By Jeremy Mauss

– Newsdesk contributor

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Jan 29, 2012 – Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers was hoping to be heading to Hawai’i as a member of the AFC Pro Bowl roster, but instead he is sitting home. However, this past week Flowers was named to USA Today’s 2011 All-Joe team. To make it to this team a player can not have earned a Pro Bowl nod.

Here is the description of the award:

USA Today’s All-Joe Team is constructed to recognize the NFL’s “unsung heroes.” It’s an honor originally created in 1992 as a tribute to former Chiefs DT Joe Phillips, who played an important defensive role alongside perennial Pro Bowlers Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith.

This past season Flowers had four interceptions which was tied for 12th and one of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown. Flowers also had a career high 81 total tackles and had 20 pass break ups.

The Chiefs have had multiple players make the All-Joe team and center Casey Wiegmann has appeared on the All-Joe team more than any other player in Chiefs history with six appearances.

For more on the Kansas City Chiefs go visit Arrowhead Pride.

Read More: Brandon Flowers (CB – KAN), Kansas City Chiefs

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop can retire that “Mr. Irrelevant” nickname.

The 256th and final pick of the 2009 draft has signed a $14 million, five-year contract extension with Kansas City, a person with knowledge of the deal said late Friday.

ESPN.com, citing anonymous sources, first reported the extension.

The contract includes a $2 million signing bonus, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because an official announcement had not been made.

Succop joins a pair of other kickers who signed lucrative five-year extensions. Billy Cundiff signed for $15 million to remain with the Baltimore Ravens in January, while Mason Crosby signed with the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers for $14.75 million in July.

The soft-spoken Succop matched Pete Stoyanovich’s franchise record when he hit 22 consecutive field goals earlier this season. The streak put him atop a list of Chiefs kickers that includes Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud, Nick Lowery and Morten Andersen, the NFL’s all-time leading scorer.

“I don’t necessarily think about all the records,” Succop told the AP at the time. “Hopefully I’ll be able to go out and make the next one, and if we do that, we’ll kick the one after that.”

The former South Carolina standout made all four of his field goal attempts in the Chiefs’ 19-14 victory over the then-unbeaten Green Bay Packers earlier this season, and he was voted AFC special teams player of the week.

He also hit all five tries in a 22-7 win over Minnesota in Week 4, which matched Stenerud and Lowery for the single-game franchise record. One of them was a career-best 54-yarder.

Succop’s 30-yard kick in overtime on Halloween night beat the San Diego Chargers.

His streak of consecutive made field goals ended last week against Oakland, when he had a pair blocked in a loss that eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention. But he’s still connected on 24 of 29 tries this season, and is perfect on 90 career extra points.

General manager Scott Pioli has not been shy about signing homegrown players.

Pro Bowl linebacker Tamba Hali signed a $60 million, five-year extension during training camp, while cornerback Brandon Flowers signed a $50 million deal, five-year deal.

Last season, All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles signed for five years at $32.5 million, and Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Johnson for five years at $34 million.

Now, Pioli likely will turn his attention to cornerback Brandon Carr and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who can become free agents after the season. Carr has been solid opposite Flowers in a talented defensive backfield, while Bowe has put together another strong season with 75 catches for 1,066 yards despite having to play with three different starting quarterbacks.

The Chiefs may also try to re-sign Kyle Orton, who will start his third straight game Sunday at Denver. The veteran quarterback, who will also be a free agent, was claimed off waivers when Matt Cassel went down with a season-ending injury to his throwing hand.

Succop won’t have to worry about winning his job any time soon.

He’s been dependable since the moment he was drafted, hitting 25 of 29 field goals his rookie season, breaking Stenerud’s franchise mark for a first-year player. His conversion rate of 86.21 percent tied the rookie record for kickers with at least 20 attempts since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

Succop was nearly as good last season, hitting 20 of 26 attempts, including an overtime winner against Buffalo – a kick made even more important when the Chiefs managed to slip into the playoffs.

