Week 9 Game Recap: Kansas City Chiefs 31, St. Louis Rams 17

What you need to know

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs were able to win the “Battle of the Show Me State” in Week 9 by winning the turnover battle. Three early turnovers led to 17 points, setting the Chiefs up with an early lead from which they could build and cling to as the game wore on.

RB Larry Johnson led the way once again, gaining 172 yards on just 27 carries and also finding the end zone once again. Johnson literally carried the team in Week 9, rushing at least five times each and every quarter. RB Michael Bennett spelled Johnson, which is of note only for fantasy owners wishing to identify Johnson’s handcuff.

QB Damon Huard continues to fill in for injured starter Trent Green, and he managed the game once again effectively for a Chiefs victory. Huard threw three touchdowns to his tight ends, including two to TE Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez added the two scores to his five catches and 63 yards for Week 9, continuing his recent torrid pace. TE/FB Kris Wilson added the third touchdown catch.

DE Jared Allen sacked Rams QB Marc Bulger twice and forced two fumbles, creating the key turnovers in the first half.

St. Louis Rams

QB Marc Bulger posted his third consecutive 300 yard passing game and sixth with a QB rating over 100, yet he could not put up enough points on the board for the Rams to hold off the Chiefs. Bulger was also sacked early in the game and fumbled, one of three key turnovers that led to 17 Kansas City points.

RB Steven Jackson was the workhorse for St. Louis, rushing for 86 yards and adding a career high 13 catches for 133 yards, the first time a Rams runningback has had 100 yards receiving since Marshall Faulk in 2001. Jackson did have some issues, as he fumbled twice and lost one in the first half, giving Kansas City a short field and a scoring opportunity. Jackson also dislocated a finger later in the game, but it did not affect his fumbling earlier in the contest.

WR Torry Holt was shutout in the first half, but later came on for three catches and 50 yards after halftime. WRs Isaac Bruce and Kevin Curtis led the effort by getting 61 and 59 yards, respectively as they continue to vie for targets opposite Holt. Even WR Shaun McDonald got in the mix this week with two catches, but it seems clear that he is the fourth wide receiver.

DE Leonard Little sacked QB Damon Huard twice, recording the only two sacks of the game for the Rams.

What you ought to know

QB Damon Huard, Pass: 10 - 15 - 148 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0

While Huard had a better QB rating (138.3) than St.Louis QB Marc Bulger (106.6), all that really tells us is that the statistic does not always tell the true story of how the quarterbacks really impacted the game. For Huard, his numbers came on just 15 pass attempts, as he completed ten for only 148 yards. Granted he connected with three different Chiefs for touchdowns and zero interceptions, but you do need to go beyond the numbers. Huard completed just two passes over 20 yards, once on a beautiful 43 yard rainbow pass to WR Samie Parker to set up a first and goal and later with a 25 yard connection to TE Tony Gonzalez for a touchdown. Aside from those two plays, most every pass was for 15 yards or less and asked little from Huard as far as QB ability. He did attempt to stretch the field twice with longer throws to WR Eddie Kennison, but for the most part he stuck to short passes on inside, crossing and under routes to the TE and inside receiver(s). Huard seems to favor throwing to his running backs and tight ends in between the numbers, which is great for RB Larry Johnson and TE Tony Gonzalez.

Against the Rams, Huard did not make any critical mistakes and he got the ball in the hands of his receivers in spaces where they could make plays. He also hit his two TEs for all TDs (if you consider TE Kris Wilson still a TE rather than a FB), giving TE Tony Gonzalez two more for his stellar career.

RB Larry Johnson, Rush: 27 - 172 - 1 (2 targets)

Johnson remains as the central focus of the Kansas City offense, and for good reason. He picked up 172 yards rushing and a touchdown on just 27 carries, well over a six yard per carry average. Johnson had at least five carries in every quarter, with a high of nine in the first period.

The first quarter is when Johnson raced for 45 yards and a first down on his third carry, which is his longest run of the season. He closed his activity for the quarter by scoring from one yard out. Adding seven more carries before halftime, Johnson had over 100 yards before intermission. His 116 yards and a score in the first 30 minutes would have been a fantastic day for most any runningback, but he came back and added 56 more in the second half.

