3 Observations from Sunday’s loss to Houston
1. Marcus Peters is the best young corner in the NFL.
Marcus Peters came out of nowhere his rookie season to intercept 8 passes. While the rest of the league certainly took notice, few thought he would be able to duplicate those kinds of numbers this season. On Sunday, Peters quieted those beliefs by picking off two passes. The kid now has 10 interceptions in 18 regular season games. It’s a historic pace for Peters, who doesn’t get nearly the amount of hype some other, less productive corners get. Josh Norman gets all the headlines, but if we are picking teams, give me Peters every time.
2. To win, the team must run the football.
The Chiefs threw the ball nearly twice as many times as they ran it against Houston. That simply is not this team’s blueprint for success. Alex Smith is more than a game-manager, but you cannot make him throw 40-times a game and be successful. Last week, he showed he’s as good as any quarterback late in games. However, the Chiefs are a run-first football team. Andy Reid got significant criticism in Philadelphia for passing too much when he had Bryan Westbrook and later LeSean McCoy. He cannot fall into his old tendencies if this team wants to compete for another division title. They have an elite defense and have to utilize it. You can’t play sloppy football and expect to win games. Luckily, Jamaal Charles appears to be returning soon.
AROUND COVER32
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3. The Houston Texans are a legit threat in the AFC.
After a win over a mediocre Bears team to start the season, people weren’t really paying attention to Houston. But after beating the Chiefs – despite playing a pretty terrible game – it has to be acknowledged that the Texans could a legitimate threat in the AFC. They won the offseason, with big free agent signings – Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller. Still, nobody really expected the team to do much this season. After all, Osweiler hasnt’ even played a full season and Miller has yet to have that breakout season. Looking back, this probably should have been expected. I ranked the Texans first in my offseason rankings because they are a 2015 Playoff team that upgraded at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. The AFC should be on notice for this talented and balanced Houston team.
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