After the December 24 match-up, on paper, the Kansas City Chiefs had a slightly better game than the Oakland Raiders. But the only stat that matters is the final score, and the Raiders emerged victorious, winning the game 16-13 and keeping their playoff hopes alive. The Raiders left the game 8-7-0, the Chiefs fell to 6-9-0. The Raiders have one more regular season game against the San Diego Chargers, at home, on January 1, 2012.

I think the Raiders have been playing strong football, but they’ve had some issues when facing really strong teams like the Green Bay Packers. I think they can beat the Chargers (who are already eliminated from the playoffs) and continue to Super Bowl XLVI. The Chiefs game was close, tied at the end of regulation. It was Raiders’ kicker Sebastian Janikowski who again came through in the clutch to kick the game-winning field goal.

Passing

The Chiefs led the Raiders in total yards with 435, compared to 308 for the Raiders. Raiders’ QB Carson Palmer was 16 for 26, a 61.5% completion percentage for a total of 237 yards. Chiefs’ QB Kyle Orton went 21 for 36, a 58% completion percentage for 300 yards. Each had one TD and two interceptions.

Rushing

The Raiders were held to just 71 yards rushing from Marcel Reece and Michael Bush. The Chiefs dominated them with only 135 yards, from Jackie Battle, Thomas Jones, Dexter McCluster, Le’Ron McClain and Kyle Orton too.

Kickers

Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski hit three field goals for 28, 31 and 36 yards. Chiefs’ kicker Ryan Succop had a 23 and a 20-yarder. It was Janikowski’s field goal in overtime that clinched the game for the Raiders.

Penalties and time of possession

These were more stats where the teams were almost equal. The Raiders had the ball for 29:34, the Chiefs had it for 32:39. The Raiders had 15 penalties for 92 yards and the Chiefs had 11 penalties for 88 yards.

Conclusion

A win is a win, no matter what the score. The team struggled against the Chiefs and the stats show the problems the Raiders have been having. You can’t expect to win games with two interceptions and only 71 yards in rushing.

Although born and raised with Eagles fans in Philadelphia, Freddy Sherman has always been a citizen of Raider Nation at heart. Since his dad got him a signed George Blanda football as child, to meeting Lyle Alzado in the 1980s, he hasn’t looked back. Follow him on twitter @thefredsherman

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NORTHBROOK, Ill. (STATS) – It can topple the undefeated and lift the
winless.

If ever there was a day which displayed the value of pass protection, Sunday
was it.

Kyle Orton was kept clean throughout as the Kansas City Chiefs ended the
Green Bay Packers’ run at a perfect season. And if that wasn’t enough, solid
offensive line play helped Indianapolis beat the Tennessee Titans, finally
securing the Colts’ first win of the year in Week 14.

Three of the five teams that did not allow a sack last week – the Chiefs,
San Diego Chargers and Colts – claimed the top three spots in the latest New
York Life Protection Index.

The NYLPI is a proprietary formula created by STATS LLC which measures pass
protection by using metrics such as length of passes, penalties by offensive
linemen, sacks allowed and quarterback hurries and knockdowns.

One week after Romeo Crennel replaced the fired Todd Haley as coach and gave
Orton his first start since Oct. 9 with Denver, Kansas City (6-8) shocked
previously unbeaten Green Bay 19-14 at Arrowhead Stadium to remain in the hunt
for an AFC playoff spot.

“We should all feel pretty good,” Crennel said. “Everybody had marked it off
as a win for the Packers, but those guys in the locker room, they’re football
players. They decided that they were not going to lay down. They were not going
to give up, so they went out and played a tremendous game.”

Crennel’s offensive line was a big reason for the upset. The Chiefs front
five committed just one false start and provided consistent protection for
Orton, who was knocked down once and never hurried. The result was a week-best
105.4 NYLPI rating.

It was the league’s eighth-highest score of the season, and Kansas City’s
best since grading out at 74.7 during a 28-0 win at Oakland on Oct. 23. It also
marked the second time this season the Chiefs did not allow a sack.

The effort was one week removed from Kansas City posting a 38.3 against the
New York Jets, a game which saw Tyler Palko get sacked five times in a 37-10
road loss.

In just his second game since being claimed off waivers on Nov. 23, Orton
was 23 of 31 for 299 yards while leading the Chiefs to 19 points – their most
since a 23-20 win over San Diego on Oct. 31.

