Chiefs Win! Chiefs Win!

First off, my apologies for the long layoff between posts. This past week has been pretty hectic with the holiday and such, so I decided to take a break until now.

Now that we've got that out of the way...

Chiefs -  20

Raiders - 13

I'm going to let that final score settle in for just a minute....

Damn that feels good! And it feels that much better that this win came on the road against our arch-rivals in Oakland.

The Chiefs did almost everything right in this game, putting forth a tremendous effort  on offense, defense, and special teams. It was a complete effort by KC, which is something the Chiefs have not been able to accomplish since their early season victory at home against the Denver Broncos.

Offensively, the Chiefs made some mistakes, but found a way to overcome them late in the game by converting several key third and long plays into a new set of downs. Tyler Thigpen made a terrible decision with a throw early in the 3rd quarter, giving the Raiders a huge interception and the ball on the cusp of the goal line.

That mistake led to an Oakland touchdown, but I will give Thigpen credit for coming back from that errant throw to lead the Chiefs on a excellent 91 yard drive that took up almost 10 minutes, and culminated in a Larry Johnson touchdown. That gave the Chiefs the lead they needed to finally pull out the victory, something that this young team sorely needed.

On defense, I was equally impressed with the play of the Chiefs, especially on third down, which is an area that the team has struggled with this season. The held Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell to a paltry 10/28 for 132 yards, and while RB Justin Fargas did score a touchdown, the Chiefs defense found a way to limit him to just 82 yards on the ground.

Derrick Johnson was a man on a mission in this game, and his terrific linebacker play seemed to ignite the Chiefs defense all day long. Gunther Cunningham finally turned him loose to rush the QB, and although they didn't register a sack, the Chiefs did pressure Russell enough to force him into several key incompletions on third down.

The Chiefs special teams play was the proverbial nail in the coffin though, with one tremendous play late in the 2nd quarter giving the Chiefs a lead they never relinquished. In an incredibly stupid move, the Raiders ran a fake field goal to their punter Shane Lechler, who then fumbled the ball into the waiting hands of Chiefs CB Maurice Leggett. Leggett's eyes must have been wide open, as he raced 67 yards downfield untouched for a game breaking touchdown that brought back shades of Tyron Brackenridge's fumble recovery for a TD last year in San Diego.

Kansas City played extremely well on kickoff coverage and punt coverage as well, smothering the Raiders solid playmaking kick returner, Johnnie Lee Higgins. That put Oakland in the hole several times, and kept the all-important field position battle on the side of the Chiefs. Considering how bad the Chiefs have played on special teams this season, shutting down any kick returner, let alone a stud like Higgins, is a major step in the right direction.

All in all, this victory is a huge one for the Chiefs. Not only did they go on the road and beat a solid Raiders football team, but they did it by putting forth a tremendous effort in all three phases of the game. This could very well end up being the stepping stone this young Chiefs team needs to make the jump into legitimacy in the NFL headed into the off-season.

Chiefs -  20

Raiders - 13

Photo Rewind -- Chiefs vs. Bills

Here's some of the better shots from the Chiefs disappointing 54-31 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills today in Kansas City. These photos are courtesy of NFL.com and Getty Images. Enjoy!

Kansas City Chiefs players walk out of the tunnel toward the field prior to the start of the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs on November 23, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Jamaal Charles #25 of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball in for a touchdown as Ko Simpson #30 and George Wilson #37 of the Buffalo Bills defend during the game on November 23, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Tony Gonzalez #88 of the Kansas City Chiefs catches a pass as Leodis McKelvin #28 of the Buffalo Bills defends during the game on November 23, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Receiver Dwayne Bowe #82 of the Kansas City Chiefs walks off the field during the game against the Buffalo Bills on November 23, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Quarterback Tyler Thigpen #4 of the Kansas City Chiefs fumbles during the second half of the game against the Buffalo Bills on November 23, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Defensive end Alfonso Boone #70 of the Kansas City Chiefs prepares to take the field prior to the start of the game against the Buffalo Bills on November 23, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Half-time Recap -- Chiefs vs. Bills

Coming into today's game at home against the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs have really struggled to put together a complete game, having all facets of their game working at the same time. They've played well throughout the 1st half of each of their last four games, but have been unable to put any points on the board  in the 3rd quarter, leading to losses instead of wins.

So it was absolutely imperative for the Chiefs to continue to play well in the 1st half but to also put forth a solid effort in the second half if they were to win today against the Bills.

