John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
As expected, moving the ball on the San Francisco 49ers proved quite a bit tougher than it was against the New Orleans Saints for the Kansas City Chiefs‘ first-team offense.
San Francisco’s tough defensive line usually won the battle up front leaving almost nowhere to go for running back Knile Davis. Regardless, the rookie looked great in the passing game and the few opportunities that were there in the running game. How well he filled in for the injured Jamaal Charles was a big question coming into the game, and Davis answered well with 10 carries for 37 yards added 31 yards on three receptions against a stingy defense.
Alex Smith had a tough time against his old team due to a lack of help from his new team. Smith held up to frequent pressure pretty well, but drops from Jon Baldwin, Cyrus Gray and Travis Kelce stopped the offense in its tracks.
Special teams shined again with another great performance from coordinator Dave Toub’s crew. Quintin Demps took a first-half kickoff back 104 yards for a score and Devon Wylie added a 55-yard punt return in the second half. The field-position game was won by the Chiefs as Pro-Bowl punter Dustin Colquitt pinned the 49ers inside the 10-yard line three times. The lone letdown from the special teams unit was when Colquitt had a punt blocked in the third quarter by an untouched Parys Haralson.
The Chiefs’ defense lived up to the buzz they’ve been receiving out of training camp, playing very well through the entire first half. The first team managed six tackles for losses, a sack and an interception. Granted, Colin Kaepernick only played one series, but you still have to love what you’re seeing from defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s talented squad.
The offense indicated that there is still plenty of room for improvement with weak performances from the offensive line and the receiving corps, but the defense and special teams both kept up their very impressive preseason performances.
Aaron Charles is a Kansas City Chiefs writer for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on twitter @aaroncharleskc or add him to your network on Google.