“Being a kicker in the NFL, the coaches talk all about it, one kick here or there can make a difference. A lot of games are decided by seven points or less,” Succop said a few weeks ago. “Whether I make or miss could be the deciding factor in the game.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read More: Demorrio Williams (LB – KAN), Jon McGraw (S – KAN), Tom Brady (QB – NEP), Matt Cassel (QB – KAN), Tyler Palko (QB – KAN), Brandon Carr (CB – KAN), Glenn Dorsey (DE – KAN), Brandon Flowers (CB – KAN), Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots

Arrowhead Pride has updated the rather lengthy injury report for the Kansas City Chiefs as they head into tonight’s game with the New England Patriots. Quarterback Matt Cassel is officially out (surgery on his hand), as is linebacker Demorrio Williams (groin). 

Four players are listed as questionable for tonight – CB Brandon Carr (ankle), DE Glenn Dorsey (knee), CB Brandon Flowers (back) and S Jon McGraw (shoulder). According to AP, the list of six players is the longest injury report of the year for Kansas City. But hey, Tom Brady’s kinda injured, too! (kinda).

While a potential loss of Flowers and/or Carr would be felt, the loss of Cassel will be the focus of the game. The Chiefs’ official site has a piece on replacement Tyler Palko’s first start, while the Arrowhead Pride guys break down the possible beginning of the “Palko Era” in Kansas City:

The Patriots defense may make Tyler Palko look better than he actually is, as they’re at the bottom of the league for a reason. They give up 308 yards per game against the pass, and that’s not very good. If Tyler Palko throws for 250 yards, it might be attributed to the fact that the Patriots pass defense is non existent.

For a first timer, this is a decent situation to be in.

For more on tonight’s game, check out Arrowhead Pride, and the SB Nation NFL page.

As expected, there are no Kansas City Chiefs on the initial ballot results for the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers(notes) leads all vote-getters with nearly 590,000 tallies as of Nov. 15. The top 10 includes two Packers and two players from the New England Patriots. Balloting stops Dec. 19 with teams announced Dec. 27.

Just because there are no Chiefs on the initial round of voting, it doesn’t mean there aren’t worthy candidates. Running back Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings is fourth on the list despite the lowly Vikings with a 2-7 record. Peterson doesn’t even lead the NFL in rushing, although he does have 10 rushing touchdowns which is tied for tops in the NFL.

If the Chiefs had some Pro Bowl-worthy candidates, the following players would make my list.

Jackie Battle(notes) came out of nowhere to lead the team in rushing with over 400 yards on the ground. Battle’s ability to get into the secondary has been dominating despite only seeing limited action before this year. He’s filling in for the injured Jamaal Charles(notes) who is done for the year.

Dwayne Bowe(notes) is still one of the top receivers in the league. With 663 yards receiving, Bowe is by no means elite this season but he is 11th in the league in receiving yards. Bowe only has four touchdowns on the season which is probably why he’s not getting noticed.

Derrick Johnson has the most tackles for Kansas City. With 55 solo tackles, he is eighth in the league in solo tackles to go along with 16 assists.

Ryan Succop(notes) started out the year by missing three out of his first five field goals over the first three games. Since then he’s been perfect, including five-for-five against the Minnesota Vikings Oct. 2.

Dustin Colquitt(notes) has had plenty of work to do in 2011. Over the first nine games, he has punted 50 times for an average of nearly 47 yards. Both of those are in the top 10 in the NFL.

Brandon Flowers(notes) has done well in the defensive secondary. He is tied for second in the NFL with four interceptions, one of which was a pick six. Flowers in sixth in the NFL in terms of interception yardage.

There are still plenty of games left and chances are one of the coaches will select at least one player from the Chiefs for the Pro Bowl even if voting isn’t kind to Kansas City.

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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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—The Kansas City Chiefs knew what was coming, even
after the Denver Broncos’ top two running backs went down with injuries. Their
AFC West rivals were going to keep running behind Tim Tebow(notes) until the Chiefs
proved they could stop them.

Just when it looked like they finally did, Tebow went to the air.

The former Heisman Trophy winner connected with Eric Decker(notes) on a 56-yard
touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, helping the Broncos to a humbling—even
humiliating—17-10 defeat of Kansas City.

