Stephen A. says HOLD YOUR HORSES after all the Kansas City Chiefs HYPE 😳 ‘Too nice!’ | First Take

Stephen A. says HOLD YOUR HORSES after all the Kansas City Chiefs HYPE 😳 ‘Too nice!’ | First Take

Okay, the Chiefs cruised past the Commanders on Monday Night Football. Patrick Mahomes threw for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns. And the defense was just as dominant, not allowing Washington to score at all in the second half. The result was a 28-7 win for the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, the Chiefs continue to march back from their 0 and2 start to their season. Since then, they won five of their last six games with each win coming by double digits. So, let’s start with you, Jeff. Saturday. Yeah. What did the Chiefs prove to you last night? Um, inevitability, right? It’s coming through Kansas City and and when you think about how good this offense has gotten uh really in the last three weeks or so and and you’ve seen all the pieces and parts, right? Like the the injury to Worthy, him getting healthy, Rice coming back from suspension, what he’s done the last couple weeks. Momes. Kelsey last night. I thought I call it like sneaky old man. Like like sneaky old man tennis, which I know you love to play. That’s what Kelsey plays, right? Like he’s a great teammate. He’s willing to throw the rub in. He’s willing to to block for a little bit and then leak out and catch it, but he’s ready to lead plays. Everybody on this football team is so unselfish. And when you see that type of performance from the Chiefs, you know it’s going to all come down to Momes, whoever the hot team. Obviously, I think the Colts are the best team in the NFL right now. The scariest team still the Chiefs. Like you just, you know, and then Spags gets a lead. You said it. They shut they shut the Commanders down. I get no Jaden Gangels. It’s still a ve they gave up they had two turnovers in the first half and still only gave up seven points. This team is it feels inevitable that they’re going to be back in I’m not saying the Super Bowl, but back in the action again. It’s unreal. Yeah, for me the Chiefs proved last night that they are one of the two best teams in the AFC. It’s Kansas City, Indianapolis, draw line, and then everybody else. What Patrick Mahomes is doing is otherworldly. Stephen A. Last night marked his third straight game with three plus passing touchdowns. Last time he did that was the 2021 season when he had Tyreek Hill on the roster, right? He leads the league in passing yards and completions outside of the pocket. So, his ability to be able to extend the down takes this offense to a different level. Again, talk about he does he’s not a quote runner. He’s not like a duel, but outside the pocket. He leads the league in passing yards and completions outside of the pocket, which makes him a cheat code for Andy Reed, and it’s frustrating for defensive linemen and opposing defensive coordinators because you can’t plan for the improvisation that Mahomes brings to the party. Last night, the distribution and touches, four different four different runners with designed runs, catches by six different receivers. You don’t know where it’s coming from with the Kansas City Chiefs. And the scary proposition about this team, doggy, is that the offense is not even the best phase of the football team. Right. Jeff Saturday just told you the game was decided early on when the Washington Commanders had three straight possessions plus 40 and got zero points out of it. That defense, while they don’t have guard stats, they don’t make a lot of mistakes, not a lot of blown assignments, don’t allow explosive plays, and they’re sure tacklers. That is why the Kansas City Chiefs are inevitable and why we should expect them in the championship round. Well, I had the over so I didn’t need those plays at the 40 yard line. 48, Steve. 48. And he’s down the field. Go. Uh Mark, throw the ball in the end zone a couple of times. Jeez, they drove me crazy. Uh but you know, here I th a little cold water on it. And I generally agree with the both of you what you said. You both know much more about He knows a little something about offensive football. You know a lot about defensive football. So the both of you know more about it than I do. But I’ll say one thing about the Chiefs. They haven’t played Denver yet, right? They got them twice. One is on Christmas night, which would be a big game. Denver can’t see Christmas night. They got the Colts at home. And this is a hard game this week in Buffalo. Yes. So they got and they’ve already lost three games, right? So you know they don’t they’re two back of the Colts for the home field. They lose to Buffalo this week. They’d be two and a half back of them because the Bills only have two losses. So they still got a lot of work to do to put them in a situation where they don’t have to play a wild card game and they get home field and everything else. But I understand they can win on the road. I’m not I’m not worried about that. But what’s crazy about that is this is the first week that they are in the playoff like they would they they would be in the playoffs first week which is which is insane, right? I mean you’re talking about the Kansas City Chiefs and it took them eight weeks through the year to get into the playoff hunt. But again, you’re you’re watching this team form and it’s it’s last night was impressive. Oh, here we go. I just do. I just do. I just do. Okay, let me let me throw this out first. They started out 0 and2. They won five of their last six. When I’m looking at them offensively, first in yards per game at 415.8, third in scoring at 30.8 points per game since Xavier Worthy returned in week four. Kansas City deserves props for that. Over the last three games, they’ve outscored their opponents 89 to 24. Who are those three opponents? Agreed. They got the Lions, okay, which had some injuries. Which has some injuries. And then after that, the Raiders and the Commanders without Jaden Daniels, okay, and and and Noah Brown. I’m like, come on, y’all. I mean, over the last two weeks, who have they really really played, right? And so, we have to look at it from that. I expect Sergeant Friday, aka Jeff Sad. I expect Chris Kanty who wakes America up in the morning. Number