Unfortunately, the Chiefs must have left that memo sitting on their desk because heading into the locker room, the Chiefs are staring at a 13 point deficit, 30-17, and to make matters worse, Buffalo will be receiving the ball to start the 2nd half.

It's been a mixed bag of sorts for the Chiefs today in all three parts of the game, with the offense, defense, and special teams all struggling to put forth a complete effort. The Chiefs new-found QBOTF, Tyler Thigpen, has played well but he's also single-handedly given the Bills the opportunity to place their stranglehold on the Chiefs today, throwing two critical interceptions, one for a pick six to CB Leodis McKelvin.

On defense the Chiefs have made several huge stands inside their own red zone, forcing Buffalo to kick field goals instead of scoring touchdowns. But when it mattered the most, the Chiefs defense could not stop Bills QB Trent Edwards from running directly through them en route to the end zone for a backbreaking touchdown to end the 1st half.

Special teams have once again been the bane of the Chiefs existence, consistently giving their opponent excellent field position, and placing KC in a hole right from the start. The only bright spot has come via Chiefs kicker Connor Barth, who absolutely drilled a key 45 yard field goal late in the 1st half.

It's going to take a masterful effort by the Chiefs in the 2nd half to pull this one out, especially considering the firepower Buffalo can bring to bear against a beat up and worn out defense. Thigpen has to shrug off the poor throws that resulted in turnovers and get his offense in gear right from the start, while the defense must find a way to create pressure on the Bills when they're on offense to give the Chiefs secondary a fighting chance to stop the Bills excellent crew of receivers.

At the start of the 2nd half...

Buffalo - 30

Kansas City - 17

the Fanatic Power Rankings - Week 12

Another week has come and gone in the National Football League, and as usual I've got an opinion as to who the top teams in the league are right now. So sit back and enjoy the latest edition of the Fanatic Power Rankings!

1. Tennessee Titans (10-0)
2. New York Giants (9-1)
3. Carolina Panthers (8-2)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3)
5. New York Jets (7-3)
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3)
7. Denver Broncos (6-4)
8. Arizona Cardinals (7-3)
9. Washington Redskins (6-4)
10. Indianapolis Colts (6-4)
11. Baltimore Ravens (6-4)
12. Green Bay Packers (5-5)
13. Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
14. Dallas Cowboys (6-4)
15. Miami Dolphins (6-4)
16. New England Patriots (6-4)
17. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4-1)
18. Minnesota Vikings (5-5)
19. New Orleans Saints (5-5)
20. Buffalo Bills (5-5)
21. Chicago Bears (5-5)
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6)
23. San Diego Chargers (4-6)
24. Cleveland Browns (4-6)
25. Houston Texans (3-7)
26. San Francisco 49ers (3-7)
27. Seattle Seahawks (2-8)
28. St. Louis Rams (2-8)
29. Oakland Raiders (2-8)
30. Kansas City (1-9)
31. Cincinnati Bengals (1-8-1)
32. Detroit Lions (0-10)

Game Photos - Chiefs vs. Saints

Here's some of the photos from today's game at Arrowhead, where the Chiefs fell 30-20 to the visiting New Orleans Saints. All of the images are courtesy of NFL.com and the respective photographer for Getty Images. Enjoy!

Tony Gonzalez #88 and Dwayne Bowe #82 of the Kansas City Chiefs follow teammates through the tunnel prior to a game against the New Orleans Saints on November 16, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images)

Dwayne Bowe #82 of the Kansas City Chiefs makes a touchdown reception over Usama Young #28 of the New Orleans Saints on November 16, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images)

Dwayne Bowe #82 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates with fans following a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints on November 16, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images)

Head coach Herm Edwards of the Kansas City Chiefs speaks to his defense prior to taking the field against the New Orleans Saints on November 16, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images)

Maurice Leggett #31 of the Kansas City Chiefs breaks up a pass intended for Marcus Colston #12 of the New Orleans Saints on November 16, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images)

The hits keep coming for the Chiefs

Another week has come and gone, and the Chiefs yet again found a way to lose a game they could have won against a superior opponent. This week it was against the visiting New Orleans Saints, who brought the NFL's top-rated offense to town, matching up against a injury-depleted Chiefs defense.

The game started well for the Chiefs, with a nice interception by Jarrad Page setting up the Chiefs with an opportunity to take an early lead. Tyler Thigpen took the ball and led the Chiefs on a solid scoring drive that culminated in a 6 yard TD pass to Dwayne Bowe.

