The Chiefs didn't give their fans any reasons to ditch the bags on Sunday. (AP) |
The only thing the Chiefs seem to be competing against is history.
They have now gone seven games without once playing with a lead, which is a first since 1940 according to the CBS telecast on Sunday. They have 25 giveaways and a minus-18 turnover ratio, which fourth-worst through seven games in NFL history. They are on pace for a minus-41 turnover ratio for the season -- the record is minus-30 by the 1968 Steelers.
As for competing with their opponent, the Chiefs suffered their sixth loss and fifth by double-digit points on Sunday to Oakland, which by pretty much every measurement is a bad football team -- just not nearly as bad as the Chiefs.
Offense: F
In the fourth quarter, the Chiefs scored their first touchdown of the month of October. It was insignificant, of course, as the score already was out of reach. Three turnovers by the offense and an inability to finish drives in the end zone kept that score out of reach. Brady Quinn started and was bad -- two of four for one yard and an interception -- before suffering a head injury. Matt Cassel actually played a decent game by his standards. He had a fumble that probably wasn't his fault and one interception, but he led two scoring drives on his first two possessions in the game and he made some nice throws. The Chiefs abandoned their running game and Jamaal Charles, which is what they had been leaning on heavily. Romeo Crennel said Charles was healthy, but the star running back only ran four times for five yards. In the last two games, Charles has 44 rushing yards and a 2.6 yards per carry average after carrying it 81 times the previous three games. Did the Chiefs wear him down? Or is it just further proof that the coaching staff is clueless? Previous game's grade: F
Defense: D
The Chiefs gave up the second-most points to Oakland in regulation this season. The defense has been put in a tough spot because of all of the turnovers, and this was once again the case. Crennel's unit needs to be dominant for the Chiefs to win, and this is one week where that seemed like a realistic goal against a bad football team. Oakland's offensive line has struggled, yet Darren McFadden ran for a season-high 114 yards and Carson Palmer was not sacked. Stanford Routt intercepted Palmer on the first possession, but the Chiefs were not able to force another turnover. Previous game's grade: F
Special teams: D
The kicking game continued to be the bright spot for the Chiefs. Ryan Succop made all three of his field goals and Dustin Colquitt averaged 47.2 yards per punt. The reason for the bad grade is Javier Arenas fumbled a punt, which the Raiders recovered. Previous game's grade: A
Coaching: F
Crennel and his staff had the bye week to try to figure out some solutions for this mess, and it's apparent they have no answers. The Chiefs played inspired football for Crennel down the stretch last season and there has not been any carryover. This is a bad, mismanaged bunch and somehow it gets worse every week. Previous game's grade: F
Follow Chiefs reporter C.J. Moore on Twitter @CBSChiefs and @cjmoore4.