Alex Smith, Chiefs Offense Look Like Legit Threat In Preseason Win

The Kansas City Chiefs have been on quite the roller coaster the past few seasons. The NFL's worst team in 2012. A surprise playoff team the following season. Right back out of the postseason a year ago.

Well, if Thursday night's exhibition win over the Tennessee Titans was any indication, the Chiefs are trending in the right direction, at least on offense.

After hitching and lurching their way to a 29th-place ranking in passing offense last year—a ranking that included not completing a single touchdown pass to a wide receiver all season long—quarterback Alex Smith and the Chiefs were razor-sharp offensively in the first half against the Titans.

As Herbie Teope of Chiefs Digest tweeted, while Smith's night wasn't technically perfect, it was about as close as quarterbacks get in NFL games—even in the preseason:

It wasn't just that Smith methodically shredded the Titans first-team defense, either. Yes, the Titans looked good a week ago against the St. Louis Rams. But this is still a unit that ranked 27th in total defense in 2014.

It was how Smith did it. For the second straight week, the team's prize free-agent pickup did what was not long ago unthinkable. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin once again found the end zone, reeling in seven passes for 65 yards. The score was of the vertical variety (from 29 yards out), which is just icing on the cake.

Big plays from wide receivers. What a concept!

And as Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star pointed out, it appears to be a concept Smith is on board with:

Even better, third-year tight end Travis Kelce, of whom big things are expected by many in 2015, also excelled. In addition to an eight-yard score, Kelce also hauled in a 34-yarder from Smith in which he looked prepared to deliver on the hype:

Throw in 26 yards on only three carries (that averages out to...a lot) from star tailback Jamaal Charles, and Kansas City looked more like last year's Denver Broncos than last year's Chiefs.

And while you can't read too much into a single exhibition game, that's exactly what they needed if they're going to close the gap with Denver in the AFC West this year.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter at @IDPSharks.