Monday
Morning Quarterback:
Chiefs learning how to win
12/31/2001
by
CK Rairden
Landmark columnist
The Chiefs tried to give this one away, but the Jaguars
wouldn’t take it. KC turned the ball over 4 times,
dropped two sure interceptions late in the game in the
endzone and still hung on for a 30-26 victory over the
Jacksonville Jaguars.
Is this team learning how to win football games? It sure
seems so. The Chiefs, after a dismal 1-6 start to the
season, have won three straight and are 5-3 in their last
eight games.
The Jaguars outgained the Chiefs by nearly 80 yards.
The Jags out gained the Chiefs on the ground by a 2-1
ratio. It didn’t seem to matter as the Chiefs made
big plays when they needed them.
•The Chiefs defense stopped the Jags twice in the
fourth quarter on multiple passes in the endzone.
•WR Eddie Kennison had the first 100+ yard game
by a KC WR this season. TE Tony Gonzalez got involved
and had 2 TD’s.
•The Jags keyed their defense on stopping RB Priest
Homes and did an admirable job at that holding Holmes
to 91 yards on 27 carries, but Holmes scored an early
rushing TD and grabbed 7 catches for 53 yards.
•That opened up passing lanes for Gonzo and came
back to bite the Jaguars defense all day. On both TD passes
to the Chiefs All-Pro TE the Jacksonville defense keyed
heavy on the run and Gonzalez got lost in the shuffle.
The result: 2 TD’s for Gonzalez.
The Chiefs even made the right call late in the game
when they took a safety instead of punting from their
own end zone after the first defensive stand.
How big were those two defensive efforts? The Jaguars
threw four straight endzone incompletions inside the two-minute
warning. None of those were drops; all were well defended
by the Chiefs secondary.
The result: A win in Florida. That kind of a victory
would have seemed impossible earlier in the season.
The MMQB skinny:
•The Chiefs have now played their way out of a very
early draft pick and finish on the road against a Seattle
team that still has an outside shot at the playoffs.
•That’s OK, though if… they can carry
this momentum into next season.
•With a win they will equal last year’s total
but finish much stronger than last season’s effort
in Atlanta.
•WR Eddie Kennison has given the Chiefs the speed
threat needed to make this offense work. It seems he is
a mid-season steal.
•RB Priest Holmes now trails the Jets’ Curtis
Martin by 17 yards for the NFL rushing title. Holmes is
the best free agent pick up of the year.
—TE Tony Gonzalez had his first multiple TD game
of the season. Perhaps that will quiet his NBA dreams.
The Chiefs now head to Seattle to try and thwart the
Seahawks playoff chances. They eliminated Denver from
the picture two weeks ago and now will give a shot to
ruining Seattle’s off-season.
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