Chiefs Report Card: Conservative game plan almost works out

Kansas City's defense shut down Baltimore's high-powered offense, but four turnovers killed the Chiefs' chances. (AP)

The Chiefs tried to win by playing as conservatively as possible on Sunday against Baltimore. That included running plays on third-and-long and taking as much pressure off Matt Cassel as possible. That didn't sit well with fans but it nearly worked, as the Chiefs were a couple bad breaks away from winning.

Some of those bad breaks were self-induced as Kansas City was haunted by turnovers for yet another week. After giving it away four times against the Ravens, the Chiefs are minus-15 for the year.

Offense: D+

The offensive line and Jamaal Charles both get stars on their helmets for this game. Charles ran for 140 yards and Kansas City racked up 214 yards on the ground, and that's with Baltimore knowing exactly what was coming. The game plan was not exactly a crowd pleaser, but it's hard to argue against Romeo Crennel's logic. Had a questionable pass interference call against Dexter McCluster gone uncalled and Brady Quinn's fourth quarter TD pass to Dwayne Bowe held up, this would be a better grade. However, it's tough to look past four turnovers.

Previous game's grade: F

Defense: A-

This was by far the most complete performance by Kansas City's defense. OLBs Tamba Hali and Justin Houston spent most the day in the Ravens' backfield and sacked Joe Flacco four times. The secondary limited Baltimore's big plays and Brandon Flowers got an interception for a second straight week. The defense did more than enough to win. The only lowlight and the reason this isn't an A+ was allowing the Ravens to get enough first downs on their final drive to run the clock out.

Previous game's grade: C-

Special teams: A

Terrance Cooper forced a fumble on the kickoff to open the third quarter, which nearly gave the Chiefs their first lead with time on the clock -- Cassel's fumble ruined that. Ryan Succop made both of his field goal attempts and Dustin Colquitt had an average net punt of 45.2 yards.

Previous game's grade: C

Coaching: C

The Chiefs had a gameplan whether you liked it or not and they were able to stick to it by not getting in a big hole early. Crennel may have been conservative to a fault. With 4:34 left in the game and trailing by six, he elected to kick a field goal on fourth-and-9 from the 13-yard line. It was not a no-brainer to kick or go for it, but it turned out to be the wrong decision since the Chiefs didn't get the ball back. Get used to Chiefs' approach, because Crennel made it sound like this is how he wants to play going forward because this style gives his team the best chance to win. Is it worth putting the mileage on Charles? That's up for debate.

Previous game's grade: F

Follow Chiefs reporter C.J. Moore on Twitter @CBSChiefs and @cjmoore4.