Alex Smith will never be considered one of the NFL’s most flamboyant quarterbacks. He is more of a facilitator than a classic all-American hero; an efficient dot-to-dot joiner rather than a great artist. But on a glorious afternoon at Wembley he created a minor masterpiece as the Kansas City Chiefs routed the Detroit Lions 45-10.
Smith ran for a career-high 78 yards – including a 12-yard touchdown – and also completed 18 of 26 passing attempts for 145 yards and two touchdowns as the Chiefs ran riot in the NFL’s third and final visit to London this season.
Their 35-point margin of victory was the second-largest since the NFL started playing regular season London games in 2008. Only the New England Patriots’ 45-7 defeat of the St Louis Rams three years ago was wider.
It has been a stuttering season for the Chiefs but this win puts them back to 3-5. That is still some way off respectability and even further from the play-offs but only one of their remaining eight opponents has a winning record, so it is not inconceivable that they will be in the play-off mix come December.
As Smith admitted afterwards: “We needed that. We have played halves like that this season but we haven’t played a whole four quarters. Our offensive and defensive lines dominated the game and set the tone from the start.”
And then there was Smith’s running performance, which he clearly enjoyed. “I was able to get clear looks and a lot of backs turned to me,” he admitted. “It was a lot of fun but you are not going to make a living as a NFL quarterback by running.”
Before their trip to London Detroit had shaken up their coaching set-up, firing the offensive coordinator, Joe Lombardi, and two offensive assistants. But if Jim Bob Cooter, the new man in charge of play-calling, had any impact it was impossible to discern it from the stands. The offensive line remained porous. Their quarterback, Matt Stafford, again found himself constantly hassled. And the Lions still could not get their star wide receiver Calvin Johnson into the game.
Only the Lions’ opening drive offered any sort of bright spot, as they drove swiftly down the field before Matt Prater struck a 35-yard field goal to put them 3-0 up. But then it quickly got messy.
The Chiefs responded immediately, with Knile Davis running a kick-off return for 50 yards, before De’Anthony Thomas ran for a 10-yard touchdown. At the start of the second period Smith took off down the field for a 49-yard run before another 12-yard run on 3rd-and-10 put the Chiefs 14-3 up.
The match quickly became a tale of two quarterbacks as Stafford threw two quick interceptions: the first led to a field goal, the next to Charcandrick West running in a touchdown. It meant the Chiefs were 24-3 up at half-time.
Last year at Wembley the Lions had come back from a 21-0 deficit at half-time against the Atlanta Falcons. But such was the state of their morale a repeat never looked on the cards.
Stafford was sacked six times and picked off twice and he has now thrown 11 interceptions this season – the most in the NFL. But he insisted that everyone on Detroit’s offence needed to improve. “We can find ways to get better and we will,” he said. “Not every one of those sacks is one the guys up front. I can do a better job of getting the ball out quicker. Our guys in the backfield can protect better. Our receivers can run better routes. Sacks are all a team thing on offense.”
The second half started with the Lions being hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and things soongot worse as Travis Kelce barged over from one yard. At 31-3 the game was effectively over and another touchdown from Jeremy Maclin put the knife closer to the Lions’ neck.
In garbage time Stafford found Lance Moore for a scrambling 21-yard touchdown. But again the Chiefs were not finished and Spencer Ware bundled through from four yards to finish off the scoring. The Lions’ resistance, however, had long beaten a retreat.
The Lions’ coach, Jim Caldwell, was asked whether he feared for his job. “This is a day-to-day business,” he said. “I have always known that since 1979 when I entered the NFL. That’s just the way it is.”
Losing does not get any easier, though. “Every single loss, no matter where it is or who you’re playing, it’s still tough,” he said with a sigh. But with the Lions 1-7 and in free-fall he will have more opportunities to get used to it – assuming he keeps his job, that is.
