This past Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs opened up the 2016 regular season against AFC West division rival San Diego Chargers. Last season, the Chiefs dominated the Chargers, sweeping the season series and outscoring them 43-6.
However, early Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chargers shocked the Chiefs, outscoring them 24-3 early in the third quarter. The Chiefs’ defense did not have no answer for the Chargers’ offense and Kansas City’s offense could not get anything going against a San Diego defense that last season was ranked 14th in passing yards per game (236.6) and 27th in rushing yards per game (125.3).
Nevertheless, Kansas City was able to pull off the improbable comeback, defeating San Diego 33-27 in overtime thanks to the play of quarterback Alex Smith. Smith, who gets a lot of criticism for checking the ball down and being a game manager, made some elite throws in the second half.
Before we take a look at Smith’s elite second-half performance, let’s look at how he performed in the first half. As I mentioned earlier, the Chiefs were held to only three points in the first half. That’s perplexing, since the last two times they played San Diego, Kansas City outscored them 22-3.
In the first half of Sunday’s game, Smith completed 9 of 15 passes for 94 yards. In comparison to his numbers last season in the first half, he completed 67.5 percent of his passes. Unlike other quarterbacks, who have big arms. Smith needs his throws to be accurate for the Chiefs to have a chance, especially with All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles still on the shelf.
However, in the second half, Smith was playing with a different energy and made throws that only quarterbacks named Brady, Rodgers, and Brees could make. Smith completed 21 of 28 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns in the final two quarters.
The first touchdown came with 2:53 left in the third quarter with the Chiefs down 24-3. In the red zone, Smith found rookie wide receiver Tyreek Hill on a screen pass, which is a staple of the West Coast offense. Smith got the ball out quickly and put it right in front of Hill and allowed him to do the rest.
Then in the fourth quarter, Smith’s second touchdown pass went to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin on a beautiful back shoulder throw. That touchdown put the Chiefs down 27-17.
Later in the quarter, the Chiefs tacked on a field goal, cutting the Chargers’ deficit down to seven points. But for the Chiefs to pull off this miraculous comeback, they needed Smith to continue to play lights out. Smith continued to put the ball on a rope as he found Maclin for a huge gain in the middle of three Chargers’ defenders, putting Kansas City in the red zone.
The Chiefs then tied the game up on a Spencer Ware touchdown run, sending it to overtime. In overtime, Smith was still dialed in as he used his mobility to extend the play and find Ware in a tight window for 20 yards.
A few plays later on the Chargers’ 23-yard line, Smith found Travis Kelce for a 15-yard reception, placing the ball, where only his tight end could get it.
Finally, on third and goal, Smith won the game with a rushing touchdown. His final stat line was 34 of 48 for 363 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
ALEX SMITH FOR THE WIN! #ChiefsKingdom #SDvsKC https://t.co/dsLNbqhczE
— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2016
Smith the game manager would not have won this game a few years ago. He would’ve made safe throws, but ultimately would have depend on the defense to secure the victory. But on Sunday, he flipped the switch, changing the moniker about himself and showing that he can take his game to another level.
The Chiefs now have three tough games coming up against the Houston Texans, New York Jets, and Pittsburgh Steelers. For Kansas City to have a chance to win those games, Smith will have to play like he did in the second half against San Diego for the entire 60 minutes. If he can do that, he will continue to separate himself from the game manager label and enter into the top 15 best quarterbacks conversation.
