The Postgame: 49ers Beat Chiefs On Late TD Pass
By Ben Nielsen
Aug 16, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders perform for the crowd during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Arrowhead Stadium. San Francisco won 15-13. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
VITALS
Score: 49ers 15, Chiefs 13
It was over when: Tyler Bray was sacked by Cam Johnson on a fourth down play with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter.
Player of the Game: Offensive line issues make his numbers not quite as impressive as they should have been, but Knile Davis had the best day of any of any offensive player on the Chiefs or 49ers. He ended up with 68 total yards for the game.
Best Quote: “We left a lot out there. It’s a lot of fixable things. Some of it was protection. That kind of falls on all of us. There were a few times they were bringing more than we’ve got (to block). The ball has to come out (quicker) and we’ve got to execute outside. There were a few communication things up front we’ve got to get ironed out.’’ – Alex Smith
QUICK SLANT
1. Davis looks to be the real deal when he is running with confidence. There were moments during the game where it appeared he was not comfortable with what he was seeing. As you can see from the Smith quote, it would appear there was a lot going on with the offensive line that was leading to poor execution.
Still, Davis made a lot of plays on Friday night in both the running and passing game. There’s still the anxiety of dropping passes and fumbling that is carrying over from his season at Arkansas last year, but he seems to have made big strides in both of those areas.
2. Special teams, by far, is the best unit on this team. The communication and the technical execution is way ahead of where the offense and defense is right now. The Chiefs now have four returns of 50 yards or more from their return teams in just two games. All four of those returns have been by four different players.
3. Dontari Poe looks to have made some serious strides in his game. He looked great in the one drive he played in against New Orleans and he carried that over into the San Francisco game. He had four tackles, two of them for loss, and was man-handling blockers when he was left in one-on-one situations.
If Poe can carry this momentum into the season then the outlook of the Chiefs defense completely changes. A pass rush from the defensive line would be something KC hasn’t had since Jarred Allen left. Getting that pass rush from the middle only makes it more important.
4. Where the hell are the wide receivers? Dwayne Bowe and Donnie Avery are each receptionless after two games. Jonathan Baldwin has dropped more balls than first string receivers have caught this season. It could be scheme, but the lack of wide receiver production so far is extremely concerning.
5. The battle between Akeem Jordan and Nico Johnson for the second middle linebacker spot is resulting in the middle linebacking position one of the deeper units on the team. I’m 100% comfortable with either of those players starting at this point.
SADNESS RECOVERY VIDEO
Sad about the loss? No worries. Let this (horrifying) video cheer you up.
ROOKIE RECAP
We talked about Davis’ day earlier, and I’ll reaffirm here that I think he is going to be the most impactful rookie on the team this season. Nico Johnson will give him a run for his money.
Fisher has not been good in his first two games. It may be the injuries, or the position switch, or types of play calling in the preseason, or maybe be even all of those things, but Fisher has looked very average early. Hopefully his learning curve ends up being shorter than what it looks like now.
Tyler Bray had mix results this week. When he had time to throw he looked excellent, but when the blitz came he didn’t appear to know how to handle it. Recognition may have something to do with this, but given how poorly the offensive line looked all day I would think there are more problems than just Bray’s recognition.
UP NEXT
KC will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers on Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30. If there is ever a preseason game to read into it is the third game. There’s going to be a lot on the line next weekend.
COCKTAIL OF DEFEAT
Black Lily
1.5 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Fernet Branca
.75 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
Shaken, strained over ice in a rocks glass. Garnished with an orange twist