GRETZ: A Mid-Season Comparison
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GRETZ: A Mid-Season Comparison
Nov 07, 2007, 5:56:59 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ
Herm Edwards said it Tuesday. In fact he said it several times.
“We have to score more points,” the Chiefs head coach said. “We have to get a spark from our offense.”
More like an inferno. The Chiefs are at the .500 mark at mid-season and when the numbers are broken down compared to the halfway point last season, it’s obvious where the problems lie.
The Chiefs are one-game worse this year than last because of their offense and special teams. Both have taken a step backwards from last season. The Chiefs have a difference in 36 points in the point differential category between the two half seasons. Plus, their penalties are up.
Outside of the defense, which shows improvement from this mid-season to last year, the only statistics that’s better is in offensive passing yardage, as the Chiefs are averaging 4.8 yards per game more than previously. However, they are rushing for 41.5 yards less after eight games in 2007 compared to eight games in the 2006 season.
The Chiefs offense is this team’s problem and it’s not hard to zero in on the area causing the lack of production: the offensive line. It’s why this team has struggled for eight games and why that battle will continue for another eight weeks. Without more point production, this will not be a happy holiday season around Arrowhead Stadium.
In the first half of the season, the Chiefs scored 124 points, or an average of 15.5 points per game. They are on a pace to score 248 points. The last time they scored that poorly was in 1979, their second season under Marv Levy when they scored 238 points, or an average of 14.9 points per game.
That year they finished 7-9 and in last place in the five-team AFC West. This year, with the division playing the way it is, they might finish 7-9 and tie for first place. If Denver knocks off the Chiefs this Sunday and San Diego falls to Indianapolis, that would leave the Chiefs, Chargers and Broncos all tied at 4-5.
Right now, the Chiefs must find a way to pump up their point production, especially in the first quarter, when they’ve scored just 13 points and in the first half when they have just 49 points.
And they are going to have to start that process this Sunday against Denver without Larry Johnson, who will be on the sidelines with a sprained right foot.
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