“”It’s just a mindset. It’s a low-risk offense. It’s not an indictment on
Tim Tebow or whoever our quarterback is,” Broncos coach John Fox said. “It’s
just whatever is working for us. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We tried to
possess the ball and keep our defense fresh.”

Willis McGahee(notes) went down with a hamstring injury on the Broncos’ first
offensive series, and Knowshon Moreno(notes) left later in the first quarter with a
knee injury. That left journeyman Lance Ball(notes) to tote the ball 30 times for 96
yards, churning up the Chiefs’ banged-up defense.

Tebow finished 2 of 8 for 69 yards, but added 44 yards and a score on the
ground, as the Broncos (4-5) moved into a tie with Kansas City and San Diego
behind AFC West-leading Oakland (5-4).

“I’m not trying to send a message,” said Tebow, who is 3-1 since taking
over as the starter. “I’m just trying to be a football player. We can improve
from what we did today and get better.”

Fox scrapped a large chunk of his playbook when he made Tebow the starter,
trying to cater to his deft ability to run the read-option. And despite losing
his best two running backs, Fox stuck with the ground game, content to wear down
the Kansas City defense.

The Broncos made that clear when they ran eight straight times on their
opening possession.

Moreno had the highlight carry when he hurdled the Chiefs’ Brandon Flowers(notes)
on a 24-yard scamper, and Tebow finished off the drive when he scored up the
middle from 7 yards out.

The way the Chiefs played, that nearly was enough.

“We knew that was going to be a great challenge coming into this game,”
Kansas City coach Todd Haley said. “We had a Plan A, B and C for how we were
going to stop the run, because it’s a numbers issue, and no plans ended up
working like we needed it to.”

Nothing worked on offense, either.

Matt Cassel(notes) was 13 of 28 for 93 yards and a touchdown, and the Chiefs only
managed 258 yards of total offense, a performance every bit as ugly as last
week’s 31-3 loss to Miami.

“It was a tough game,” said Cassel, who didn’t go out for the Chiefs’
final series because the medical staff decided he was too banged up to continue.
“We didn’t do enough offensively, we didn’t execute throughout the day, and we
just need to execute better.”

Cassel said he hopes to play next Monday night against New England.

Rookie wide receiver Jon Baldwin tried to give Kansas City a spark when he
hauled in an acrobatic 58-yard pass in the second quarter, reaching around
safety Brian Dawkins(notes) to make the grab. Baldwin held onto the ball, still behind
Dawkins’ back, as both players fell to the ground, but the play was called back
because wide receiver Steve Breaston(notes) had lined up illegally.

Matt Prater’s(notes) 38-yard field goal gave Denver a 10-0 lead at halftime.

Tebow wound up missing all four of his pass attempts in the half, making
Denver the first team to lead at the break without a completion since the Green
Bay Packers led the Chicago Bears 14-0 on Oct. 31, 1994, according to STATS LLC.
Brett Favre(notes) was 0 for 6 at halftime of that game.

Kansas City finally scored when Cassel hit Le’Ron McClain(notes) on a play-action
pass from just outside the goal line midway through the third quarter. It was
the first points scored by the Chiefs’ offense since 12:01 left in the fourth
quarter against San Diego two weeks ago.

The Broncos snuffed out the comeback bid with 6:44 left in the game, when
Tebow hit Decker with the long touchdown pass. Ryan Succop(notes) kicked a field goal
with 7 seconds left for Kansas City, but the Broncos recovered the onside kick,
sending the Chiefs to their second straight loss.

“We have to do a better job of playing on Sundays, because it doesn’t
matter how practices go, how things look, you have to do it on Sunday,” Haley
said. “The good thing is I know we can. We’ve done it against quality
opponents, and we have some quality opponents coming up.”

Notes: Chiefs DE Glenn Dorsey(notes) left late in the game with an undisclosed
injury. … There were no turnovers in the game, though a fumble by Chiefs RB
Dexter McCluster(notes) was overturned after video review. … QB Tyler Palko(notes) was 5 of
6 for 47 yards while running the Chiefs’ no-huddle offense that set up Succop’s
field goal. … Miller finished with seven tackles and 1 1/2 sacks for Denver.

