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| | | | | | | |  Tuesday, November 14, 2000
Seahawks, Chiefs fight for up-for-grabs AFC West
By Eric Dickerson
MondayNightFootball.com
Forget the two-game winning streaks Kansas City and Seattle put together. Trust me, the players have. This is a very evenly matched game -- as almost all AFC West games are. Both teams really want to pound on a division opponent and get over .500.
|  | | Jon Kitna is not one of the league's elite quarterbacks, but in Seattle's offense he's not asked to be. |
Kansas City feels like it can win this one at home handily, and of course, so does Seattle. The Chiefs believe they have a better defense. The Seahawks believe their offense is so good it can beat that defense. This thinking really shouldn't come as a surprise, since there are no real standouts in the AFC West right now.
In the NFC West, the Rams are just rolling. In the AFC East, the Jets are 4-0 and the 3-1 Colts are right there with them. But in the AFC West, there isn't one or two teams beating up everybody. So, prior to Week 5, you have Oakland (3-1) leading the division with three teams tied for second at 2-2 (Chiefs, Seahawks and Broncos). That's what makes this division so fun -- anyone can win it.
So, here are some things you should look for on Monday night:
1. When the Seahawks have the ball:
Expect Jon Kitna to continue to play it safe with dump-off passes, and running back Ricky Watters to get plenty of carries. They are the keys to a Seattle offense that must avoid mistakes and punch the ball into the end zone.
Kitna's not the type of guy that can win the football game on a 80-yard drive with less than two minutes to play. He's more like Shaun King down in Tampa -- if he keeps it close, the defense has a chance to win it. But if Kitna throws four interceptions, it's over.
Watters has also never been a dominant player -- that breakaway back that everyone fears -- but he'll give the Seahawks close to 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns this year. Some people say Watters looked like I did when I played. I don't think so. He reminds me of former Tampa Bay running back James Wilder in his prime. He has never led the league in rushing, and when you can accomplish that, you deserve to be considered in that elite category of runners. His best season was in 1996 in Philadelphia, when he rushed for over 1,400 yards. He also won a Super Bowl two seasons earlier in San Francisco, by far the best team he's ever played for. But we are talking about the difference between a legit starting tailback -- which he is -- and a star.
Ricky's never made that big statement, the back-to-back 1,500-yard seasons. That's why people around the country who don't really follow the AFC West don't know Watters. Now, if you ask people who Barry Sanders is, a lot of them will say he plays for the Lions even though he's been out of football for two years. It's that big-name thing. Everyone in the country knew Detroit was going to run Sanders 30 times a game, but defenses still couldn't stop him. You can't say that about Watters despite his numbers.
2. When the Chiefs have the ball:
Elvis Grbac could pull off another 300-yard passing game against the Seahawks -- he can throw just about every pass in the book. But without a running game soon, watch out, the interceptions will come.
So far, Kansas City has one of the league's worst rushing offenses. Tony Richardson leads the Chiefs in rushing with 161 yards on 47 carries. And Mike Cloud and rookie Frank Moreau aren't an upgrade at this position. If one of these guys has a 100-yard day against Seattle, it could make an already decent passing attack even better. But right now, their running game is just horrible, and sooner or later Grbac is going to take a beating.
Grbac can throw deep to Derrick Alexander and promising rookie Sylvester Morris, and then go underneath to tight end Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez had a monster day against Denver in Mile High last week with 10 catches, which can be partially credited to the attention drawn to the big-play potential of Morris. Grbac is confident right now, but when will that running game kick in?
3. Matchup to watch:
Morris vs. Shawn Springs and Willie Williams
They will probably rotate these two guys on Morris -- a 6-foot-3 wide receiver who torched the Chargers for three touchdowns two weeks ago. I'd watch out for Morris -- Springs may be a great one, but this rookie receiver may shock us on Monday night.
4. Key players of the game:
Watters: He needs 36 yards to pass Earl Campbell for 13th place on the NFL's all-time rushing list, and he should get that and more against the Chiefs. Kansas City's defensive front isn't bad, but it doesn't always come to play. Expect 25 carries or so for Ricky.
Dennis Pat and James Hasty: I like these two 6-foot corners. They could shut down Kitna's receivers, in effect making Watters' night tougher because it would allow everyone else on that defense to shut down the run.
5. Question of the night:
Can Grbac keep airing it out?
Not really. Grbac is a good quarterback, but again, not a great one like Peyton Manning. He's not one of those guys who can drop back and throw the ball 50 times every week. Now, Grbac's been a great passer during their two-game winning streak, but don't expect it to last all season. He doesn't have the field vision a great quarterback like Manning has.
Eric Dickerson, a Hall of Fame running back, is a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football.
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