Seemingly the forgotten team in the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs brought themselves to within one game of the division lead on Sunday, as the visiting New York Jets slumped to their eighth consecutive loss.
The frustrating thing for the Jets is that even when they did everything right, it seemed to go horribly wrong, including one of the weirdest touchdowns you'll see all year, with Anthony Fasano having the ball literally land in his lap after being batted into the air.
With their seasons heading in opposite directions, there were still some notable showings from both teams so with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the key performances.
New York Jets – Performances of Note
Percy Harvin, WR: +1.4
Breakdown: The game may not have gone the Jets way, but they got the performances they surely expected out of Percy Harvin when they traded for him earlier this season. His 11 receptions for 129 yards were season highs for the former Seahawk, who added eight yards on the ground as the Jets looked to find ways to get him in space.
Signature Play: Q4, 3.59 remaining. We know how dangerous he is in space, but on this play Harvin simply beat cornerback Sean Smith downfield, showing that he's more than just a gadget play specialist.
Quinton Coples, LB: -3.1
Breakdown: Not a good day for the former first round pick. Nothing to show from 22 pass rushing attempts, and pushed around somewhat against the run. He hasn't impressed much at all this season, but this was his worst performance to date.
Signature Stat: A Pass Rushing Productivity Rating on 0.0 tells the story, with Coples completely shut out in that regard.
Michael Vick, QB: +0.7
Breakdown: When you break it out Vick's performance was fairly easy to digest in this one. Efficient when he was afforded time by the offensive line, but he struggled when pressure got there. From the six plays where he was under pressure he completed just one pass, and was sacked three times.
Signature Play: Q2, 9.50 remaining. His play may not be as electric as it once was, but this play was a throwback to Vick at his mobile best. Getting outside the pocket, he froze cornerback Phillip Gaines with the pump fake before cutting past him on his way for the first down.
Kansas City Chiefs – Performances of Note
Alex Smith, QB: +1.3
Breakdown: He saw his grade take a hit with the poor pitch which resulted in a fumble early in the game, but this was a very efficient performance from Smith, where he did what was asked of him. The touchdown to Fasano was lucky, but he calmly led the Chiefs on several long scoring drives to leave the Jets always chasing the game.
Signature Stat: Completed both pass attempts 20 or more yards downfield for 46 yards with a touchdown.
Rodney Hudson, C: -2.8
Breakdown: He's not the first, and won't be the last center to have this happen, but he struggled match up against Damon Harrison. Beaten for a pressure and allowing two tackles which resulted in defensive stops to the Jets nose tackle, it was his lowest graded performance since Week 1.
Signature Play: Q4, 12.55 remaining. One of those stops came here, with Harrison beating Hudson to the left to record the tackle for a gain of just two yards.
Justin Houston: +2.3
Breakdown: Quiet, by his standards, Houston still found a way to make his mark in the game. Registering just three total pressures from 36 pass rushing attempts, he made them count with two sacks, adding in some solid work against the run.
Signature Play: Q2, 0.24 remaining. Recording his second sack of the first half, Houston beat right tackle Breno Giacomini to the outside with relative ease to bring down Vick.
Game Ball
In a game where nobody really took the game over, Alex Smith did enough to make the plays needed for the Chiefs to pick up the win.
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