When the Denver Broncos roll into town this week to face the Kansas City Chiefs they will bring with them one of the most celebrated quarterbacks in the nation. The name Tim Tebow(notes) is being discussed by every football fan across the league, and so far he has done very little to prove that he deserves it. He has moments of greatness, where he looks like he truly may be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but he also has had moments where it appears he has no right to play in the NFL.

Tim Tebow
wikimedia commons

As a Chiefs fan it is this inconsistency that has me worried. There are clearly two very different Tim Tebow’s playing in Denver. Which one shows up for the game on Sunday may mean the difference between and win for KC and a loss. With first place on the line in a division that may go to an 8-8 team, the stakes are pretty high.

Just who are the two Tebows and what causes one to show up of the other?

The Bad Tebow

The bad Tebow is the pocket Tebow. When forced to use his arm and his ability to read the field Tebow makes poor choices and the defense comes out as the winner. With players such as Flowers roaming the secondary a bad Tebow could lead to a win on par with the pounding the Chiefs put on the raiders a couple of weeks ago.

This would be the obvious ideal situation for Kansas City.

The Good Tebow

When Tebow gets moving big things happen. He has the same game changing abilities as a Michael Vick(notes) or a Warren Moon. He can move well and the defense must respect his feet. This could spell trouble for a team such as the Chiefs.

Kansas City has proven this year that they cannot put pressure on a quarterback. Outside of Tamba Hali(notes) Kansas City does not have a single proven pass rusher, and young players such has Justin Houston(notes) have yet to prove themselves at the professional level. Tim Tebow may have all day long to pass or look for running lanes. If Kansas City can’t hit a flat footed backup quarterback like Matt Moore(notes), they sure are not going to get to Tebow.

Which will it be?

The Chiefs only hope to stopping him will be to put a linebacker on Tebow duty. Someone such as Derrick Johnson will need to mirror Tebow and take away his ability to get down the field. Wherever Tebow roams, he must have a shadow waiting for his arrival.

Luckily for the Chiefs they have that ability. Derrick Johnson is a beast of a linebacker, who does not miss. Hali is also a quick end and is able to keep up in the open field which will make getting outside tougher. If Tebow is able to scramble some the Chiefs hard hitting secondary will also make Tebow think twice about scrambling again. It’s the physical hard hitting play of the Chiefs that may be the great equalizer in this game. As long as they can keep him in the pocket, the Chiefs have the ability to force the bad Tebow to show up and win the game.

Of course, if they can’t keep him from running and good Tebow arrives, its game over.

More from this author:

Is Dexter McCluster Being Misused, or is he Over Hyped?

Where does Matt Cassel rank with the All-Time great Chiefs quarterbacks?

Jacob was born and raised in Kansas City. He has been a die hard Kansas City Chiefs fan his entire life. He now lives in Gladstone, Mo. where he is raising the next generation of Chief’s fans.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—It didn’t matter how big of a lead the Miami
Dolphins built on the Kansas City Chiefs. It still wasn’t enough to keep them
from feeling jittery.

One of two winless teams left in the NFL, the Dolphins came into Arrowhead
Stadium on Sunday with the cloud of two second-half collapses still hovering.
They were also facing a Chiefs team that had mastered the art of the comeback:
0-3 to 4-3 in four games.

So it made sense that nobody on the Dolphins sideline was celebrating until
the final seconds ticked away, and coach Tony Sparano’s beleaguered team could
finally enjoy a 31-3 victory.

“I’m just happy for the guys in our locker room,” Sparano said. “All I’ve
wanted to do for seven weeks is see these guys smile.”

There was plenty to smile about.

Matt Moore(notes) threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns, the first three-TD
performance by a Miami quarterback since Chad Pennington(notes) in 2008. Reggie Bush(notes)
ran for 92 yards and another score, and tight end Anthony Fasano(notes) hauled in two
touchdown passes in the first half.

Brandon Marshall(notes) finished with eight catches for 106 yards and another
score, once again making for a miserable afternoon for the Chiefs. The former
Broncos wide receiver has 52 catches for 689 yards and seven touchdowns in eight
games against Kansas City in his career.

