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Week 1 Game Recap: Kansas City Chiefs 10, New England Patriots 17
What you need to know
| Kansas City Chiefs |
QB Brodie Croyle got off to a solid start, looking like an improved player than the one we saw in 2007. He limited any chances for mistakes and looked to manage the game while the Chiefs attempted to shove Larry Johnson and Jamaal Charles down the Patriots defenses' throat. After a shoulder injury to Croyle, QB Damon Huard came in near the end of the third quarter and was a worthy replacement. Huard did more in less time while running the offense, finishing eight for twelve with 118 yards and a touchdown. He also threw a pick.
RB Larry Johnson had a decent day, failing to finish with any eye popping numbers, but showed he could keep running as hard as he could, rush after rush. Rookie RB Jamaal Charles was also prominently featured in the offense, and succeeded in his role of spelling Johnson for short time spans. The running game didn't get off to that good of a start, but the Chiefs stuck with it and it improved as the time ticked on.
WR Dwayne Bowe got off to a slow start, but managed to finish with a respectable 49 yards and TD on five receptions. He did however, have two drops during crucial points in the game. It was another day at the office for TE Tony Gonzalez as he reeled in six balls for 55 yards. WR Devard Darling didn't make any impact at all until the end of the game, when he caught a Huard pass in stride for 68 yards to set up a thrilling ending.
| New England Patriots |
In what will surely be the biggest storyline for the coming week, QB Tom Brady was taken out with a knee injury not halfway through the first quarter. He did not return to the field for the remainder of the game. QB Matt Cassel managed to be a completely different QB than the one we became acquainted with in the pre-season, proving he could be a serviceable fill-in and get the ball into the hands of the Patriots playmakers.
RBs Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris spelled each other often, finishing with nearly identical rushing stat lines (save for Morris' TD run). Morris also managed to contribute in the passing game as well, tacking on 34 yards and five receptions onto his Sunday total.
Top WR Randy Moss got involved early before Brady was injured, but stayed involved even after Cassel came in -- benefiting from a 51 yard strike from him on a third down pinned inside their two yard line. Moss would later on catch a TD pass from the replacement QB, finishing with 116 yards on six catches and one TD. WR Wes Welker also had six catches, but only managed to gain 51 yards.
What you ought to know
| QB Brodie Croyle, Pass: 11 - 19 - 88 - 0 TD / 0 INT |
Croyle got off to a pretty solid start compared to last year's performance, giving Chiefs fans reason to be hopeful. He completed eleven of nineteen of his passes (about 58%) for 88 yards in just over two quarters of work. Not top tier numbers by any means, but he did show improvement in the turnover and accuracy departments. He was sacked early in the third by Adalius Thomas and stayed down, clutching his shoulder in pain. After a few practice throws on the sideline, he was seen shaking his head in regards to the injury. All in all, he did not return.
| QB Damon Huard, Pass: 8 - 12 - 118 - 1 TD / 1 INT |
Huard was a decent fill-in for Croyle, going eight for twelve with 118 yards, one TD and one interception. Interception aside, the Chiefs offense appeared to have a bit more zip and jump in their step and nearly sent the game into overtime with Huard under center. If Croyle's injury proves to be minor, it appears that there is yet again another QB controversy in Kansas City.
| RB Larry Johnson, Rush: 22 - 74 - 0, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) |
Johnson's 2008 debut could be described, in a word, as relentless. Despite the majority of his carries going for three yards or less, Johnson kept it coming like a freight train. He finished the day with 78 yards on 22 attempts, a good chunk of which came on a 22 yard scamper near the end of the third quarter. Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to prove his wares in the goal line game, with the Chiefs only visit to the red zone ending on the 13 yard line after a TD hookup between Damon Huard and Dwayne Bowe.
| RB Jamaal Charles, Rush: 5 - 28 - 0, Rec: 2 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) |
The biggest conversation topics in regards to Charles this past off-season were about his fumbling problems. However, the Chiefs have reportedly created a package of plays built entirely around the speedster tailback out of Texas. His role in the teams Week One game was larger than expected and he was used in both the running and passing game. He averaged more than five yards per carry on the ground, tallying up 28 yards on five carries. In addition, he caught two balls for six yards.
| WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 5 - 49 - 1 (13 targets) |
Bowe wasn't a factor early but was slowly mixed into the offensive game plan as time went on. At least two of his drops could have proven very beneficial for the team as well as his stat line, which stood at five receptions for 49 yards and a TD at the end of the game.
| WR Devard Darling, Rec: 1 - 68 - 0 (1 targets) |
Darling was only part of one play the entire game, but oh my, what a play that it was. The aforementioned contribution was a 68 yard catch-in-stride from QB Damon Huard, which looked like it would be broken for a TD. However, he was prevented from sending the game into overtime by Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, who managed to drag him down five yards short of the pay dirt.
| TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 6 - 55 - 0 (8 targets) |
In addition to securing six balls for 55 yards, Gonzalez's hands were also the hot topic for game announcers, Dan Dierdorf and Greg Gumbel. He proved to be a nice safety blanket and bail-out option in what was otherwise an inconsistent receiving effort.
