I had a chance to tall to Joel Thorman over at Arrowhead Pride, SB Nation's Chiefs blog, about the upcoming game. I wanted to get a Kansas City take on the game and share it with you.
Blogging The Boys: No secret, you guys are off to a poor start. What were the fans expectations of the team coming into the season. Did you see 0-4 as a reality?
Arrowhead Pride: Fans get emotionally involved in the game and forget that our first four games included two teams that were in the conference championship and one that was in the divisional playoffs. It's a really rough start. But combine the loss to the Raiders to the way we've lost some of these games and that's where you get the frustration. It's really starting to boil a little bit because the Chiefs were basically blown out the last two games. The biggest problem is that so much of this seems like a continuation of last year.
More below...
BTB: What are the problems or mistakes that are holding this team back? If you could point to an area and say, "if we could just fix that we might get some victories," what would it be?
AP: Offensive line. I'll admit it - this team has a lot of holes but the offensive line is holding back the running game and in turn the passing game. The Chiefs running backs have been pretty weak since the destruction of the line (after '06). Matt Cassel has also had little time to throw which skews his development as the quarterback, which hurts the receivers....and all of those offensive troubles keep the defense on the field more often. Two, possible three, spots on the offensive line are in need of a replacement/upgrade. Add in the fact that Brian Waters is no spring chicken, and there are some serious problems there.
BTB: If the line had a good day on Sunday, what are the weapons in play that the Cowboys would have to watch for? Is Larry Johnson still a serious threat? Does the passing game have any bite in it?
AP: It's been so long since Larry Johnson was a consistent threat that I don't think he's even a factor anymore. His YPC and number of zero to negative runs are making him a non-factor in game plans. Dwayne Bowe's the one you're going to focus on in the passing game. He's in his third year and, despite a case of the dropsies, has put up 995 yards and 1,022 yards in his first two years which is really good for a young receiver. Jamaal Charles in the flats warrants consideration as someone to keep an eye out for because of his speed. If he gets in the open field he can be dangerous but that's a big if.
BTB: For a long time, I used to think defense when I thought about Kansas City. What's the story on the defense this year?
AP: The defense has really struggled for a while now. The Vermeil years really highlighted that and continued with the Herm Edwards era. The Chiefs are installing a new defense (3-4) so we give them a little leeway. However, there is improvement, especially compared to last year. It's not perfect by any means, and even some key parts are missing, but we see improvement in some areas. It's my thought that in the long run, the change in scheme will greatly help this defense.
BTB: Winless teams are always desperate. Can the Chiefs get the victory?
AP: As I wrote yesterday, I think it all comes down to Tony Romo. The Chiefs need the Cowboys to make mistakes and I think if that happens it'll come from Romo. Problem for the Chiefs is that they've had things go their way before and still lost the game. I think it'll be close either way but ultimately the Cowboys should pull away and win by one score.