Exciting, imaginative, fun, risky, opportunistic and electrifying. These are all adjectives not heard much around Arrowhead Stadium over the past 10 years unless you were talking about the visitors. Not anymore! These are all actual comments heard during the Chiefs 31-10 drilling of the road favorites, the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.It's been awhile since the circus has come to Kansas City, but Coach Todd Haley and OC Charlie Weiss could have been mistaken for Barnum and Bailey because they brought it back to Arrowhead!
Whether it was naked bootlegs, Wildcat formations, end arounds pitched back to split out QB's, gutsy calls on 4th down, SportsCenter highlight catches, or on-side kicks, the Chiefs threw everything short of the kitchen sink at the Niners and it was awesome!
Haley set the tone early in the first half, going for it on 4th and 1 at about mid-field. That alone was a far cry from the normal conservative Chiefs gameplan, and to top that off Haley then cat and moused San Fran by showing they were going for it, then showing punt, then bringing back the offense. The move got the Niners to call timeout and ultimately the Chiefs got a first down igniting the crowd and establishing the early advantage. That was the beginning of an exciting day and one that the Chiefs would test the mechanics of the scoreboards in Arrowhead.
All 3 phases of the game were highlights and when can you remember the last time that was the case with the Chiefs? Offensively they racked up a whopping 457 yards! Dexter McCluster was unreal again with a special 31 yard TD reception from Cassel in the first half. Rookie TE Tony Moeaki was Tony Gonzalez-esque and Jamaal Charles was ultra effective again with 97 yards on 12 carries. Warhorse Thomas Jones ground out 95 yards on 19 tries.
Special Teams were highlighted by a big return from McCluster, another fearless day of returns from Javier Arenas, and great tackling all day.
LB Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson and Brandon Flowers led the new and improved Chiefs defense to 4 sacks and one INT with solid play all day. “I credit the defensive line. With them stopping the run, that allowed us to rush the quarterback. The offense played tremendous on that side of the ball by scoring a lot of points and making them throw the ball. Credit those guys for allowing me to rush this week.” Hali said.
Scoring shook out like this for the Chiefs: It started with McCluster and the 31 yard screen play in the 2nd quarter. After a Ryan Succop 32 yard FG, the Chiefs took a 10-7 lead to halftime. The second half scoring for the Chiefs began with a play you may see in a sand-lot game. Cassel was split out left at WR, McCluster in motion, comes down the line gets the handoff and pitches to Cassel who hits a wide open D Bowe down the left sideline for 45 yards and a touch. Moeaki struck next on the one handed, circus job late in the 3rd. Thomas Jones capped the scoring and put the game on ice for the Chiefs with a 3 yard run mid 4th quarter.
"It was exciting," rookie tight end Tony Moeaki said. "Matt just threw a really great ball and put it in a great spot. I just tried to make the catch."
Anyone who thinks the 49ers were a cupcake win are crazy. They gave the Saints all they wanted last week on MNF and came to town hungry for a win. The Chiefs now 3-0, the first time since 2003, get to take a week off and get ready for 2 tough games on the road in Indianapolis and the Houston Texans.
Around the ole horn.....it was great to see the game with VC! We tailgated and enjoyed a fantastic day at Arrowhead. I am lucky to have the friends I do and as always I appreciate you reading our blog!!!!
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