Bills at Chiefs - Week 8 - Record: 5-2

Throughout the entire game I was sure this was going to be another one of those typically stupid losses we'd have to suffer at the hands of the Bills. Remember the latest ones? Last year when we couldn't get just one more touchdown and lost 16-10? The year before when the Bills put up a 50+ spot on us? A few years before that, in 2005, when we were true contenders and had one of the most wretched games we could ever play, flopping 14-3?

This was shaping into yet another one. Late in the 4th quarter Mike Vrabel misses getting a clutch fumble by the partially removed mole on his elbow. Then the Bills receiver gets a slant pass and he does get into endzone by what was left of his mostly removed mole on the elbow. Aaaaaagh!

And how many times did we come up a yard short to get a first down. I have truly lost the remaining hair I had in my head.

Amazingly the Bills-game stupidness that has so ravenously infected us went in our favor when the Bills kicker lined a long game-winning field goal through in overtime, but he did it just after the Chiefs called a timeout. He missed his next try.

Now, let me ask you. Is Todd Haley driving you as crazy as he is me? I think I am now officially sick of his vaunted four-down play calling strategy. He really really really really should have been kicking a field goal waaaaaaaaay earlier in the game when it would've been a chip-shot for Succop but instead, well, he didn't go for the FG. You know what happened. He went for it. We failed. We had to sweat out a full overtime before we could win it.

I'm also wondering where the heck our passing game was today. Yes, I know Charles and Jones continue to run over everyone. Our offensive line with a young Jon Asamoah replacing the injured Ryan Lilja was terrific today. But if we are that good with our running game which should open things up big-time for the passing game, then, ahem...

Where is the passing game?

Tony Moeaki caught three big passes, two of them to set up the game-winning FG, but he had only three. Bowe caught three for a grand total of 16 yards. Our leading receiver was Jamaal Charles yet even then Cassel woefully missed him on a long pass when he had his guy beat. Come on, guys, where are all our receivers? You know, the guys who spread out at the far ends of the line and jet out on the snap and run crisp routes and get open kind of down the field a bit? Oh, and yes, for the Chiefs especially: and they securely draw the passed ball gently into their sure hands?

And so yes, I'm back to being really concerned about Matt Cassel. In overtime we were at midfield on third down and Cassel had decent pass protection when he just didn't throw the ball. He then slipped out of the pocket with plenty of time to throw it again--and still didn't throw it. He tucked it in and ran in an obviously futile attempt to get to the first down hash.

So yeah, both Haley and Cassel have already made me lose all my hair. That we did end up winning with some very-late-in-overtime clutch play may enable me to grow some of it back before the next game, but what'll happen next week when we play in Oakland. The Raiders are a much improved team and we've won seven straight there.

If we don't find our passing game, do you really think we're going to keep that up?
_

Jaguars at Chiefs - Week 7 - Record: 4-2

I have to open this post straight away with something that I want to say loud and clear is one of the main reasons we are playing so well. For the past four or five years I've been pulling my hair out about this facet of our game, and this year I am so pleased that I get to sing its praises. What a joy it is to say without equivocation that

It is back.

You know what I'm talking about.

The Kansas City Chiefs --

Offensive Line Is Back.

All you had to do was watch that early run by Thomas Jones that set up our first TD. A 70-yard romp that was split open by confident linemen moving people out with steady profeciency. Our running game ground out 236 yards today, again Jones and Charles popping for six and seven yards each carry. So right outta the gate a very high five to (from left to right)...

Branden Albert
Brian Waters
Casey Wiegmann
Ryan Lilja
Barry Richardson

Not only are these guys opening up those nifty holes for our backs, but they are doing a spot-on job of protecting our quarterback. Cassel was 13 for 18 today, which doesn't seem like much but most of those completions were critical in keeping drives alive or even going for touchdowns, and our running game is doing so well that he didn't have to throw a lot.

And how about getting some of those ball control drives. The Chiefs are now hitting on all the cylindars needed to have wholesomely sustained drives -- yes, wholesomely, not a word used too often in this instance but wholesome because those drives allow our defense to rest and keep a rhythm out on the field.

In the first half it looked like the awful second half in the Texans game was just continuing. The Jaguars would get the ball and just ram it down the field on us. But in the second half the offense got good at burning up clock and getting good yardage, allowing the defense to rejuvenate itself. After the Jags made it close in the third, 21-20, we didn't allow them to get another point. We shut down their go-to back, the very talented Maurice Jones-Drew, even before our extended lead took him completely out of the game.

We also didn't allow a couple of questionable pass interference calls from an overofficiating crew rattle us. And hey! Even though it was a gift, Eric Berry got his first NFL pick and put on a show running it back some 30 yards to put the nail in the coffin.

