Entering the game, it looked like Kansas City would have an opportunity to exploit a weak Tampa Bay offense. The Chiefs were coming off an impressive performance against the Baltimore Ravens, and the Bucs had struggled moving the ball this season. After limiting Tampa Bay to only seven points in the first half, Kansas City was lit up in the second half, and wound up surrendering three second half touchdowns and a field goal. Josh Freeman, who has struggled this season and most of his pro career (Freeman has a career rating of only 79), threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns and looked like a Pro Bowler.
Despite the defensive struggles, Chiefs fans have to be the most frustrated with the offense’s performance. Brady Quinn struggled at times, which is to be expected considering this was his first start since 2009. Quinn did make a couple of good throws, and both of his interceptions really weren’t his fault. A lot of blame needs to be directed at the coaching staff, who dialed up a vanilla game plan despite the fact that Tampa Bay has struggled against the pass this season and lost its best cornerback, Aqib Talib, to a suspension. The Bucs were expecting the dink-and-dunk passes and runs, and with no vertical game, the offense managed only 3 points. Quinn may be rusty, but the coaching staff needs to get aggressive and play to win, rather than playing not to lose. Especially against a struggling unit that was without its best player.
Kansas City’s lone touchdown came on a great special teams play, as running back Shaun Draughn blocked a Buccaneer punt that was recovered by Edgar Jones. Jones made a nice play to get into the end zone, which at the time cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 21-10.
At this point, it is apparent that the Chiefs are heading for a disastrous season that will likely cost GM Scott Pioli and possibly head coach Romeo Crennel their jobs. Pioli absolutely deserves the ax, as he has had four years to build a team and has failed to put a winning product on the field. Crennel is a good defensive coordinator, but has not been successful as a head coach in the NFL. If the team had a top offensive coordinator and a good quarterback, Crennel might not be in the mess he finds himself in.
Unfortunately for Kansas City, the team picked up a victory earlier this season over the Saints. Since the team isn’t getting anywhere near the playoffs, it needs to get the best pick possible in next year’s draft to find someone who can make an immediate difference to this team. It is a sad reality, but winning games no longer does this team any good.
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