The Kansas City Chiefs remained perfect on Sunday night, defeating the Houston Texans by a score of 42-34. Alex Smith and the Chiefs dominated the night in many aspects of the game, putting on an impressive performance on the national stage. Here are the Kansas City Chiefs week five takeaways.
Kansas City Chiefs Week Five Takeaways
More and More Injuries
This game saw multiple injuries on both sides of the ball. You will hear more about the Texans injuries, losing J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus early in the game. But Kansas City had some very significant injuries of their own. Travis Kelce was out the entire second half of the game after taking a shot to the head late in the second quarter. Kelce was announced as being in the concussion protocol and stayed in the locker room for the second half of the game. Prior to going out of the game in the first half, Kelce had 98 yards receiving. There is no doubt that he is an integral part of the offense.
At the end of the game, the Chiefs likely lost Chris Conley for the rest of the year when he appeared to tear his Achilles tendon. While Conley does not put up huge numbers, he is on the field for almost every one of the Chiefs offensive snaps. Losing Conley’s blocking and usually dependent hands could hurt the Chiefs down the road.
The Chiefs have to hope that Kelce can return next week as they face the Pittsburgh Steelers. The offense predominantly runs through what Kelce and Tyreek Hill do, and losing half of that tandem could hamper the offense down the stretch.
Chiefs Find Success on Third Down
In 2016, the Chiefs really struggled on third down and finished 30th in the league at converting. This year, however, the Chiefs have been much improved and tonight may have been their best showing of the season. The Chiefs converted nine third down tonight, including downs of third and seven, six, 14, 11, and another 11 in the first half.
This is one place that really makes the difference from last year to this year. Often, the defense would be tired and give up big plays late in the game. If the Chiefs can continue their third down success and improve their red zone efficiency, they will only continue to win games.
Alex Smith is On Fire
Do not let the final score fool you. This game was a double-digit victory for the Chiefs before going in to the prevent defense and giving up two late touchdowns. The Chiefs had a large lead because of the play of Smith. Smith led the Chiefs to scores on eight of their ten possessions and threw for 324 yards with three touchdowns.
Smith made multiple plays with his feet as well, keeping the play going by eluding tacklers and making throws on the run. Smith continues to make a case for being the league MVP and looks to continue his success next week against the faltering Pittsburgh Steelers.
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