It’s not common for a team that just lost by 31 to find many good things to talk about, but the Kansas City Chiefs had a new starter under center in Tyler Palko against the New England Patriots and there were enough signs of life beyond the final score to give reason for hope.
After failed stints in the NFL, UFL, CFL and now back in the NFL, Palko took a circuitous route to get to where he currently stands and his MNF boxscore might make some fans think that the team is a week away from Ricky Stanzi’s first career start. But several elements simply did not fall Palko’s way and he delivered a very strong first half performance especially that had teammates and his head coach talking after the game.
“You know, the interception late, I wasn’t crazy about that decision,” Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said after the game. “But I thought overall Tyler did a terrific, terrific job with handling the offense, the tempo. We obviously, we were trying to altar the tempo and create some energy for our side and at times we were able to do a good job, but other times we weren’t.
“But I thought, overall, Tyler did a lot of really good things. You know, interceptions are things that can happen, and sacks at inopportune times can happen. But I think it is something to build on and he will get better."
Thomas Jones agreed, adding, "“I thought he handled himself great. He was poised. He ran the offense well. The guys responded to him. I thought he did a pretty great job especially this being his first start. There is a lot of pressure put on a guy like that. He handled it well and I’m very proud of him.”
That’s a good sign that Palko will be back at quarterback next week for the Chiefs when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s a heavy first two weeks in the NFL for Palko, but it sounds as if his team believes in him.