Johnson had two targets on short screens out of the backfield, but neither one connected for any catches or yardage.

RB Michael Bennett, Rush: 4 - 14 - 0

Bennett was used in the game to give RB Larry Johnson a breather. His four carries were only significant as for alerting everyone that he is a capable backup and the most likely candidate to take over duties if Larry Johnson gets hurt.

WR Eddie Kennison, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (4 targets)

Kennison was the most targeted wide receiver for the Chiefs, but that really doesn’t say too much. Kennison had only 4 targets, all coming in the second and third quarters. He caught the middle of 3 chances in the second quarter for 14 yards and a first down, but the other two were deeper throws towards the end zone that just sailed too deep for Kennison to make a play. His final target was a five yard catch on third down in the third period, but the yardage was not enough for a first down.

WR Dante Hall, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets)

Hall caught one pass for 12 yards in the fourth quarter on his only target of Week 9. Hall also continues to be the kickoff and punt return specialist for the Chiefs.

WR Samie Parker, Rec: 1 - 43 - 0 (2 targets)

Parker missed a ball thrown in his direction as he was unable to leap high enough to pull down a very high throw on a crossing route in the first quarter. He came back and caught the longest pass for the Chiefs all day, a pretty 43 yard reception that set up first and goal for Kansas City. He caught the ball in stride inside the Rams’ ten between the cornerback in coverage and the safety coming over to help.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 5 - 63 - 2 (5 targets)

Gonzalez continued his hot streak of putting up good fantasy numbers (he broke 100 yards the last two weeks) by snagging all five of his targets for 63 yards and two touchdowns. Gonzalez caught both touchdowns in the second period, the first where he somehow got wide open in the end zone for a three yard score. He later added a 25 yard catch and run for a touchdown before halftime.

Gonzalez added one catch in each of the final two quarters, good for 13 and 11 yards respectively. All five of Gonzalez’ catches were good for a Chiefs first down.

TE Kris Wilson, Rec: 1 - 11 - 1 (2 targets)

Wilson, also considered as an H-back or fullback due to his new expanded role in the offense, caught one of two fourth quarter targets for an 11 yard touchdown. The first target did fall incomplete, but Wilson drew a 17 yard pass interference penalty on the play.

PK Lawrence Tynes 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points

Tynes made his only field goal attempt from 42 yards in the second quarter. He added four extra points to wind up with seven total points on the scoreboard.

KC Rush Defense

RB Steven Jackson had almost 100 yards against the Chiefs but did add a touchdown on the ground. St. Louis as a team exceeded 100 yards, averaging over four yards per carry. Jackson’s fumble in the first half was a key opportunity seized by the Chiefs, who won the game on the early turnovers.

KC Pass Defense

Rams QB Marc Bulger had a solid game, completing over 70% of his passes and gaining more than 350 yards through the air. Despite his solid performance as a passer, the Chiefs did force two fumbles and recovered one, which was crucial in getting the win in Week 9. If not for DE Jared Allen’s two sacks and a forced fumble, Bulger’s big day would have likely been a winning effort.

QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 31 - 42 - 354 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 11 - 0

Bulger had a very solid game, completing over 70% of his passes and racking up 354 yards and a touchdown. This game marked his third consecutive 300 yard passing game. His one blemish was losing a second quarter fumble on a sack by DE Jared Allen. Aside from that one glitch, Bulger was quite proficient in finding open receivers and moving the ball downfield. He started with nine consecutive completions and was hitting receivers all day long. He connected with seven different Rams’ receivers, with RB Steven Jackson receiving the most targets and yardage.

Bulger had a QB rating over 100, but the lack of multiple touchdown passes despite all the yardage left both he and the Rams short on the scoreboard.

RB Steven Jackson, Rush: 19 - 86 - 1, Rec: 13 - 133 - 0 (15 targets)

Jackson was the workhorse for the Rams, rushing for 86 yards and adding a remarkable 133 more in the passing game. Jackson started slowly with only six yards on five carries in the opening quarter, but he hit more of a stride with 35 more yards before halftime, including a two yard touchdown. Unfortunately, Jackson also fumbled the ball away in the second quarter to cut short a Rams’ drive.

