If a team cannot convert on third down, they are never going to win in the NFL. That maxim has always held true and the Kansas City Chiefs served as living proof on Sunday in the 37-10 loss to the New York Jets. It was a miserable game for the Chiefs all around, but they were 0 for 9 at one point in the game and finished 2 for 12. Those numbers will lead to a loss -- and a lopsided one at that -- almost every time.
A lot of the Chiefs' inability to convert was Tyler Palko's inability to do much under center. That's what Greg Cox writes about in his recap over at Walter Football.
Cox writes, "I watched an NFL Network show last night detailing a, what else, top-10 list. This one was for southpaw quarterbacks. Suffice it to say Tyler Palko does not have a future spot. Let's just highlight his play on third down, when the offense needed him most. The first nine times on the money down, he threw complete short of the chains four times, was sacked three times, one intercepted and one incompletion, all for obviously no conversions. Palko finally converted with a pass to Dwayne Bowe on the final play of the third quarter with his team behind 35-3"
Certainly that's the reason why fans were chanting for Ricky Stanzi near game's end and why Todd Haley is on the coaching hot seat this morning given his unwillingness to make a move at quarterback.