The Saints countered with a short field goal, and then took the lead, 10-3, on 1 yard TD run by Deuce McAllister. The Chiefs got back to even with a field goal of their own, but the Saints found a way to drive deep into Chiefs territory once again, and kicked another field goal to take a 13-10 lead into the locker room at the half.

After a three and out by the Chiefs offense to start the 2nd half, the Saints vaunted offense roared back to take the lead in this game for good, sandwiching two TDs around another short field goal by Connor Barth for the Chiefs. That made the score 27-13, and the Chiefs never fully recovered after that.

That being said, the Chiefs still had a shot late in the game, after scoring a TD on another beautiful pass from Thigpen to Bowe, which put the score at 27-20. The Chiefs defense then came on the field and forced the Saints into a three and out of their own, setting the Chiefs up with excellent field position and a chance to tie or take the lead with a touchdown. Thigpen moved the ball effectively for the Chiefs, pushing the ball to the Saints 40 yard line, only to have Mark Bradley drop an easy pass for a 1st down on 3rd and short, and instead of going for the 1st down on 4th and one, Herm Edwards decided to give his defense one more shot to stop the Saints.

That proved to be a bad call for the Chiefs, as the Saints took the ball on their own 12 yard line and drove the length of the field to grab a two-score lead with a field goal. After that, the Chiefs never really had a shot at winning the game, and instead of pulling out a much needed victory at home against the Saints, the Chiefs lost another tough game today.

Chiefs - 20

Saints - 30

The biggest key today in this loss was the Chiefs inability to punch the ball into the end zone inside their opponent's five yard line. The Chiefs had two seperate drives that reached the Saints one and two yard line respectively, and both times the Chiefs failed to score touchdowns, and instead settled for field goals. If the Chiefs had scored TDs instead of FGs on both of those drives, they would likely have won this game. But as usual, the Chiefs found a way to lose instead of finding a way to win, and are now 1-9 on the season, with just 6 games remaining this season.

Things don't get any easier next week for the Chiefs either, as the Buffalo Bills come to town facing a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes alive in the suddenly tough AFC East. They'll have to put forward a much better effort defensively, and find a way to turn short field goals into touchdowns when they drive the ball into the red zone.

All in all, this game was another tough loss for the Chiefs, and it cements this season as one of the worst in Chiefs history. That being said, the Chiefs are moving in the right direction, and given another solid draft class and the addition of two or three quality free agents at key positions, I think they could very well be the top contender next year in a declining AFC West division.

Half-time recap

So far in this game the Chiefs have held their own against the vaunted New Orleans Saints offense, although they have struggled somewhat defensively due to the rash of injuries they've suffered in the past three weeks.

The biggest problem for Kansas City today has come on their special teams, with our kickoff coverage team giving up two big returns to the Saints kickoff return man, Courtney Roby, which set up the league's #1 rated offense with a short field. And given the Chiefs patchwork lineup on the defensive side of the ball, made up of several players the team signed just this week, the Saints have had little trouble moving the ball down field.

I truly have no clue why Mike Priefer still has a job with the Chiefs. His special teams have consistently been among the league's worst during his tenure in KC, and with a team this young and with this much talent, I see no reason why he can't field a solid coverage crew to stop these major returns in their tracks. If Herm Edwards is unwilling to do what needs to be done at the end of this game by firing Priefer on the spot, then I can only hope King Carl and Clark Hunt take matters into their own hands.

Offensively, Tyler Thigpen has continued his incredible run, completing 10/16 for 126 yards and 1 touchdown, which was caught by Dwayne Bowe in the back of the end zone. Thigpen's best throw came late the 2nd quarter though, on a busted 3rd and long play where he launched a beautiful pass deep down field to rookie WR Will Franklin for 42 yards. That play set the Chiefs up in the red zone, with a chance to go up by four points, but unfortunately KC was unable to get the ball in the end zone, stopping just short of the goal line, and settling for a 20 yard field goal by Connor Barth.

Hopefully we'll see a different approach than the ones we've seen in the past three weeks by the Chiefs in the second half, as they shutdown all creativity until late in the 4th quarter in those games. Playing against the best offense in the league, the Chiefs can ill afford to go into a shell offensively, especially with a jumbled defense that is not likely to stop Drew Brees much today.

At the half...

Chiefs - 10

Saints - 13

The ever-revolving door at Arrowhead

The Chiefs once again are trolling the streets right now, looking high and low for any talent to fill the ranks, after having more players go down to injury this season then the last two seasons combined. They're beginning to look like a bad rerun of M.A.S.H. with guys dropping left and right from every injury in the book.