| PK Nick Novak 1 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 4 points |
Novak nailed a 40 yarder in the second quarter, and was also a perfect one for one in extra point attempts. The 40 yarder had some leg under it and definitely would have had the distance had the field goal been for an extra five yards or so.
| KC Rush Defense |
The Chiefs rushing defense had its share of stops but proved unable to stop running backs Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris from moving the first down markers. They also allowed the Patriot RBs to gain large chunks of yards at times and rush for just over 100 yards combined on them.
| KC Pass Defense |
The Chiefs pass defense looked concerned with not giving up the big play when Brady was in the game, then after giving up a 51 yard bomb from Matt Cassel to Randy Moss, resumed that worrying all over again. They finished the game with two sacks, no interceptions and one forced fumble thanks to Patrick Surtain.
| QB Matt Cassel, Pass: 13 - 18 - 152 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 4 - 13 - 0 |
Cassel looked like a completely different player than he did in pre-season. The pre-season Matt Cassel (through four games) went 19 for 34 for 165 yards, no TDs, and one interception. He looked paranoid, nervous, and as if he'd rather be sipping Gatorade on the bench. Tom Brady emergency fill-in Matt Cassel went thirteen of eighteen for 152 yards, one TD, and no interceptions. He looked calm, collected, and as if he wished he could do this type of thing every single day. The 51 yard strike to Randy Moss on his very first throw may have had something to do with this.
| QB Tom Brady, Pass: 7 - 11 - 76 - 0 TD / 0 INT |
Brady looked to be in usual MVP form early on, going seven for eleven for 76 yards. Then, Patriots' fans' worst nightmare came true. Matt Cassel would replace the starter after what the replays showed as a knee injury that was eerily similar to the one Carson Palmer suffered in the 2005 playoffs. As of Sunday night, there were reports circulating that Brady would be out for the year. However, none of those reports have been confirmed by the team.
| RB Sammy Morris, Rush: 10 - 53 - 1, Rec: 5 - 34 - 0 (5 targets) |
It was a two back show for the Patriots and Morris did his best to stay on pace with Maroney. Not only did he manage to do so, the 31 year old RB outshined the talented youngster with ten rushes for 53 yards, one TD, and five receptions tacked on for an additional 34 yards. His rushing amounts are even more impressive when you consider that he got many of them in thanks to extra efforts and with several Chiefs defenders attached to him.
| RB Laurence Maroney, Rush: 10 - 51 - 0 |
Maroney looked strong, quick, and shifty when he was in the game on Sunday. However, he would spend large amounts of time on the sideline, watching Sammy Morris look just as impressive. With Kevin Faulk out and Jordan only being given two carries, it's up in the air as to whether his ten carry load will go up or down with Faulk's return next week. On his ten carries, Maroney ran for a total of 51 yards.
| WR Randy Moss, Rec: 6 - 116 - 1 (7 targets) |
Despite his starting QB going down early in the first quarter, Moss still managed to have the game we expected him to have. Nearly half of his yards came on a 51 yard strike that Moss caught in stride, while his sole TD came on a sloppily thrown spiral that he snatched out of the air with ease. He also fumbled the ball on the very same play that Brady went down with his knee injury.
| WR Wes Welker, Rec: 6 - 51 - 0 (10 targets) |
Welker finished the game with a respectable 51 yards on six receptions. Most of his production came with Tom Brady in the game, but he still proved a useful target when Cassel was throwing him the ball as well. Welker gained 31 of his 51 total reception yards in the third quarter and onward, with Cassel throwing the ball. In an uncharacteristic moment, Welker also fumbled the ball after a catch early in the first, which was eventually recovered by Kansas City. Although to be fair, it was a fantastic strip by Patrick Surtain.
| TE David Thomas, Rec: 2 - 24 - 0 (3 targets) |
Thomas pulled in two receptions for 24 yards during his time as the starting TE in wake of Benjamin Watson's injury. His six yard reception came while Tom Brady was still in the game in the first quarter, while his other came early in the third from Cassel for 18 yards.
| PK Stephen Gostkowski 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points |
Gostkowski was a perfect one for one with his field goals, splitting the uprights with a 37 yarder about halfway through the fourth quarter. He was also a perfect two for two with his extra point attempts.
| NE Rush Defense |
Considering he is regarded as one of the best RBs in the game today, the Patriots rushing defense did quite the job holding Larry Johnson to only 74 yards on 22 carries. That is less than 3.5 yards per carry. Jamaal Charles on the other hand had a bit more success -- gaining 28 yards on just five carries. 102 yards on 27 carries from two different RBs isn't bad at all, especially when you take into account that no rushing TDs were scored either.
| NE Pass Defense |
It could be argued that the passing defenses only blown play was the 68 yard bomb in the fourth quarter to Devard Darling that nearly sent the game to overtime. Other than that, the Patriots pass defense held the Chiefs to just over 200 yards total passing and managed to sack the QB four separate times, as well as pick off Damon Huard once.