Jackson continued his running with a 22 yard dash in the third quarter, but the Rams abandoned the running game with Jackson as they were well behind in the final period. This did not eliminate Jackson, as he was also the most targeted player for the Rams, getting 15 balls thrown in his direction in Week 9. Jackson caught a career best 13 of those and also gained eight first downs via the air. Once again, Jackson was not without fault, as he fumbled again but this time the ball rolled out of bounds.

Jackson was injured in the second half, dislocating a finger that kept him out for a short while. It should be noted that he was fine when he returned and also this injury had no bearing on his fumbles.

RB Stephen Davis, Rush: 6 - 18 - 0, Rec: 2 - 15 - 0 (2 targets)

Davis came in to spell Steven Jackson, a role he is accustomed to but also one he may have to fill for a while as RB Tony Fisher left the game with an injury. Davis provided 33 yards on eight touches, including two short receptions.

RB Madison Hedgecock (1 targets)

Hedgecock was targeted once out of the backfield in the fourth quarter, but the ball was thrown too short of him and fell incomplete. That was his only target all day.

WR Kevin Curtis, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 7 - 59 - 1 (9 targets)

Curtis was the most targeted receiver for the Rams, getting nine chances against the Chiefs. Curtis caught seven of them for 59 yards, highlighted by a two yard “dart” pattern catch for a touchdown in the third quarter. Curtis caught his first six targets before two fell incomplete late in the game. The first incompletion was another end zone target, whereas the second came in the final ten seconds of the game. Curtis was drilled after catching his longest pass of 23 yards as the game ended and was taken to the hospital for observation.

WR Torry Holt, Rec: 3 - 50 - 0 (5 targets)

Holt was conspicuous by his absence in the first half, registering no catches or targets. He responded well after halftime, catching three of his first four targets for a combined 50 yards and three first downs. His final target was a well-defended end zone pass that fell incomplete at the back corner of the end zone.

WR Isaac Bruce, Rec: 3 - 61 - 0 (5 targets)

Bruce was once again quite an active member of the St. Louis passing game. Bruce had 61 yards on three catches, all in the first half. He caught two deep passes, one on the sideline and one across the middle, within moments of one another on an 70 yard Rams’ touchdown drive in the second quarter. Bruce accounted for 56 of those 70 yards on that drive.

Bruce added a 14 yard catch in the fourth quarter that was stricken due to a pass interference call on Bruce. His final target was in the end zone in the last minutes of the game, but it sailed incomplete.

WR Shaun McDonald, Rec: 2 - 27 - 0 (3 targets)

McDonald helped as a fourth option at wide receiver for the Rams. He grabbed all three of his targets, two short passes surrounding a long 25 yard catch in the second quarter. The first catch for five yards was nullified by a penalty. All three targets came in the first half.

TE Joe Klopfenstein, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (4 targets)

Klopfenstein had just one catch on four targets in Week 9. His first target was a throwaway effort by QB Marc Bulger as he avoided a sack by getting the ball near Klopfenstein. The second incomplete pass was in the third quarter and the ball just sailed too far for Klopfenstein to run under the 25 yard throw. After finally catching a short nine yarder in the fourth, Klopfenstein had a bail zip right past him as he failed to turn and look early enough to make the catch.

PK Jeff Wilkins 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points

Wilkins made his only field goal attempt from 41 yards in the second quarter. He added two extra points to wind up with five total points on the scoreboard. Wilkins also lined up to attempt a 53 yard field goal, but the Rams had him do a pooch punt instead.

STL Rush Defense

RB Larry Johnson ran at will against the Rams. He racked up over six yards per carry, rushing for 172 yards on just 27 carries. Johnson added a touchdown on the ground to go with the five first downs he achieved, including a 45 yard run, his longest run of the season.

STL Pass Defense

Chiefs QB Damon Huard was not pressured into making any mistakes by the Rams defense. While DE Leonard Little did record two sacks, those were the only two for St. Louis. Huard did not throw for many yards, but he did connect with his tight ends three times for touchdowns and his QB rating was extremely high at 138.3.