A weekly analysis of the Chiefs' quarterback play.
Rewind: Alex Smith was tremendously efficient though not spectacular in his Chiefs' debut. He made almost exclusively short throws and got the ball out of his hand quickly. He completed 21 passes but for just 173 yards. He threw a pair of touchdown passes as the Chiefs scored a TD on each of their three trips inside the Jacksonville 20. His completion percentage of 61.8 was good but not great. He threw no interceptions, an important statistic given that the Chiefs played most of the game with a comfortable lead.
Fast-forward: Things should get more difficult for Smith on Sunday against the Cowboys. In Jacksonville, he was able to take advantage of several favorable matchups as the Jaguars frequently appeared confused on defense. In DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys have a premier pass-rusher capable of getting Smith out of his comfort zone. Dallas also has far more experience in the secondary than Jacksonville, which started two rookie defensive backs.
He was himself: In Jacksonville, Smith was every bit the quarterback the Chiefs thought he would be when they traded for him. He completed a high percentage of passes and committed no turnovers. Those were notable characteristics from his game the past two seasons with the 49ers. He also was able to get out of trouble on occasion with his running. Smith’s 9-yard run on a third down was a key play on one of Kansas City’s touchdown drives.
Prediction: Smith’s stats against Dallas might look a lot like those from the Jacksonville game. Put him down for 24-for-40 for 195 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.