The Snap: Chiefs vs. Chargers

AP Photo/Ed Zurga

KC  23                          SD  20      (OT)

There are few words that can describe what Chiefs fans witnessed last night. Miracle, perhaps, sums it up the best. Just when all hope seemed to be lost, Philip Rivers happened. It took place so fast. The Chargers had converted a 3rd and 18, then were able to successfully run the football for a first down while the Chiefs were forced to burn their time outs. The Chargers were simply able to run out the clock, kick a chip shot, and celebrate a comeback victory on the road against a division rival.

Halloween, however, had different plans.

Fumbled snap. Dog pile. Andy Studebaker (who didn't even start off on the bottome of the pile) comes out with the football. Overtime (I won't mention how Cassel threw a sideline interception because there was only a few seconds left and Cassel was just trying to make something happen).

San Diego won the toss but couldn't do anything with it on offense thanks to a Tamba Hali sack. Forced to punt, the Chiefs get the ball back on their own 19 yard line. Fourteen plays, 74 yards, two third-down coversions, and a Ryan Succop 30 yard field goal later, the Chiefs were winners on this haunted Monday Night.

There are not enough stats in the world to show you how improbable this win was, but if you enjoy stats, here are a few from ESPN that you might enjoy. I sure did.

What the Chiefs did right

• They opened up Monday Night Football with Len Dawson speaking, which is always a good thing.
• The Chiefs got off to a fast start, scoring 10 points in the first quarter and going into halftime with a 13-3 lead.
• Part of those 10 first quarter points was a touchdown pass from Matt Cassel to Jon Baldwin. Baldwin's first touchdown reception as a Chief was a thing of beauty, and the pass from Cassel was equally beautiful.
• Bowe was strictly covered for most of the game but still ended up with 4 catches for 62 yards. But unlike last year, Bowe isn't the only receiver on the team, and attempting to take him out of the game just opens up opportunities for other players. Baldwin finished the game with 5 receptions, 82 yards and a touchdown while Steve Breaston had 3 catches for 42 yards. 
• Cassel's night wasn't his best, but he had a touchdown and several good throws that extended drives. He also looked good moving in the pocket, and even ran for some timely yards to help his own cause.
• Our running game, although almost non-existent in the first three quarters, opened up in the fourth quarter when the Chargers defense started to wear down. Jackie Battle continued to be our leading rusher, finishing with 70 yards on 19 carries (3.7 ypc) and the Chiefs first rushing touchdown that came from an offensive player who didn't, in reality, fumble the football. 
• The defense stepped up big in the first half, holding the Chargers to three points, and picking off Rivers twice and recovering a Ryan Matthews fumble. And, of course, recovering the fumble at the end.
• The thing I noticed the most is that almost everyone from the Chiefs made a big play. Lewis had two takeaways, Flowers looked like a shutdown corner, McCluster had some good yards after catch in overtime, Baldwin had a touchdown, Breaston converted a 3rd and 14 in overtime, Bowe was Bowe, Hali had constant pressure, Derrick Johnson had an interception, McGraw drew an offensive pass interference against Antonio Gates to prevent a touchdown, Battle had a touchdown, etc. This was the best team effort I'd seen out of the Chiefs all season.

What the Chiefs could have done better

• Despite the miracle, we should also realize that we should have lost the game. There is no reason we should have won except the fact that we did. The offense was stagnant most of the game, and so little time spent on the field for the offense meant the Chiefs defense got worn down by the fourth quarter, and fatigue was definitely in effect.
• Baldwin and Bowe each had atleast one drop (Baldwin two), and unfortunately Bowe's resulted in an interception. Both players need to secure the football a little better from here on out.
• Our running game didn't really get going until the fourth quarter, which means our offensive line was losing for three plus quarters. 
• Our defense, having done a nice job through three quarters, started wearing down and became succeptable to the run, which was evidenced by that final drive for San Diego that nearly clinched the game. Plus we decided to blitz on 3rd and 18 and leave the whole middle of the field without defenders for Rivers to convert and extend that drive.
• Clock management was a little funky for the Chiefs. Before halftime it seemed like the Chiefs couldn't decide if they wanted to run out the clock or go for a score. They ended up with a made field goal, but they could have had more. Also, before the end of the fourth quarter, the Chiefs seemed a little passive after recovering the fumble, and almost seemed content to take it to overtime before a few pass plays made it conceivable to get into field goal position. Better clock management in these situations could have resulted in more points.
• Matt Cassel had another mediocre day, finishing 19/32 (59%) for 261 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Cassel needs to pick up his game because he's going to be asked to lead us to game winning drives more than once this season.