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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- **An examination of Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith reveals one statistic in particular that quickly stands out.
Smith, who is an undefeated 9-0 his first season with the Chiefs, has accumulated a record of 28-5-1 in starts over the last three seasons.
It's a winning percentage not matched by any other NFL quarterbacks during that time span – and Smith's caliber of play is one of the factors linebacker Von Miller credited with elevating the entire Chiefs offense.
"Alex Smith – he's special," Miller said on Thursday. "He brings a different element to the offense."
Smith has thrown for 1,919 yards and nine touchdowns this season while adding 265 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground, bringing a multidimensional offensive threat to the field.
"He does a great job," safety Rahim Moore said. "If nothing's there, he'll take off and make first downs with his legs. He makes good decisions, which is always a great thing for a quarterback, and he puts the ball in the best player's hands."
Another key area where Smith has excelled has been in taking care of the football – he's thrown just four interceptions this season – and that's where linebacker Wesley Woodyard noted Smith has been particularly effective.
"To me, he's been a good quarterback through his whole career," Woodyard said. "But right now he's taking care of the football, not making any mistakes and he's using the weapons that he has on offense."
That level of efficiency in not turning the ball over is hardly a new trend for Smith. The quarterback has thrown just 14 interceptions in his last 34 regular-season starts – something that Smith credited to his own level of comfort with simply being himself on the field.
"I'm not trying to force anything or be anyone I'm not. I'm just trying to be myself," Smith said on a conference call with the Denver media on Wednesday. "I think that's the most important thing. Most of that is just kind of leading by example through yourself, through your work ethic, through your attitude, through your demeanor. Let those things shine through. Really, that's all I'm trying to do."
Moore also noted that he was impressed with Smith's mechanics on film.
"He does a good job of looking you off," Moore said. "He has good mechanics. I like him on film. He's proved himself in the league that he can play, so there's no mistake that he's actually doing well for Kansas City right now."
And when it comes to defending Smith and the Chiefs offense on Sunday night, defensive end Malik Jackson noted that keeping Smith contained in the pocket could be key to limiting his effectiveness.
"We've just got to stay locked in on the defense and whatever (Interim Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio) calls, be where we need to be," Jackson said. "As long as we're where we need to be and do what we need to do to kind of keep him contained in that pocket, then we shouldn't have to worry about his legs. We've just got to beat our guys one-on-one and get him down."
