Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs recap: Ravens pummel Chiefs to end KC's season with a thud
Clearly the Baltimore Ravens proved to be the better football team at Arrowhead on Sunday in an AFC Wild Card Playoff game. This contest mirrored Super Bowl I in 1966 when the Chiefs trailed the Packers 14-10 at halftime then got blown out in the second half by Bart Starr, Max McGee & Co 35-10. KC hung tough in the first half of this playoff game and trailed the Ravens 10-7 after two quarters. The only bright spot proved to be Jamaal Charles slashing & dashing to a 41 yard touchdown burst that gave the Chiefs an early 7-3 playoff game lead. It was all downhill from there for Chiefs fans.
After intermission head Coach Todd Haley relieved outgoing offensive coordinator Charlie Weis of his play calling abilities & the Chiefs offense began turning the ball over rapid fire. When the smoke cleared this game was a blowout as Baltimore won easily 30-7 to earn a trip to Pittsburgh to tangle with their division rival next weekend. This Chiefs fan endured the beating via internet updates on CBS Sports Mobile while watching his son play in a lacrosse tournament in Del Mar, CA. Perhaps it was better that way as the second half carnage had to be painful to watch for long-time fiercely loyal Chiefs fans.
Statistics can be telling & they are for this game. Total yards: Ravens 390, Chiefs 161. First Downs: Ravens 26, Chiefs 8. Turnovers: Chiefs 5, Ravens 2. Time of possession: Ravens 41:44, Chiefs 18:16. The better team prevailed on this day.
> Find Kansas City Chiefs hats & Merchandise online through Pro Football Fans for all your team gear!
Gardner's Season Grades:
Offense: B The ability to run the football is tantamount to success in today's NFL & KC's #1 ranked rushing offense carried this team all season long. Improving from two wins in 2008 to four wins in 2009 then to ten wins in 2010 is kudos to the ground game. Jamaal Charles is a special player. Thomas Jones knows this. The Chiefs rushing future is bright as long as Charles stays healthy. Matt Cassel surprised a lot of people around the NFL as he threw 27 touchdown passes vs ten interceptions on the season. Dwayne Bowe emerged as a big-time downfield threat amassing 1162 yards receiving on 72 catches & scoring 15 touchdowns. The Chiefs need to draft, develop or trade for another game breaking wide receiver. They need to shore up their pass protection. If Thomas Jones retires they need to find another bruising back to take some of the load off of Charles. Most of all it appears they need a new offensive coordinator strong enough to take the reins from Todd Haley. Improving from the 12th best offense in the NFL will be a daunting task. It seems Scott Pioli may be up to it.
Defense: B This unit improved rather dramatically from 2008 & 2009. The Chiefs ranked 14th in the NFL in total defense, up from 31st the year before. They were plus 14 on turnovers. They came up with 39 sacks after setting an NFL record with only 10 in 2008. The young secondary appears to have a very bright future led by Brandon Flowers, Eric Berry & Brandon Carr. Tamba Hali led the NFL with 14.5 sacks. Derrick Johnson led the team with 121 tackles. They gave their team chances to win games with goal line stands, turnovers & quarterback pressure. They played like a real NFL defense. That's a nice change of pace for Chiefs fans.
Coaching: B Some say this years' version of the Kansas City Chiefs overachieved. That would be a tribute to the job Todd Haley & his coaching staff did with this young team along with, of course, general manager Scott Pioli. The defense would appear to be in very capable hands with coordinator Romeo Crennel. The offense leadership is a mystery going into next season, if next season even happens at all thanks to the looming work stoppage. Perhaps Todd Haley will take over as offensive coordinator, which begs the question: Who will coach the Chiefs in 2011?
By Allan Gardner
ProFootball-fans.com Kansas City Chiefs Correspondent