Got freelance writing job for Football Nation, a site containing everything....football. Here is my first article, I chose to do a Game Recap of the Bills-Chiefs game. Let me know what you think!
NFL Week 1 Matchup: BUFFALO BILLS @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS- Game Recap
Kansas City fans expected their beloved Chiefs to run all over the Buffalo Bills, pound them into submission with their impressive RB tandem of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones. Who could blame them for being so confident? After all, the Chiefs are the defending AFC West Champions, playing in front of their home crowd at Arrowhead Stadium, against a team that has become a proverbial AFC East doormat. Buffalo is coming off a 4-12 record in 2010, earning them yet another year as defending AFC East cellar dwellers. The Bills have had only one winning season this Millennium! The 4 point line almost seemed like a misprint. Many people must have thought there was supposed to be a “1” in front of that 4. On paper, this game had blowout written all over it. Last year, the Buffalo Defense was dead last in the NFL against the run, giving up 170 yards per game (ypg). Kansas City led the NFL with 2,627 yards rushing, or 164 ypg, The Chiefs, who went 7-1 at home in 2010 and are routinely one of the best home teams in the NFL, would surely polish off the lowly Bills with ease. Kansas City might cover the 40 point over/under by themselves.
If this were BIZARRO WORLD, these predictions would have been right. The game was a blowout, and the winning team did cover the over/under without even needing the loser’s score. Unfortunately for Chief Nation, the victor was the much-maligned team from Buffalo, not the hometown Chiefs. Buffalo routed Kansas City to the tune of 41-7. It was the worst opening-day loss in Kansas City history, and their worst loss, period, since America was celebrating it’s Bicentennial.
Ryan Fitzpatrick did his best Al Bundy impersonation, throwing for 4 TDs in one game this afternoon, two of them to journeyman Tight End Scott Chandler. The first of these came only minutes into the game, after Buffalo recovered a fumble by Kansas City’s Dexter McCluster on the opening kickoff. Fitzpatrick hit Chandler five plays later on a 4 yard score. Rian Lindell’s kick gave Buffalo a 7-0 lead; a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
In the closing minutes of the first quarter, the Bills were once again on the move. The drive was culminated when Fitzpatrick hit a more familiar target, Stevie Johnson, for a 27 yard TD. The ensuing kick made it 14-0 Buffalo.
In the second quarter, Buffalo took advantage of a missed Ryan Succup FG and a Jamaal Charles fumble, getting a Lindell FG after each to pad their lead to 20-0. Kansas City’s offense finally showed signs of life in their last possession of the first half, putting together an 11 play, 81 yard drive that ended with Matt Cassel connecting with Jamaal Charles for a 6 yard touchdown. Succup’s kick put the Chiefs to within two touchdowns, 20-7. This is as close as the score got.
On the Bills’ second possession of the second half, Fitzpatrick led his team downfield on a sustained drive that covered 59 yards, eating almost six minutes off the clock. Buffalo’s lead was back up to 20 after Fitzpatrick connected with Chandler again on an 11 yard scoring pass.
Buffalo scored on their next possession, too. After Kansas City went three-and-out, the Bills got the ball right back. Just like the previous drive, this one also ended with a Bill’s touchdown, again through the air. This time Fitzpatrick hit Donald Jones on a 4 yarder. It was Fitzpatrick’s fourth TD pass of the game. Lindell made it 34-7.
On Kansas City’s ensuing possession, Matt Cassel was intercepted by Drayton Florence. His 30 yard return gave Fitzpatrick and his offense great field position. They didn’t disappoint. On the fourth play of the drive, CJ Spiller broke through into the end-zone on a 9 yard run. Besides giving the Bills a 41-7 lead, this touchdown was significant in that it was the first in the career of Spiller, who was the team’s first round pick a year ago.
Spiller’s run concluded the scoring for the day. Buffalo would run out the clock, content with their 34 point win. Things couldn’t have gone better for Buffalo, which hopes to continue their momentum next week in their home opener, against Oakland. Kansas City would love to pretend this game never happened, but unless Chiefs’ owner Clark Hunt owns a Delorean and can get Doc Brown to lend him his flux capacitor so his team can go back in time and replay this debacle, Buffalo’s victory stands. The Chiefs hope to rebound next week, when the Detroit Lions come to town.