This week, the revolving door is still spinning, but the Chiefs have already admitted at least one new body on the defensive side of the ball, which is absolutely critical considering the fact that NFL's top-rated offense is about to roll into KC, in the form of the New Orleans Saints.

According to CBS News 3 (Kalamazoo, MI) the Chiefs have signed former Western Michigan standout (and 1st round draft pick) Jason Babin to a one-year contract.

Here's the full story, courtesy of WWMT.com:

(Babin) was released by the Seattle Seahawks September 17th, just over a year after being acquired in a trade with the Houston Texans.

A number of teams showed interest in Babin, including the 9-0 Tennessee Titans, but ultimately the Kansas City deal gives him an opportunity to play right away and hopefully secure a long term deal for 2009.  The former first round draft pick registered a career high five sacks in 2006, but never saw significant playing time with Seattle and was deemed expendable.

Babin is the only first round draft pick in WMU history.  Houston selected him with the 27th overall pick in 2004.  His first game in a Chiefs uniform could be this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

I like this signing a lot, and I think that Babin could end up thriving with the Chiefs, as he'll be able to do exactly what he does best - rush the passer. And after watching Turk McBride go down with a fairly serious injury last week in San Diego, the Chiefs need anyone they can get at the defensive end position. Babin could very well be a bust of a 1st round pick, but I think he'll be at the very least an adequate player while we continue to rebuild our team.

Got to give credit where credit is due, and props go out to Herm and Carl for finding these low-cost, high-talent players sitting on the sidelines. Hopefully Babin can be the Mark Bradley of our defense, and give the Chiefs a solid pass rusher from the right side of the line.

Titans maintain their grip on power

Here's my weekly power rankings for the NFL in week 11. Feel free to leave your thoughts and/or your own power rankings in the comment section.

1. Tennessee Titans (9-0)

2. New York Giants (8-1)

3. Carolina Panthers (7-2)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)

5. Washington Redskins (6-3)

6. New England Patriots (6-3)

7. Atlanta Falcons (6-3)

8. Baltimore Ravens (6-3)

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3)

10. New York Jets (6-3)

11. Indianapolis Colts (5-4)

12. Chicago Bears (5-4)

13. Arizona Cardinals (6-3)

14. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)

15. Miami Dolphins (5-4)

16. Minnesota Vikings (5-4)

17. Denver Broncos (5-4)

18. Dallas Cowboys (5-4)

19. New Orleans Saints (4-5)

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5)

21. Buffalo Bills (5-4)

22. San Diego Chargers (4-5)

23. Green Bay Packers (4-5)

24. Cleveland Browns (3-6)

25. Houston Texans (3-6)

26. San Francisco 49ers (2-7)

27. Seattle Seahawks (2-7)

28. Kansas City Chiefs (1-8)

29. St. Louis Rams (2-7)

30. Oakland Raiders (2-7)

31. Cincinnati Bengals (1-8)

32. Detroit Lions (0-9)

Week 10 roundup

I'd like to start this post out by wishing everyone a happy and safe Veterans Day. There are no braver individuals in this world than our men and women in uniform, and their sacrifices throughout the existence of this country are not forgotten. God bless them all for doing their duty to protect the liberty and freedom we hold so dear.

This week I posted my predictions for each of the games being played around the league, and while I missed out on a few picks, I think I did pretty well overall.

I correctly picked the Giants, Falcons, Dolphins, Titans, Patriots, Jets, Jaguars, Panthers, Chargers, Colts, and Cardinals to win their games, while only losing with the Packers and Texans. That's a pretty solid 11-2 record this week, and while we did get a late start, I'll be predicting the outcomes of each game throughout the rest of the season, so we'll see just how good I am at picking winners each week.

Quick hits...

• Bob Gretz (KCChiefs.com) says the Chiefs need a win in a bad way after losing another heartbreaker in San Diego.

• Dr. John Best (Arrowhead Addict) sums up the feelings of most Chiefs fans with his thoughts on the Chiefs switch to the spread offense being more about necessity, then it is an indication of a change in Herm Edwards' offensive philosophy.

• The AP is reporting that Ashley N. Stewart (Larry Johnson's spat upon acquaintance) is suing LJ for "negligence, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress."

• Eric Crane (Arrowhead Addict)  found a sweet pic (NSFW) of Ms. Stewart posing for WomenofKU.com and wonders how long it will be before Stewart is driving around town in a new ride.