What if I told you that your quarterback on your favorite team was going to throw for 16 touchdowns and ZERO interceptions through week 8. All while leading your squad to a 6-2 record and 1st in your division. Would you be cool with that? Unless you wanted your team to tank, you would take those numbers without thinking. So why does it feel like Chiefs fans aren’t happy with where the Chiefs sit right now eight weeks in? After the Chiefs 29-19 win over the Broncos last Monday, some fans weren’t satisfied with the way they won.  I had a debate this week with some Chiefs fans on Facebook after the Denver game. I saw this post and it immediately caught my attention:

    For the life of me I can’t understand why someone watching that Broncos game could criticize Alex Smith like this. The defense was the weak link and has been all season not Alex Smith. He’s been the reason why the Chiefs have established themselves as a Super Bowl contender in the AFC. I know last year he played like a bum (15 touchdowns all of 2016, already up to 16 through 8 games) and he’s been average most of his career. He’s been labeled a “game manager” and “captain check down” for his conservative play. This year is a different story. He’s playing on a MVP level and doing things he’s never done. His passer rating of 115.4 is tops in the league. His 69 percent completion percentage is better than Tom Brady’s (67%).  He’s second in passing yards ( 2,181) and his yards per attempt is the best in the league (8.4). Most importantly Smith has been able to shed the one indictment on his game: the big play. His deep ball has improved by leaps and bounds. Amazing what having a weapon like Tyreke Hill can do for a QB. Here’s his stats on throws 20 yards or more:

   Smith has helped the Chiefs offense rank third in the NFL in yards and points per game, and first in yards per play. Only the Patriots and Rams have created more 20 yard gains. Tyreke Hill has a 20 yard gain in five different games while Travis Kelce has had six. It’s obvious watching the games that Smith is throwing more downfield and the numbers back that up. According to Pro Football Focus, 12 percent of his throws have been intended for recievers 20 yards downfield compared to 9.4 in 2016. If you can’t tell by now, I love stats. I got one more for y’all and then I’m done I swear. This is my favorite one. In 2016 Smith completed 15 of 46 deep passes for 526 yards. He also had two touchdowns and two interceptions on those throws. This year he’s hit 18 of 31 deep passes for 726 yards and seven touchdowns. Check out what I’m talking about right here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgMOIzg-WNc&feature=share
   

To say that you don’t know what Alex Smith you’re going to get each possession is so near sighted. That’s like saying you don’t know what Skittle you’re going to pull out of a Skittles bag. This is the life of being a quarterback in the NFL. This ain’t the CFL. You’re not going to march up the field every possession. Especially against a defense as tough as the Broncos. They have been known to be one of the stingiest units in the league. They lead the NFL in defensive yards allowed per game with a measly 261 yards combined (rushing and passing). While Smith definitely had his worst game of the year agaisnt the Broncos, he still didn’t throw an interception and kept his team in the lead the whole game. The offense didn’t look pretty but the Broncos make every team’s offense look ugly.  

  So before we say the offense is broken and Smith can’t lead us to a Super Bowl, let’s look at the totality of Smith’s season and the offense as a whole. This is the best offense and the best version of Alex Smith we’ve seen since he arrived in 2013. If Alex keeps playing like this, there’s no doubt in my mind he can lead us to a Super Bowl. That’s right, I said it. 

  So I want y’all to give me feedback on this one. Do you trust Alex Smith? Do you think he can lead us to a Super Bowl? Leave your comments below I appreciate y’all. Happy Sunday!