Five things to be thankful for in Kansas City

By Clayton Wendler  |   Friday, November 24, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Kansas City Chiefs
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1. Running back Larry Johnson:

With a fantastic effort against the Broncos Thursday night, Johnson proved once again that he is arguably the top running back in the league. Denver's stiff defense came into the game allowing just 90.1 rushing yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry. Johnson's 157-yard game was the highest total of any running back against the Broncos this year. The second-best total? Johnson again, with 126 yards against Denver in Week 2. There's just something about LJ and those Broncos. They seem to bring out the best in him. Johnson ran through, over and around the Broncos Thanksgiving night. Denver linebacker Ian Gold is still searching for the jockstrap he lost after Johnson faked him out in a hole at the line of scrimmage before gaining 15 yards.

2. KC's offensive line:

The Chiefs' front five has been anything but consistent this year. In the early going, the unit didn't play well week-to-week, nor were even the same five players fielded in every game. But with a monstrous effort against Denver last night, the line appears to be hitting its stride. The Chiefs racked up over 200 yards rushing for the second consecutive game. The line also provided the best pass protection of the season for quarterback Trent Green. The return of Pro Bowl left guard Brian Waters paid dividends against the Broncos, but right tackle Kyle Turley, a shaky player earlier this year, had perhaps his best game of the season against Denver's leading sacker, defensive end Kenard Lang. Left tackle Jordan Black is shocking most everyone with improving play as the season has continued. Over the last month, the Chiefs' offensive line has evolved into a strength.

3. The defensive secondary:

Remember the days of Dick Vermeil? The Chiefs seemingly couldn't stop any quarterback. Like the offensive line, the defensive backs have evolved into one of the team's biggest assets as the season has progressed. The Broncos tried to get wide receiver Javon Walker open deep on several bootleg plays in the first half, but Ty Law, Patrick Surtain and KC's safeties did a wonderful job of making quarterback Jake Plummer throw the ball short. No Denver wideout finished with more than 55 yards receiving, and none found the end zone.

4. The defensive line:

Denver's running game was once kryptonite to Kansas City's defense. But the Chiefs held the Broncos to an astonishingly low total of 38 yards rushing Sunday night. The dreaded stretch running play was contained, and even without star linebacker Derrick Johnson for much of the game, the Chiefs tackled incredibly well. That's because KC's defensive line played perhaps its best game of the season. Defensive tackles Jimmy Wilkerson, Ron Edwards and James Reed penetrated and made plays all night. The biggest kudos goes to the Chiefs' defensive ends, however. Jared Allen and Tamba Hali were so good that Denver's offensive tackles found themselves holding on many occasions. Even so, Plummer was under intense pressure all evening. Hali notched a fantastic game with two sacks, six tackles and a forced fumble.

5. Kicker Lawrence Tynes:

Tynes shocked some people last week when he shanked a 35-yard field goal. It was his first miss under 40 yards (not counting blocked kicks) in over a year. Chiefs fans have had a shaky relationship with their kickers since Nick Lowery left the franchise, and Tynes' missed chip shot probably didn't instill much confidence. Fortunately, he rebounded and was KC's leading scorer against the Broncos, hitting four field goals. Sure, they were all short kicks, but another miss like last week and Denver would have been within striking distance at the end of the game.
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