3-0. But as we know, a win is a win, and victories are not easy to earn in the NFL.
With San Diego dropping a game to Miami, Kansas City climbs to second place in the AFC West. Having won five of the last six games, the Chiefs are putting themselves on the map.
In this slideshow, we will hand out grades for Kansas City’s 24-10 victory from Arrowhead Stadium.
Quarterback
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Alex Smith played very similarly throughout the hot six-game stretch by completing a majority of his passes and limiting turnovers.
Although the Chiefs were quiet offensively in the second half, Smith did enough in the first half when he threw a touchdown pass to both of his tight ends and led the Chiefs to four different scores.
Grade: B+
Running Back
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Jamaal Charles rushed for 78 yards off 20 carries, which is nothing too flashy. Rookie De’Anthony Thomas got involved early when he ran on a wide receiver handoff for 26 yards on the opening drive.
Charles finished with just a 3.9 yard per carry average but still got the job done, contributing with a touchdown to help the Chiefs win.
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver
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As the No. 1 wide receiver, Dwayne Bowe continues to be the top receiver on the team with six catches for 55 yards. But there is little contribution from Albert Wilson, A.J. Jenkins and Junior Hemingway, all who combine for four catches for 32 yards.
Even as the leading receiver, Bowe’s numbers aren’t anything similar to most No. 1 receivers, and there is no support behind him. The Chiefs have yet to throw a touchdown pass to a wide receiver.
Grade: B-
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Tight End
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Travis Kelce and Anthony Fasano both caught passes in the end zone, and they continue to be Kansas City’s more prominent pass-catchers. Kelce led the team in receiving yards with 67 and caught four passes while Fasano pulled in three catches for 24 yards.
Smith had strong chemistry in San Francisco when Vernon Davis was his tight end. In Kansas City, Smith has established strong rapport with Kelce and Fasano, having analogous success with tight ends.
Grade: A
Offensive Line
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The Jets were tied fourth with the Chiefs for most sacks with 24 coming into this game. However, Kansas City’s offensive line silenced New York’s pass-rushers as Smith was given all the time he needed.
The only sack Smith took was late in the game when he intentionally fell to allow the clock to roll into the two-minute warning.
The line also allowed Charles to find his way through and even built a small hole that let Thomas blaze across for a big gain.
Grade: A
Defensive Line
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Kansas City’s front seven is known for being able to apply pressure, so the goal every game is to be able to do that. The defensive line came through by putting Mike Vick and Matt Simms under pressure several times.
Dontari Poe came up with a sack as Allen Bailey played quietly well, making a couple of stops against the run.
The Chiefs have struggled against the run a few times in the game but are still the only team that has not allowed a touchdown on the ground, coming up strong in red-zone situations.
Grade: A
Linebacker
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The award may go to J.J. Watt, but Justin Houston deserves to be part of the discussion for Defensive Player of the Year. He finished with two sacks, giving him a league-leading 12 sacks for the season.
Tamba Hali and Josh Mauga also got involved with the pass rush to help Kansas City’s front seven.
As Kansas City’s best unit, the linebackers continue to be the biggest reason the Chiefs are surging by winning five of their last six.
Grade: A
Secondary
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Despite struggling, Vick and Simms managed to move the ball well against Kansas City's secondary, which allowed 24 receptions for 235 yards.
Eric Berry was not in his Pro Bowl form, having just returned from injury. The Chiefs allowed Percy Harvin catch the ball 11 times while Eric Decker finished with nine.
The defensive backs have some room for improvement but have a strong front seven that make their jobs easier moving forward.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
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The Chiefs almost took a kickoff return back for a touchdown, which would have been the second time in as many weeks. De’Anthony Thomas took a kick return deep and ran 78 yards, bringing Kansas City to the 29-yard line, which allowed the Chiefs to put together a quick touchdown drive with less than two minutes to go in the first half.
Rookie Cairo Santos was penalized for tripping, but it did not hurt the Chiefs too much. In fact, he pulled through with a chip-shot field goal, his ninth straight after making just 2-of-4 to start off the season.
Grade: A
Coaching
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Andy Reid deserves the most credit for the way he has guided the Chiefs through the last six games. After an 0-2 start, the Chiefs now stand at 5-3 and second place in the AFC West with the No. 5 seed in their pocket if the postseason began today.
Reid was the main reason the franchise was revamped and had the 9-0 start in 2013.
I try to avoid doing this during a win, but Reid does deserve a little bit of criticism.
Why was he running the ball late in the game when New York had no timeouts? Luckily, the Chiefs were up by 14. But did he forget how avoiding the run hurt the team against Tennessee and San Francisco?
Going forward, that is something worth keeping an eye on.
Nonetheless, Reid still deserves to be in the discussion for Coach of the Year with how he's been able to turn the Chiefs around.
Grade: B
Overall
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QB: B+
RB: A-
WR: B-
TE: A
OL: A
DL: A
LB: A
DB: C+
ST: A
Coaching: B
Accumulative: B
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