one, number one dude in the morning in America. Number one dude in the morning in America. All right. I expect I expect a full critique. I expect you guys to sit up there and say, “Let’s hold the horses cuz they got Buffalo coming up this week.” Okay. Let’s see what they do against Josh Allen and the crew. I don’t expect everybody to be sitting there bloiating about what they did against the Commanders and the Raiders last week. Okay. Okay. You You gave up seven points over the last two weeks. That’s why you got one of the top rated defenses right now because you win against two teams that can’t score. I mean, that’s what happened. We all know that. Who a who ain’t going to stop the who ain’t going to stop stop Marcus Mariota right now? Who ain’t going to stop Gino Smith and Laiders right now? I mean, I expect my man Cece, he terrorizes people from 6:00 a.m. I mean, every just terrorizing them. Hey, you you say you on 8 a.m. 8 a.m. acting like you doing an A-list at 8 a.m. the pancakes and everything, but you come on first take and I dare say y’all were a little bit too nice. No, I mean I I’m just I’m just just spreading sprinkling flowers all over the place and Indie the number one team for sure. That ain’t changed. I’m just saying the point that I’m making to you. You you s Kansas City. Wait a minute. I’m looking at Indie and I’m going like this. That ain’t that that ain’t who the Chiefs played the last two weeks. Agreed. Okay. Agreed. I will say this. I will say this. They had they missed two offensive linemen. Kansas City did last last night and they and they still play. You saw how much time they gave uh Patrick Mahomes. I don’t care who you’re playing. That’s tough. And and Washington played him man early and they got him out of man in the second half. I think that what I was impressed with was a slow start with the two interceptions, one off of Kelsey’s hands and then you watch the progression of them go back to work. I think that’s the part that we all go that’s the Chiefs because of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Listen, we can say whatever we want. Patrick Mahomes makes the incredible look common and that is just a hard thing to overcome because when it comes down to big games and big moments, it feels like those guys find ways to make plays. Somebody has to unseat the champ. You love you love combat sports at some point. I’m not saying it’s that they’re going to people have to travel to Kansas City, but you’re going to have to knock them out. It ain’t going to be they ain’t gonna give up and just go by because they got some tough games. They’re going to be there in the mix and that’s going to be tough for anybody. Yeah. I mean, here’s the thing. Who has the number one seed in the AFC may very well come down to this next stretch of games for the Chiefs over the next month of football. They got three opponents, the Bills, the Broncos, and the Colts. A by-week sandwiched in between that. That’s right. It how they handle this stretch to determine whether or not they have a chance to be here. Here’s what I will say. If I’m the Indianapolis Colts, every game is a priority because I want to make sure that the road to the Super Bowl comes through our house. No doubt. I do not want to be Indie and I’m stuck putting Daniel Jones in a situation where you got a quarterback at Arrowhead Stadium in a major playoff situation. I want that game in Indie. No doubt. That to me should be their number one priority. It should be lock focused on that doggy. Uh, listen. I’m Jeff. Take it easy on the Colts. What? They beat Tennessee twice. They beat Miami. They beat the Raiders. These are those are the four worst teams in the league. They beat Denver and they should have lost because that leverage penalty was a terrible call. They should have won. I understand. But I’m going to have a little Okay, so take the Rams. They should have won the Rams game when they’re okay. All right. So, they’re still They still got one loss. They beat Tennessee twice. Miami. They’re on the schedule. They’re on the schedule. But they have play they have played an unbelievably easy. Okay, part of that is fair. Part of that is take it easy. Part of it is fair. However, they’re not just beating people. They beating the brakes off of them now. They hanging 40s. They’re putting some numbers. Their point differential in the NFL is the best in the league. I don’t care who you’re playing in the NFL. You are putting up points each week. They look they scoring on like 65% of their plays. I’m their drives. That’s insane. I don’t care who you’re playing. That is hard to do. 2005 I think we had a few few more points but they’re getting there. You know what I mean? This team is I like what they’re doing and you can tell their their their confidence is being built as well. Old Blue Eyes has been a little bit kind this morning. You know what I’m saying? He has been calling he ain’t calling people out the way they used to. A little soft right there. A little soft right there. But we’ll talk about that a little bit later on in the show. Has this become a lost season for the Commander Cissy? It’s going that way. Stephen A. Going that way. It’s going that way. Ain’t it there? To me, it’s there. I don’t I don’t know the extent of Jaden Daniels injury and how long he’s going to be out. Whether or not he’s going to be able to bounce back for Sunday night against Lauren with squad tonsel goes down last night or Brown’s been I hear I I hear you Stephen A, but Jaden Daniels I can’t unsee what I saw in his first season. Now I also have to acknowledge that the injuries are uncomfortable and coming into the NFL. That was one of the things that we expressed concern about his slider of frame, the style of play that Cliff Kingsbury employs, the injuries along the offensive line, lamely lurley tonsel. Yeah, I’m worried about them being able to keep him healthy. If they can’t keep him upright for the rest of the season, then it ends up equating to a lost season and there are a lot of tough questions that have to be asked in DC about exactly what they’re doing to protect their franchise quarterback. Yeah, but if Jaden Daniels is on the field, the Washington commander has always got a punch. I’m gonna say this is this is a loss for here’s the