Hopefully, the Chief’s offense will perform better than they did today. Matt Cassel hard maybe the worst game of his NFL career, passing for only 116 yards on 36 attempts (3.3 yards per attempt). He did throw the 1 TD pass, but his interception led to a Buffalo touchdown. Cassel didn’t have much help from his supporting cast, either. Thomas Jones was invisible, carrying the ball only twice, for just three yards. Dwayne Bowe, who was huge last year for the team, caught just two passes for only 17 yards. Free Agent signing Steve Breaston led the team in receiving on the day, with a whopping 26 yards on 2 catches. Jamaal Charles, the team’s star, did have a touchdown, but he also fumbled, which led to a Buffalo FG.
The Bills played like they were the defending division champs. Buffalo scored 20 points off Kansas City turnovers, including Succup’s missed FG attempt . Fitzpatrick finished with 208 yards passing, the 4 aforementioned TDs and 0 INT. Stevie Johnson started off the season right where he left off last year, catching four passes for 66 yards and 1 TD. His yardage total was tied for team high with David Nelson, who had the exact same stat line, minus the TD. Fred Jackson had a quiet big day, rushing for 112 yards.
BUF – Silent Assassin: TE Scott Chandler. Chandler put up monster numbers, with five catches for 63 yards and 2 TD. I can guarantee his name will be plucked off the waiver wire in many a fantasy leagues by tomorrow.
KC – Silent But Deadly: RB Dexter McCluster. While he did fumble the opening kickoff, McCluster impressed the rest of the game. He rushed for 42 yards on only four rushes and caught five passes for 25 yards. He also added 92 return yards to his stat line, giving him 167 Total Yards on the day.
NFL Week 1 Matchup: BUFFALO BILLS @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS- Game Recap
Kansas City fans expected their beloved Chiefs to run all over the Buffalo Bills, pound them into submission with their impressive RB tandem of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones. Who could blame them for being so confident? After all, the Chiefs are the defending AFC West Champions, playing in front of their home crowd at Arrowhead Stadium, against a team that has become a proverbial AFC East doormat. Buffalo is coming off a 4-12 record in 2010, earning them yet another year as defending AFC East cellar dwellers. The Bills have had only one winning season this Millennium! The 4 point line almost seemed like a misprint. Many people must have thought there was supposed to be a “1” in front of that 4. On paper, this game had blowout written all over it. Last year, the Buffalo Defense was dead last in the NFL against the run, giving up 170 yards per game (ypg). Kansas City led the NFL with 2,627 yards rushing, or 164 ypg, The Chiefs, who went 7-1 at home in 2010 and are routinely one of the best home teams in the NFL, would surely polish off the lowly Bills with ease. Kansas City might cover the 40 point over/under by themselves.
If this were BIZARRO WORLD, these predictions would have been right. The game was a blowout, and the winning team did cover the over/under without even needing the loser’s score. Unfortunately for Chief Nation, the victor was the much-maligned team from Buffalo, not the hometown Chiefs. Buffalo routed Kansas City to the tune of 41-7. It was the worst opening-day loss in Kansas City history, and their worst loss, period, since America was celebrating it’s Bicentennial.
Ryan Fitzpatrick did his best Al Bundy impersonation, throwing for 4 TDs in one game this afternoon, two of them to journeyman Tight End Scott Chandler. The first of these came only minutes into the game, after Buffalo recovered a fumble by Kansas City’s Dexter McCluster on the opening kickoff. Fitzpatrick hit Chandler five plays later on a 4 yard score. Rian Lindell’s kick gave Buffalo a 7-0 lead; a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
In the closing minutes of the first quarter, the Bills were once again on the move. The drive was culminated when Fitzpatrick hit a more familiar target, Stevie Johnson, for a 27 yard TD. The ensuing kick made it 14-0 Buffalo.
In the second quarter, Buffalo took advantage of a missed Ryan Succup FG and a Jamaal Charles fumble, getting a Lindell FG after each to pad their lead to 20-0. Kansas City’s offense finally showed signs of life in their last possession of the first half, putting together an 11 play, 81 yard drive that ended with Matt Cassel connecting with Jamaal Charles for a 6 yard touchdown. Succup’s kick put the Chiefs to within two touchdowns, 20-7. This is as close as the score got.