The Chiefs had the ball for 36:11, compared to 23:49 for the Packers.

Green Bay star Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times for the second
consecutive week as the Packers had a 54.2 rating while having their 19-game
winning streak snapped.

“I personally always viewed the undefeated season as, really, just gravy,”
Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. “The goal was to get home-field advantage
and win the Super Bowl.”

While the Packers won’t go undefeated, neither will the Colts (1-13) go
without a victory, thanks to a 27-13 home win over Tennessee.

The much-maligned front five of the Colts did not allow a sack, false start
or holding penalty while posting a 97.7 NYLPI rating. It was the third-highest
rating of the week, but Indianapolis’ second-best of the season, behind only a
99.6 from a 27-15 loss to Kansas City on Oct. 9.

Quarterback Dan Orlovsky was knocked down just once while going 11 of 17 for
82 yards with a touchdown to win his first game in 10 career starts.

In addition to the stellar pass protection, the Colts’ line paved the way
for Donald Brown to rush for a career-high 161 yards and a touchdown.

“The O-line did a great job,” Brown said. “It was just an all-out great
effort by the guys on offense.”

San Diego’s offense has been regularly producing great efforts lately, as
the Chargers (7-7) have averaged 36.3 points during a three-game December
winning streak that followed a six-game skid.

Philip Rivers has thrown seven touchdowns without an interception over the
last three games for San Diego, which is still holding on to slim playoff hopes
after a 34-14 win over Baltimore on Sunday night. He was 17 of 23 for 270 yards
with a TD, but was not sacked while being hurried twice and knocked down once.

The Chargers front five also was not whistled for either a false start or
holding call while recording a season-high 102.7 NYLPI rating Sunday. Rivers,
meanwhile, has been sacked just five times in the last five weeks.

“The ball’s coming out extremely quick. He’s not taking chances,” embattled
Chargers coach Norv Turner said. “If it’s not pretty clean, he’s getting the
ball checked down. He’s playing at a high level.”

The same could not be said for Joe Flacco and the Ravens’ O-line. It allowed
a season-high seven sacks in posting a season-low 26.5 NYLPI rating.

Another disappointing performance came from the New York Jets, whose
quarterback, Mark Sanchez, said he is “feeling good” after he was sacked four
times and suffered a neck injury during a 45-19 loss at Philadelphia. The Jets’
11.5 NYLPI rating was by far their lowest of the season.

Still, it wasn’t as bad as Jacksonville’s. Due to a suspect offensive line
and the continued poor play of rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, the Jaguars
(4-10) remained at the bottom of the 2011 NYLPI rankings with a 43.3 overall
rating. The Jaguars posted a week-low 7.2 in a 41-14 loss at Atlanta on Thursday
night.

Gabbert was sacked five times and knocked down six by the Falcons while
throwing a touchdown and his fifth interception in the last four games. Though
the line play in front of him has not been great – it’s given up 36 sacks this
season – Gabbert is quick to take the blame for a majority of those mistakes.

“I’ve just got to get rid of the ball,” Gabbert said. “I can’t take those
sacks. That’s completely on me. I’ve got to find our checkdowns, find our hot
reads and get rid of it.”

On the opposite end of the NYLPI overall rankings, the New Orleans Saints
remain on top for the season at 86.2.

For the fourth time in six games, Drew Brees was not sacked as the Saints
recorded an 86.5 mark during a 42-20 rout of Minnesota on Sunday. With two games
to play, Brees is just 304 yards away from Dan Marino’s single-season passing
record of 5,084 yards set in 1984.

Ryan Succop is on the cusp of having a record-breaking year kicking field goals for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Kansas City Star reports Succop has made 21 consecutive field goals which is second all-time for the Chiefs. He is tied with Nick Lowery who made 21 straight kicks in both 1990 and 1991.

The record is 22 field goals in a row, set by Pete Stoyanovich from 1997-1998 over two seasons. Just two more kicks and the record belongs to Succop.

The season didn’t start out well at all for the placekicker. The NFL lockout might have affected Succop’s performance in the beginning of the season. He started out making only one of his first four attempts over the first three games. One 38-yard miss in the first quarter against the San Diego Chargers on Sept. 25 could have given the Chiefs at least a tie by the end of regulation.

Since the 4:52 mark of the first quarter against the Chargers, Succop hasn’t missed. He buried 33-yarder later in the game to move the Chiefs to within a touchdown.

