The Chiefs offense is in dire need of a boost, but KC fans won’t be seeing the main weapon brought in to help it for yet another week. Jonathan Baldwin was the first round choice of the Chiefs in April’s NFL Draft, but he’s been out with a broken thumb since the preseason. Rumors that he may play this Sunday have now proved false as Baldwin has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Chiefs opened the offensive playbook a bit more during the second half of the San Diego Chargers game and the team came to life when it did so. The Vikings should expect more of the same, but Baldwin would become the deep physical receiver the Chiefs currently lack.

Certainly Steve Breaston and Dwayne Bowe are solid options already but the Chiefs passing game needs that third receiver, especially with Tony Moeaki out for the season. Perhaps Baldwin will come out for the Colts game in week five. Whenever the timetable allows, Chiefs fans are sure to look forward to his arrival.

Read More: Thomas Jones (RB – KAN), San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings

The Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings both come into Sunday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City looking for their first win of the season. The Chiefs were blown out twice to start the season with a combined losing score of 89-10 before playing the Chargers much closer last week in San Diego. The Vikings have been much closer in their matchups as they’ve lost three games by a combined 14 points.

The Chiefs and Vikings share two common opponents thus far this season in the Detroit Lions and San Diego Chargers. The Chiefs were blown out by the Lions 48-3, while the Vikings played it close with the Lions at 23-26 but lost in overtime. The tough thing for the Vikings is that they were actually leading that game 20-0 at halftime before falling apart in the second half. The Chiefs just dropped a tough one to the Chargers last week by a score of 20-17, while the Vikings fell to the Chargers 24-17 to open the season.

The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping that first-round pick Jonathan Baldwin will be able to play in this game for the first time all season. Baldwin is still recovering from a cracked thumb suffered in the preseason in an alledged altercation with running back Thomas Jones. He was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice but has been seen catching passes this week which is progress for him. 

The status of cornerback Brandon Flowers is still in question as to whether or not he’ll be able to play against the Vikings with the high ankle sprain suffered last week against the Chargers. The injury report should come out Friday night and give a clearer indication of his chances on playing Sunday.

The key to victory for the Kansas City Chiefs is very simple for this game against the Vikings. If you stop Adrian Peterson you will win this game. Peterson is probably the best all-around back in the NFL when you look at a strength and speed combination. The Vikings are currently 3rd in the NFL in rushing with an average of 159 yards per game. But they’re ranked 29th in the NFL in passing with 143 yards per game through the air. Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb has completed 58% of his passes for 478 yards with two touchdowns and just one interception so far this season. The Chiefs need to stop Adrian Peterson and force McNabb to beat them through the air.

The Chiefs will be counting on Matt Cassel to lead them through the air because the Vikings have a stout defensive line and they play the run very well. They are 4th in the NFL right now in rushing defense by allowing just 67 yards per game on the ground. The loss of Jamaal Charles puts the target right on Dexter McCluster and Thomas Jones to pick up the slack.

But the Vikings have been struggling against the pass as they rank 29th in the NFL by allowing 299 yards per game so far this season. But they’ve faced Philip Rivers, Matt Stafford and Josh Freeman. Those are three pretty good quarterbacks. The Chiefs passing attack seemed to find a rhythm in the second half against the Chargers and if they can come out against the Vikings with that same success, it’ll give the Chiefs a great chance at winning this game.

By Matt Conner

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Sep 28, 2011 – The Minnesota Vikings come to Kansas City this weekend to visit the Chiefs in a match-up between winless teams who sit at the bottom of their respective divisions. Yet the game automatically holds good news for one of the two teams. Unless the game ends in that rarity of the NFL standings known as a tie, one team will leave Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday with their first win and satisfy, for the time being, a fan base that’s grown tired of losing ways after having higher expectations.

Certainly the Chiefs know well that they were expected to be much better than this. Injuries to Eric Berry and Jamaal Charles among other aside, the Chiefs have failed to live up to fan’s expectations in any way. A sensible fan would have at least expected the Chiefs to be competitive in the AFC West, realizing the Chargers are also very talented with the division’s best quarterback. The schedule was also clearly tougher, so that plays into things, but a 10-win team is a 10-win team.

