| Advertisement |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jamaal Charles did not play Sunday against the San Diego Chargers in the Kansas City Chiefs season opener. Instead, the Kansas City offense had another engine driving it to a 33-27 overtime victory. Spencer Ware was the heart, power and soul of the Chiefs offense. He injected the offense with 199 total yards and a game-tying touchdown. And Ware also provided constant support and encouragement for his teammates.
Advertisement
Not bad for a guy who a year ago at this time, couldn't make the 53-man roster.
"The guy is such a spark for us," said quarterback Alex Smith. "The energy that he brings to his play, the way he runs. The guy does it all, and then on the sidelines as well. He's always positive, always trying to see what he can do. I think today he really lit a fire under us and got us going."
Starting at running back spot with Charles inactive for the game as he continues to rehab from the torn ACL he suffered last October, Ware had 70 yards on 11 carries for a 6.4-yard average. He was also the Chiefs leading receiver with seven catches for 129 yards, including a 45-yard catch and run that helped ignite the Kansas City comeback and was the longest play of the game.
"In the first half, we stopped ourselves, we didn't execute and we didn't have enough energy," Ware said of his team's first-half efforts that produced only 105 yards and a field goal. "At halftime we came in and made some adjustments and we went back out and had a great team and organizational comeback with a mentality of four quarters. It's never over. Until it shows triple zeros. You just have to keep fighting. That's what we do."
That's certainly what Ware has done in his time with the Chiefs. He entered the NFL out of LSU as a sixth-round choice of Seattle in the 2013 NFL Draft. Ware saw action in two games that year, but suffered an ankle injury that ended his rookie season. In 2014, he was twice cited for driving under the influence, although one of those charges was thrown out by a trial judge.
The Seahawks released Ware. He signed with the Chiefs at the end of the 2014 season and started last season on the practice squad.
When Charles went down in game five with his knee injury, Ware was moved up to the active roster and got more opportunities as the season progressed. He finished with 403 rushing yards and six touchdowns, and added another TD in the playoffs.
"He brings a lot of energy to the team," said head coach Andy Reid. "He's an emotional player. He has a knack for making plays when you need them. He did that today."