The best game of the season was a 5-for-5 performance against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 2. The Chiefs won 22-17 in that game, the first victory of the season. In a recent game against the Green Bay Packers, Succop hit all four kicks en route to sending the Pack to their first loss on the season.

Succop has also hit from distance. He hit a 54-yarder against Minnesota and a 53 yarder against the New York Jets. Not bad for someone who has been in the NFL for just three years.

Succop’s success is a two-edged sword. It’s great that the Chiefs now have a reliable kicker. Unfortunately, many of Succop’s field goals have come from within 20 yards. That means the offense has sputtered in the red zone and Kansas City isn’t converting many touchdowns.

At least Kansas City can say they have a kicker for life should they decide to keep Succop. At this point, he’s having the best year of his young career. He missed four field goals out of 29 attempts in 2009. He failed on six tries out of 26 last season. His perfection from beyond 50 yards in 2011 is a personal best.

Two more makes without a miss and Succop owns the franchise record for consecutive field goals. He still has a way to go to set the all-time NFL record. Mike Vanderjagt of the Indianapolis Colts holds the record of 42 consecutive field goals from 2002 to 2004.

In a season of inconsistent play on both sides of the ball for the Chiefs, Succop has turned into one of the bright spots for the franchise.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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The Kansas City Chiefs are coming back to Foxboro.

The last visit to Gillette Stadium in 2008 produced a not so good welcome for the team in black and red.

New England was fresh off the first 16-game undefeated NFL regular season.

Not only that, the Patriots were looking to bounce back from a disappointing ending in Super Bowl XLII.

The day began poorly for New England.

Two early forced fumbles and a season-ending injury to quarterback Tom Brady made the Chiefs a villain immediately on that September day.

Maybe a lack of focus … took Kansas City too lightly?

Nobody knows.

The Patriots want to avoid that same scenario this coming week on Monday Night Football.

“We’re on Kansas City here,” New England head coach Bill Belichick said in Wednesday’s press conference. “We have an extra day which is good for us. I’m sure we’ll need it this week. It’s a team that we haven’t played since ’08, first game of ’08 so really that whole season too. We haven’t seen them in quite awhile. A lot of new faces, of course new coaches, quite a few new players from the last time we played them.”

The Chiefs (4-5) are ranked 13th in the AFC is total offense and 28th in the NFL. On defense, K.C. is ranked 12th in the conference and 22nd overall.

“Every week is a big challenge for us,” defensive lineman Vince Wilfork said. “Our focus is on Kansas City. We can’t take a step back … we have to keep moving forward. It’s going to get tougher and no easier for us. We’re going to take it one game at a time.”

Kansas City, who is 0-2 at Gillette, holds a 16-12-3 all-time record against the Patriots. The two teams are original members of the American Football League established by Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt.

Kansas City began this year losing its first three games.

However, victories against Minnesota, Indianapolis, Oakland and San Diego found the Chiefs right back into the mix in the AFC West race. They are one game behind the Raiders — tied with the Chargers and Broncos.

“Impressive team,” Belichick said. “I think some of the things that I’ve been impressed with are their overall toughness, I think they’re a hard-nosed football team that’s tough. They do a good job on the line of scrimmage, they have some receivers that are big physical guys that really like to take it to the defense.

“They play good technique. They’re sound. They don’t give you a lot of easy opportunities — you have to earn them.”

On defense, Kansas City has been opportunistic against opposing quarterbacks. The Chiefs have 13 takeaways through the air, which is tied for fourth in the AFC.

“I obviously have plenty of things that I need to worry about with our offense,” Brady said. “It’s a very good team. Defensively they’re very well coached. We’ve been around Romeo [Crennel] for a long time so we have a decent understanding of what he does but we haven’t played these guys in awhile.

“They have some very good players defensively. We need really a good week so we can go out there and be very well prepared and play with confidence, play with anticipation and try to go out there and execute well.”

Offensively, Kansas City rushes the ball well on the road with an average of 141.3 per game, which is fifth overall in the NFL.

Don’t think backup quarterback Tyler Palko is a slouch either.

Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich said the team played its best overall game of the season on defense against the Jets. But he knows the team doesn’t want to have a mental relapse on Monday night.

“It’s always very important we improve,” he said. “It was a great win but we have to move on.”

