Alex Smith led the Kansas City Chiefs (3-5) on a 38-point scoring streak to bury the Detroit Lions (1-7) in London en route to a 45-10 win. Here is what you need to know:
- Alex Smith did his best Steve Young impersonation for the London crowd. The Chiefs' quarterback burned Detroit with his feet early Sunday. Smith's 49-yard first half run set up his 12-yard TD run to put the Chiefs up 14-3. The game felt over at that point. Smith compiled 78 rushing yards and 145 passing yards and two TD passes. It was the ideal game for dink-and-dunk Smith who was nearly flawless. The Chiefs finally punched the ball into the end zone after weeks of settling for field goals.
- The move to Jim Bob Cooter as offensive coordinator made zero difference for Detroit. The Lions' offensive line is a group of human turnstiles and Cooter didn't drop the "throwing short on third-and-long" calls from the playbook. Unless Jim Bob can block, little will change for the Detroit offense.
- The Chiefs are 3-5, but their defense is playoff-caliber. Getting big corner Sean Smith back opposite rookie Marcus Peters solidified the secondary. Tamba Hali rounding back into form opposite Justin Houston makes the K.C. front devastating. Hali clown-suited Riley Reiff multiple times. Kansas City earned six sacks of a turtling Matthew Stafford.
- Jim Bob couldn't fix Stafford in one week. The Lions' QB continues to struggle making quick decisions. Every defense knows they can blitz any play to discombobulate the Lions' offense. The line is atrocious, but Stafford doesn't help them either -- often staring down the pass rush. You don't have to believe me:
"Blitzing Matthew Stafford is like taking Halloween candy from a baby" -- FOX analyst Jimmy Johnson said at halftime.
- Sunday was the perfect confluence for the horizontal-offense loving Andy Reid. The Chiefs repeatedly exposed the Lions' lack of speed at linebacker, getting De'Anthony Thomas and Charcandrick West on the edge often. Lions LBs had no chance covering Travis Kelce.
- West is no Jamaal Charles, but he's got some second-level shift to him. After losing Charles, it appeared the Chiefs' season was over. But over the last two weeks, Reid's squad has impressed with two effective (albeit boring) offensive performances. All of the sudden the Chiefs are on the outskirts of a playoff bid.
- Before leaving the game with an ankle injury (he did not return), Calvin Johnson became the fastest player in NFL history to 11,000 receiving yards Sunday, the Lions announced. Megatron can still be a game-changing talent, but he's not the consistent mismatch he was in years past. With an extraordinarily high salary, are his days in Detroit numbered?
- Speaking of days in Detroit being numbered, Jim Caldwell's seat on the plane ride back from London will be scorching hot. Clearly his firings didn't work. We'll see if owner Martha Firestone Ford is less patient that her late husband was in making coaching and front office changes.