On the Bills’ second possession of the second half, Fitzpatrick led his team downfield on a sustained drive that covered 59 yards, eating almost six minutes off the clock. Buffalo’s lead was back up to 20 after Fitzpatrick connected with Chandler again on an 11 yard scoring pass.
Buffalo scored on their next possession, too. After Kansas City went three-and-out, the Bills got the ball right back. Just like the previous drive, this one also ended with a Bill’s touchdown, again through the air. This time Fitzpatrick hit Donald Jones on a 4 yarder. It was Fitzpatrick’s fourth TD pass of the game. Lindell made it 34-7.
On Kansas City’s ensuing possession, Matt Cassel was intercepted by Drayton Florence. His 30 yard return gave Fitzpatrick and his offense great field position. They didn’t disappoint. On the fourth play of the drive, CJ Spiller broke through into the end-zone on a 9 yard run. Besides giving the Bills a 41-7 lead, this touchdown was significant in that it was the first in the career of Spiller, who was the team’s first round pick a year ago.
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| David Nelson congratulates Scott Chandler after his 2nd TD |
Spiller’s run concluded the scoring for the day. Buffalo would run out the clock, content with their 34 point win. Things couldn’t have gone better for Buffalo, which hopes to continue their momentum next week in their home opener, against Oakland. Kansas City would love to pretend this game never happened, but unless Chiefs’ owner Clark Hunt owns a Delorean and can get Doc Brown to lend him his flux capacitor so his team can go back in time and replay this debacle, Buffalo’s victory stands. The Chiefs hope to rebound next week, when the Detroit Lions come to town.
Hopefully, the Chief’s offense will perform better than they did today. Matt Cassel hard maybe the worst game of his NFL career, passing for only 116 yards on 36 attempts (3.3 yards per attempt). He did throw the 1 TD pass, but his interception led to a Buffalo touchdown. Cassel didn’t have much help from his supporting cast, either. Thomas Jones was invisible, carrying the ball only twice, for just three yards. Dwayne Bowe, who was huge last year for the team, caught just two passes for only 17 yards. Free Agent signing Steve Breaston led the team in receiving on the day, with a whopping 26 yards on 2 catches. Jamaal Charles, the team’s star, did have a touchdown, but he also fumbled, which led to a Buffalo FG.
The Bills played like they were the defending division champs. Buffalo scored 20 points off Kansas City turnovers, including Succup’s missed FG attempt . Fitzpatrick finished with 208 yards passing, the 4 aforementioned TDs and 0 INT. Stevie Johnson started off the season right where he left off last year, catching four passes for 66 yards and 1 TD. His yardage total was tied for team high with David Nelson, who had the exact same stat line, minus the TD. Fred Jackson had a quiet big day, rushing for 112 yards.
BUF – Silent Assassin: TE Scott Chandler. Chandler put up monster numbers, with five catches for 63 yards and 2 TD. I can guarantee his name will be plucked off the waiver wire in many a fantasy leagues by tomorrow.
KC – Silent But Deadly: RB Dexter McCluster. While he did fumble the opening kickoff, McCluster impressed the rest of the game. He rushed for 42 yards on only four rushes and caught five passes for 25 yards. He also added 92 return yards to his stat line, giving him 167 Total Yards on the day.
FANTASY IMPACT
BUFFALO
QB Fitzpatrick 17-25 208 yards, 4 TD
RB F. Jackson 20-112 Rush, 1-5 Receiving
WR S. Johnson 4-66 1 TD
WR S. Chandler 6-63 2 TD
WR D. Nelson 4-66
K R. Lindell 5/5 XP, 2-2 FG (29,38)
RB F. Jackson 20-112 Rush, 1-5 Receiving
WR S. Johnson 4-66 1 TD
WR S. Chandler 6-63 2 TD
WR D. Nelson 4-66
K R. Lindell 5/5 XP, 2-2 FG (29,38)
KANSAS CITY
QB M. Cassel 22-36 116 yards, 1 TD 1 INT
RB J. Charles 10-56 Rush, 5-9 1 TD Rec, 1 FL
RB J. Charles 10-56 Rush, 5-9 1 TD Rec, 1 FL
RB D. McCluster 4-42 Rush, 5-25 Rec, 92 Ret, 1 FL
RB T. Jones 2-3 Rush
WR D. Bowe 2-17
WR S. Breaston 2-26
RB T. Jones 2-3 Rush
WR D. Bowe 2-17
WR S. Breaston 2-26
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