The Vikings also had high hopes of shaking off a disastrous 6-10 season the year after making the NFC Championship game the year before. Leslie Frazier was supposed to help shake the Brad Childress era, but the Vikes are now 0-3 and have Adrian Peterson publicly complaining about his lack of carries. The team also has the most frustrating start in the NFL with three consecutive games in which they’ve blown the lead. They’re far more talented than this just like the Chiefs.

One team will leave Arrowhead with a win on Sunday and begin to put some of the frustration behind them. There’s still plenty of the regular season left despite the horrible starts thus far.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Leonard Pope cradled the touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Cassel with just less than 5 minutes left in the game, pulling the Kansas City Chiefs within a field goal of the San Diego Chargers in a critical game on the road.

Then he pulled his helmet off, and the penalty flags flew.

Pope was given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taking his helmet off while still on the field. The defense ultimately held, giving Kansas City a chance to win in the closing minutes, but the mental mistake demonstrated a frustrating trend that developed in a 20-17 loss.

For the first time all season, the Chiefs did some things that gave coaches, players and fans reasons to be hopeful. And then they did something moments later to dash that optimism.

“Shooting ourselves in our foot,” fullback Le’Ron McClain said, repeating the old cliché that rings especially true for the defending AFC West champs, who are off to an 0-3 start.

It wasn’t just penalties, though there were certainly plenty of those. But injuries, missed field goals, defensive letdowns and an inability to punch the ball into the end zone after solid, sustained drives all conspired on several occasions to turn positives into negatives.

Kansas City didn’t manage a single first down in the first half against San Diego, gaining all of 34 yards, but came out of the break and held the Chargers to a three-and-out. It gave the Chiefs the ball across midfield and they managed to go the rest of the way for a touchdown.

Rather than make a stand on defense, though, the Chargers marched 80 yards in less than 4 minutes for an answering touchdown, negating any momentum Kansas City built.

On the Chiefs’ ensuing possession, they put together a 21-play drive — if you count penalties — that even impressed coach Todd Haley. But the drive ended when, on third-and-11 from the 18, a run by Thomas Jones up the middle gained just 3 yards and Ryan Succop had to trot onto the field for a field goal. It was a minor letdown after the offense had finally found its rhythm.

“I’ve never been a part of a 21-play drive,” Haley said, “and that was a very positive thing, despite the penalties and only getting three points out of it.”

The Chargers’ defense was worn down and the momentum was swinging back toward the Chiefs, but the defense again couldn’t make a stand. San Diego put together a drive of its own for a matching field goal, giving its own defense a chance to rest while restoring a 10-point lead.

“The defense is very aware after a drive like that, we have a chance to put our offense out against a defense that appeared tired, down on a knee and things like that, and our defense went out and fully intended to get that three-and-out and just pressed a bit,” Haley said.

The list of positives dulled by negatives goes on and on.

Kendrick Lewis picked off Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers in the first quarter to give Kansas City prime field position. Unable to move the ball, the Chiefs settled for a 38-year field goal try that Succop missed wide right.

“Everyone in the locker room is counting on those points,” Succop said.

Later in the half, Brandon Flowers picked off Rivers and returned the ball 43 yards to give Kansas City excellent field position. The young starting cornerback was slow to get up after the play, though, and Flowers didn’t return to the game — even though Haley said he tried.

Flowers said afterward he hurt his ankle on the return and that an injection didn’t do a whole lot to numb the pain. His status for next week’s game against Minnesota is in question.

“He made a big play for us and unfortunately couldn’t continue,” said Haley, who hopes to know whether Flowers will be available for the Vikings later in the week. “I had to drag him off the field once. Our trainers are over helping someone else and I had to drag him off the field.”

The fact Flowers wanted to play through the pain proves how much everyone on the sideline still cares, Haley said. The Chiefs may be winless through three weeks, including a pair of ugly losses to start the season, but there are signs of hope for the first time all year.

Even if most of them have been obscured by misfortune.

“We just need to get over the hump and play Chiefs football,” McClain said. “We’ll be OK.”

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