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Friday, August 31, 2012

Chiefs Fall To Packers, 24-3

The Chiefs wrapped up another lackluster preseason last night, falling to Green Bay Packers 24-3. After winning its first preseason game in convincing fashion, Kansas City lost its remaining three. The team is now 7-29 in exhibition games since 2004.

Most of the game was a battle of the backups, but the Chiefs first-string offense looked good early on. The team moved the ball consistently, and found a lot of success on the ground. Despite gaining a lot of yards, Kansas City could only muster three points. One drive stalled and Ryan Succop missed a 54 yard field goal, and another drive ended with a Brady Quinn interception when the Chiefs were about to score. From there, things went south in a hurry.

Offensively, Ricky Stanzi and Alex Tanney struggled to consistently move the ball, and the Chiefs got almost nothing through the air. Despite rushing for 247 yards for the game, Kansas City only scored three points, although it should be expected that the team’s third and fourth string quarterbacks would have trouble lighting up the scoreboard.

The biggest concern Chiefs fans should have is how the team’s defense played. Packers backup QB Graham Harrell had been having a terrible preseason, but he absolutely lit-up the Chiefs last night. Harrell finished 13 of 15 with 223 yards, and he led the Packers to a touchdown on all three of his possessions, and all three were long scoring drives. On some plays, the Packers’ receivers were wide open, and while Green Bay boasts one of the most talented and deepest WR corps in the league, most of these players will likely not even make the team for Green Bay.

The entire preseason exposed one of the Chiefs’ biggest weaknesses – the team has a severe lack of depth, particularly on defense. What makes this troubling is that the team still does not know if Brandon Flowers or Kendrick Lewis will be ready for the start of the season, and Tamba Hali is suspended for the first game. Injuries are a regular occurrence in the NFL, and if the Chiefs suffer any more on defense, it doesn’t appear that it has a lot of guys who can step in and play at a high level.

Kansas City’s regular season starts next Sunday at 12:00 p.m. when the team hosts the Atlanta Falcons.

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