1. Matt Cassel hasn’t produced yet » You can’t just blame him. But the reviews suggest that Cassel has been average. Cassel takes care of the ball, with only two interceptions despite heavy pressure (14 sacks). But he averages just 5.47 yards per pass attempt (the lowest figure for quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts). He is starting to click with physical wideout Dwayne Bowe. And he operated the no-huddle well in a two-minute drill vs. Dallas last week, so that could become a bigger part of the offense.
2. The offensive line has struggled » Left tackle Branden Albert missed the second half vs. Dallas, but likely will play Sunday. They’ve changed their right tackle three times already. They’ve allowed 17 sacks, though some have come because Cassel does not throw the ball away enough. The damning stat, though, is the 2.4 yards per carry by physical running back Larry Johnson. He averaged 4.5 per carry last year. Johnson last had a big season in 2006, but is better than his numbers.
3. They lack speed at receiver » Bowe posted excellent numbers last year, with 82 catches for 1,022 yards and has three touchdowns this season. But he’s not a burner; he’s about size. However, the Chiefs lack anyone with tremendous speed. Five Chiefs have caught at least 10 passes; none average more than 12.1 yards per reception. Mark Bradley is the supposed speed guy — his long catch is 50 yards — but he’s caught just 13 passes and averages 11.9 yards per catch.
4. The defense is in transition » Kansas City switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4 this year and have a young defensive line. Glenn Dorsey is out of position as a defensive end in this alignment, but he does plug holes well. There is some talent as outside linebacker Tamba Hali has two sacks. Corner Brandon Flowers is a good pass defender and inside linebacker Corey Mays plays the run well. But they lack playmakers (and help from the offense) and rank 32nd overall.