reason because your availability of your QB has already been put into question. And to your point, it’s not just it’s not just the offensive line, right? Like part of his offensive line, but his style of play leads him to get hit a like all the all the spectacular we see and that we come I compliment, right? I remember last year uh I forget who it was they were playing in a night game and they got a blitz off the edge that’s going to be unblocked and it’s it is it’s his guy and he throws a touchdown to scary Terry like in the corner Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati okay so he has those play but the problem is you he takes those hits like repeatedly like and and his frame and what’s happening and he wants to scramble around buy time look for the explosive plays at some point you lose the battle to win the war right and I think That’s the balance that he has to find is that there’s got to be times where you throw it away, man. Like you can’t like your body and the abuse your body takes. And this is this was my critique on Drake May is I love Drake May, but I watched him at Carolina. Like he takes a lot of unnecessary hits like at some point them dudes in the NFL. No, he did much better last week. He did but he had been leading up to that. And I think the the biggest thing for me is I’ve loved the explosive plays, but at some point you got to be on the field. Like Jaden Daniels last night makes that a completely different game. Okay. Right. And that’s that’s why I’m saying it’s a lost season cuz I don’t know how long he’s going to be out. Well, remember too, you think about the NFC for a second. They are not making the playoffs. Yeah. Seattle, the Rams, the Niners, Green Bay, Detroit, Tampa, and Philly. Yeah, that’s seven teams. They’re three and five, right? They’re not making a postseason. And furthermore, get used to them on TV. Dallas, too. They’re on prime time all over the place. You’re gonna be seeing a lot of Washington and Seattle. Flex those games out of They got to flex those games out of Especially when they especially when Jayen Daniels ain’t in the line. They’re not watchable. They’re not watchable. It’s just that simple. They They are not making a postseason. The NFC is pretty basic of who you’re going to be in the postseason. They got the three teams in the west that are all five and two or six and two or five and three with remake. Detroit’s going to make it and the Eagles are going to make it and Tampa’s going to win the NFC South. There’s only seven teams that doesn’t leave these second place teams like uh you know for a Carolina which means it begs the question what do you do with Jayen D since you know that that that the prospects of you getting the postseason are slim to none. You preserve your future. you protect the franchise that I mean you might have to start thinking like that sooner than you mean you think like not no I’m I’m not talking about right now because they only eight games I’m saying you might have to think you might have to think about that at some point because as you point out he’s slight of frame you don’t have the personnel to protect him you know he is the face of the franchise the future of the franchise you want to protect him at all cost you might have to start thinking about that if you continue to nose dive that’s all I’m saying no I I hear everything that you’re talking about I I will acknowledge though that the Washington Commanders finished the season with four straight division games, including two against the Philadelphia Eagles, right? So, if Jaden Daniels is on the field, I I’m not going to dismiss the possibility that they can make a run in that stretch if they don’t disqualify themselves s first, right? But I think the conversation that I want to get into is a little bit bigger in terms of long-term and the scheme that Cliff Kingsbury has around Jaden Daniels operating almost exclusively out of the shotgun. It’s them. It’s them and the Cincinnati Bengals over the past year and a half in terms of the most offensive plays out of the shotgun. Yeah. What’s going on with the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback right now? He’s hurt three times. What’s going on with Jaden Daniels? He’s hurt. At some point, you’re going to have to get serious about protecting your quarterback and that means utilizing under center a little bit more. Interesting. Good point. So, so I had this discussion today on on Get Up the the Philadelphia Eagles and they moving more to under center this past week and what it did for their run game. This would be the same situation in Washington. It ch it makes it so much easier for offensive linemen. Our angles change. Defensive lineman’s lineup and alignment and setup totally changes when a quarterback is in gun or even in pistol for that matter. Like people are like pistol don’t help us either, right? Like basically defensive linemen are in tea off positions. They are low and hunkered and they are going to be shooting gaps getting upfield causing disruption. When you play under center, they got to be more brace for double teams because the plays hit quicker. The backs can see the plays faster. Coaches fall in love with schemes, right? But at the baseline of our game, it is violent and it’s physical. And if you allow offensive linemen to be physical with defensive linemen, it helps the quarterback. It helps them in the run game and it helps him in play action, the passing game because the levels of the field open up behind them. So CC, great point. We need to see it. Not more teams need to employ this because it is such a difference maker for young quarterbacks and takes the pressure off of them. Defenses see everything. They’re really smart and they can figure you out. [Music]

Jeff Saturday, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Chris Canty join Stephen A. Smith on First Take to react to the Kansas City Chiefs’ Monday Night Football win over the Washington Commanders.

0:00 Setting the scene
0:35 “Sneaky old man”
1:52 “Patrick Mahomes is otherworldly”
4:15 What did the Chiefs prove?
8:36 Mad Dog isn’t sold on the Indianapolis Colts
10:05 Lost season for Jayden Daniels & the Commanders?
13:18 What to do with Daniels?

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