With New England now upon its easiest part of the schedule, the team must brace not to have a letdown — especially since the Chiefs need to win in order to keep pace in their division.

“Now its all about stringing it together,” Patriots middle linebacker Jerod Mayo said. “We always talk about playing well in November.”

Contact Steven Sanchez at ssanchez@tauntongazette.com

 

By Matt Conner

– Editor

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Nov 7, 2011 – For some, maybe even for most, there’s no real reason to panic. The Kansas City Chiefs are still tied atop the division in the AFC West. They still control their own destiny. They are 4-4 in a season in which they lost arguably their greatest impact defender (Eric Berry) and offensive MVP (Jamaal Charles) within the first two weeks of the season. They also overcame a historically poor start to reclaim the division lead and the defense has looked unbeatable at times.

But there’s a flip side to that coin, and it’s one that should be concerning, quite frankly. The Chiefs are 4-4, sure, but one look at each game on the schedule thus far (as well as the incredibly difficult stretch ahead) and a different picture comes into view. Let’s take a closer look by examining each of the Chiefs’ wins and the case against it, so to speak.

Minnesota Vikings – Week 4 (Chiefs win 22-17 @ Arrowhead)
This was the game that the Chiefs defense really came alive. They held Adrian Peterson to 3.5 yards/carry and kept the Chiefs in the lead despite numerous offensive failures that led to five field goals for Ryan Succop rather than end zone trips. Let’s not forget the Vikings were winless coming in and remain 2-6 with wins over the Cardinals and Panthers. One team simply had to come out with a victory here and the Chiefs earned it in this match-up.

Indianapolis Colts – Week 5 (Chiefs win 28-24 @ Lucas Oil)
Two weeks, two winless teams. The Chiefs schedule could not have gotten any easier than the Vikes and Colts and they took advantage to win two in a row. The Colts were actually up for most of the game until the Colts defense tired quickly and Matt Cassel rallied the offense for 17 unanswered points to win on the road. It was a major boost for a team with .500 in sight, but again, the Colts are now the worst team in the league at 0-8 and they look worse each time out.

Oakland Raiders – Week 7 (Chiefs win 28-0 @ Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum)
This is the most impressive win on the Chiefs resume so far. Shutting out the Raiders on their home turf is a big win for any team, and the Chiefs defense looked incredible. But a closer look at the situation reveals the Raiders had no quarterback to speak of (Carson Palmer had three days of practice with the new team and Kyle Boller as the Oakland options) and Darren McFadden was injured. Meanwhile, the Chiefs offense looked absolutely pathetic as well. Matt Cassel had a 38.3 rating (throwing 15 of 30 for 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions) and the Chiefs rushed for 3.6 yards/carry as a team. One wildcat trick play with Javier Arenas and two pick sixes account for the real offense here.

San Diego Chargers – Week 8 (Chiefs win 23-30 in overtime @ Arrowhead)
This one needs no explanation since it’s still so fresh. But for the sake of argument, the Chiefs were just plain lucky — as in miraculously, ridiculously, unbelievably lucky. The game was finished. Philip Rivers just had to ice the game in the final seconds and the Chargers would own the AFC West. Instead, The Phumble took place and everything went haywire. Kudos to the Chiefs on offense and defense in overtime (where they looked amazing), but this one is an anomaly for sure.

That’s four wins and every single one of them came against either a winless team or in a questionable situation. The NFL is full of these sorts of things every week and very few teams can come out of a game with no excuse whatsoever given that every team deals with injuries and that any team can win from week to week. But it’s interesting to note that the Chiefs get blown out by the good teams they’ve faced, find ways to lose games they should win (Week 3 against the Chargers) and then don’t even show up against one of the NFL’s two winless teams just yesterday.

What will be most telling for the Chiefs isn’t the scrappy wins against other teams with holes the size of Arrowhead. It’s clear at this point that the AFC West is a giant crap shoot where no one knows what’s up or down. Instead, we will see the character, the talent, the coaching ability of the Chiefs when they face the brutal schedule coming up that includes the Jets, Packers, Patriots, Bears and Steelers.

If the Chiefs can even play those games close and/or come away with a win or two, that will go a long way toward validating this season and the grit the team showed despite the early devastating injuries. If not, the Chiefs will be labeled pretenders in the few games that they did win and will be looking at a long off-season wondering what went wrong.

Read More: Jamaal Charles (RB – KAN), Eric Berry (DB – KAN), Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs

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