And we can't not say something about another phenomenal game from Dwayne Bowe. His fantasy league owners have got to be loving this guy a lot, especially after he dropped one of their touchdown passes in the Colts game. His first touchdown today was a terrific comeback to an underthrown ball from Cassel, followed by a number of splendid juke moves to get around Jag backs to scamper into the end zone. His second was vintage Bowe, a fantastic leaping grab and toe-touch to stay in-bounds for the score.

A couple of times I wondered what was going on down there with Todd Haley. One time he eschewed the field goal that at the time would've put us up by 11 but instead did his going-for-it-on-4th-down thing again, and this time it failed. He also called a couple of weird timeouts in early in the second half -- if this had been close at the end we'd've had only one.

But to give Haley credit, there are a number of stats that just show we are building into a really solid team, and much of that is because of his deft architecture.

The Chiefs are capitalizing on their turnovers, scoring on just about every one, while keeping the other team from scoring when they get the ball from us. We are also doing great at minimizing the loss plays -- I think I'd heard the Chiefs are one of the top teams in fewest loss yardage plays. Cassel's only been sacked a few times this year, which is again a testament to the awesome job -- oh what a joy it is to say that -- the awesome job our offensive line has been doing.

Every once in a while I'll see or hear some stat that is just so fun to hear, you know, the kind of stat that is indicative of a team playing really well. I can't remember them all, but it is really fun to hear them.

This is a very fun team to be rooting for right now
_

Chiefs at Texans - Week 6 - Record: 3-2

Hello, Chiefs' young hearty defense.

Welcome to the NFL.

For four-and-a-half games this year, we had all reveled in our stalwart Chiefs defensive exploits. Both Brandons covering receivers like shrink wrap. Our swift linebackers eagerly devouring runners. Our resolute D-line standing people up. The whole bunch never allowing more than two touchdowns in any game.

But then they face a never-say-die excellent offensive machine.

Houston torched these guys for four touchdowns in four final possessions, making our D-guys look like a Pop Warner B-team. This was an awful loss, a win that the Chiefs had in the bag until Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels and their valiantly persevering offense made them look silly.

And here's the thing. We all like that Todd Haley is ambitious with his play calling. He has made this team a fun team to watch.

But he really needs to know how to finish by just flat-out getting the job done.

There was simply no excuse, no excuse in the universe for him to pass on 3rd and 2 with two minutes left, needed just one first down to really put the Texans on their heels. We'd been running all over these guys, gaining 6 or 7 yards a pop, and we throw a pitifully incomplete pass to bring up a 4th down and running no time off the clock. This gave their stellar offense tons of time to continue to roll over us.

There was simply no way we could have let them back in it.

Yes, there are all kinds of great things to say about our Chiefs performance today. Our 3rd down conversion rate was a wonderful surprise. I mean, really, we've been justifiably ripping the passing game, but today it was great. When we get our passing game and our pass defense together we'll be a genuinely contending team.

Yes, I do question if we are true contenders. We have so much promise -- hey, for the first time in years our offensive line is something that we can be extraordinarily proud of -- Charles and Jones each got nearly 100 yards again. And Dwayne Bowe had another of his games when he shows us how great he can be.

But the most positive thing about this game may just be that we lost so horribly. Maybe this is the wake-up these young kids need to have to know that in the NFL you can't just waltz right over people.
_

Chiefs at Colts - Week 5 - Record: 3-1

Ya know? Really. We do have a pretty darn good team. Before the game I was really thinking, as I'm sure many were, that we'd get our comeuppance in Indy. Here is this young team facing the great Peyton Manning and the vaunted Indianapolis offensive machine, and they'll really know what the NFL is like.

We didn't win, but we held our own. Our defense really clamped down on that Colt offense, and only bent a bit too much when allowing a touchdown with a scant minute left. Our running game still churned out good yardage keeping solid drives going.

But then...

There is that passing game.

And the one pile of refuse that I was really hoping was finally taken to the dump and left there once and for all: dropped passes.

It is also still obvious we are not getting our routes run out crisply, Matt Cassel is just not getting the ball where he needs to as often as he must, and come on -- those dropped passes. What is this? You just can't have guys dropping passes in the NFL. You just can't. I'd like to think we are contenders, I really would, and looking at a lot of the positives today I think it's very reasonable to think so.

But this passing game does indeed cause me great concern.

I mean, on the one hand you do have those instances when a Chris Chambers runs a nice route underneath and follows it with a nice run to get a clutch first down at the end of the half. But on the other hand you get Dwayne Bowe getting just open enough at the side of the end zone to haul in what was nicely becoming his patented TD grab, but he drops it. Come on. We've got Chris Chambers and Dwayne Bowe as our top receivers. These guys should be studs. But then...

On one hand you've got Tony Moeaki making nice grabs for good yardage. But on that other hand you've got too many blown opportunities where our passing deficiencies really kill us, like the time we had a fourth down and Cassel just threw the ball into a crowd at the goal line.

Next week it is Houston who looks very good this year, from the little that I've picked up.

Back to the drawing board for Charlie and the passing game guys.
_