Teicher: Thigpen again plays well enough to win in a Chiefs loss
 

Thigpen again plays well enough to win in a Chiefs loss
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

Tyler Thigpen again played like a veteran quarterback for the Chiefs on Sunday. Afterward, he also sounded like one.

“We didn’t win, so it didn’t matter if I threw three picks,” Thigpen said after the Chiefs wasted a three-touchdown lead and lost 30-27 in overtime to Tampa Bay at Arrowhead Stadium.

“We had a chance to win and we didn’t capitalize.”

Except Thigpen didn’t throw three interceptions. He threw none, but he did pass for one touchdown and caught another.

His play was certainly enough to encourage the Chiefs, who were eager to see how Thigpen would follow last week’s strong game against the Jets.

“He’s on his way,” said tight end Tony Gonzalez, who caught seven of Thigpen’s passes. “I’m not going to jinx him and say he’s arrived, but he’s certainly proven he can play quarterback effectively at this level. He’s surprised me, surprised everybody. He keeps playing like that, man, who knows?”

Thigpen helped the Chiefs to their initial first-quarter touchdown of the season, a 7-yard pass to Dwayne Bowe. He later caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Mark Bradley.

Thigpen was lined up as a wide receiver on the play the Chiefs installed just last week. Thigpen dropped the pass when the Chiefs tried it in practice.

“He didn’t drop it when it counts,” Bradley said.

Jamaal Charles was the quarterback on the play. He gave it to Bradley on an end-around.

Bradley, whose father, Danny, was once an option quarterback in college for Oklahoma, laid it out perfectly.

“It’s in the genes,” Bradley said.

Thigpen guided the Chiefs to 24 points in the first half, but they cooled off afterward. That’s similar to last week’s game, when they also managed only a field goal offensively in the second half.

“Maybe we just need to stay out there on the field and not even come in the locker room,” he said.

The Chiefs made liberal use of the spread offense again in an attempt to make Thigpen comfortable. He played in the spread as a senior in college at Coastal Carolina.

“I feel like we had a great game plan this week for me to feel comfortable in, and we went out and executed,” Thigpen said. “We had a chance to win, and that’s the biggest thing, giving yourself the chance.”

They didn’t, but they could hardly blame their quarterback for that.

The offense did give the chance. 27 points should be more than enough to win most games.

The _efense and special teams failed us. Yes, I know that they only scored 3 points in the 2nd half, but the point being is that 27 points should win most games.

well if thigpen can do well vs the jets and tampa he should have be fine vs the chargers one could imagine

You would think so, the question is does he have to score 50 to win?

This was heartbreak for me here in tampa. I need therapy after this one.

We need a pass rushing DE badly.

It's a frick'n team sport. The OFFENSE handed the ball back to the Bucs with a 5 yard field.

If you think the Defense and ST lost the game you don't understand team sports.

14 of 25 164 yards
1 td only 1 mother****ing sack 89.4 QB rating
considering past '08 KC QB play -it's damn good -and against a top 5 D

Yes, I'm aware of the fumble by Charles, and that TB scored on that drive. I'm also fully aware that the offense only scored 3 points in the 2nd half.

But I'm also aware that 27 points should be more than enough to win the football game, and FWIW, that Tampa KO TD really changed the momentum of the game.

Special Teams was just awful all around. Tampa consistently kept having good field position all damn day long. While the rush D did decent today, I wasn't aware that giving up 300+ yards in the air is acceptable, and no pass-rush to boot.

It's clear cut to me that the O had this game won, and the D, along with special teams, gave the game away. I was not aware that Greg Robinson was back as a defensive coordinator.

Where do you want to start?:D

For some reason for the past two weeks the teams KC has been going against have been playing flat or making stupid mistakes that keeps KC in it.

Who does Thigpen remind you of in his style of play? Is he a poor version at this point of Favre/Romo?

actually, he plays alot like Garcia to tell the truth when and if he's on.

Neither... I'd say he is more like a taller Doug Flutie. :D

I'm ok with that,at least he can scramble and take a hit:clap: I live out here in Donkey Dung and I didn't get the NFL ticket this year so I haven't seen hardly anything of the Chiefs except their only win which was sweet. But I do like watching young players develop even though it is rebuilding mode.