“We had a couple of big plays, which kind of lit the fire,” Moore said.
“You make a couple of big plays early and there’s no telling what can happen.”

The virtuoso performance by the Miami offense helped brush away the spectre
of an 0-7 start, which included a pair of disheartening losses the past two
weeks: The Dolphins blew a 15-point lead in an overtime loss to Denver and a
seven-point lead last week against the New York Giants.

“This is all about the players,” Sparano said. “These guys did a super
job all week long of putting all the garbage behind them.”

Kansas City, meanwhile, looked more like the team that lost its first two
games by a combined 89-10 than the one that rattled off four straight wins to
climb into a tie atop the AFC West. The Chiefs, Chargers and Raiders remained
tied for first place in the division after all three lost Sunday.

Matt Cassel(notes) was 20 of 39 for 253 yards despite facing a secondary missing
cornerback Vontae Davis(notes) and had backup Nolan Carroll(notes) leave several times with a
hamstring injury.

Of course, the defensive backfield didn’t have much to defend.

The Dolphins’ relentless front spent most of the afternoon in Cassel’s face,
sacking him five times and forcing the slow-footed quarterback to scramble nine
more times. The Chiefs came into the game having allowed 13 sacks all season,
tied for sixth-best in the league.

“They executed and we didn’t,” Cassel said. “We were able to put together
some drives, but we weren’t able to sustain those drives offensively. We have to
do a better job of executing. It starts with me and all the way down the line.”

Things looked promising for Kansas City its opening possession, when it put
together a grinding, 14-play, 53-yard drive that Ryan Succop(notes) finished off with a
43-yard field goal.

The Chiefs didn’t do much after that.

Miami answered with a touchdown later in the first quarter when nobody pick
up Fasano off the line of scrimmage. Moore simply tossed a pass to him from 3
yards out, the first of 31 straight points scored by the Dolphins—more than
they’d scored in any game this season.

On the Dolphins’ ensuing possession, Moore hit fullback Charles Clay(notes) for
gains of 21 and 22 yards, and then found Fasano open down the sideline for a
35-yard touchdown completion and a 14-3 lead.

Fasano’s only other two-TD game also came against the Chiefs.

The Dolphins offense really hit the accelerator in the third quarter, when
Moore found Marshall for a 14-yard touchdown pass, and Bush shook loose for a
28-yard scoring run, the former No. 2 overall draft pick’s first TD on the
ground since Nov. 15, 2009.

Any chance of a comeback ended early in the fourth quarter, when Kansas City
failed to convert on fourth down at the Dolphins 3. The Chiefs also couldn’t
score on fourth-and-goal at the 5-yard line in the closing minutes of the game.

“This was not the kind of performance we expected or wanted,” Chiefs coach
Todd Haley said stoically. “This was a very dangerous team that was playing a
lot better than their record. It’s hard to win in the NFL and they just did a
better job than us.”

Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers(notes) put it more succinctly.

“We got beat,” he said. “We got beat pretty bad by the Miami Dolphins. At
home.”

Notes: LB Jason Taylor(notes) played in his 196th game for Miami, tied with OL Bob
Kuechenberg for second place on the franchise list. … The three points allowed
by the Dolphins were the fewest since they beat Buffalo 16-3 on Dec. 7, 2008.
… Jackie Battle(notes) carried 14 times for 40 yards for the Chiefs. Cassel was their
second-leading rushing with nine carries for 38 yards. … The Chiefs have lost
eight of their last 10 games against Miami.

“I can be walking through this building at odd times and they’ll have found some little area,” Haley said. “They’re in there. You hear soft whispers. It can be at the hotel, or here, in their room. It can be upstairs.”

Rookies together in 2008, the two friends have been putting their heads together and studying film, going over different nuances and tendencies of the upcoming opponent — working as hard as they can to be as good as they can.

When the two cornerbacks get together, it’s not to tell jokes or relax at the end of a long day. It’s football talk on the most sophisticated level.

“We spend a lot of time together,” Flowers said. “We started doing it our rookie year.”

A close friendship took root almost immediately when the two arrived in 2008. Flowers, a second-round pick from Virginia Tech, and Carr, a fifth-rounder from Grand Valley State, were both very young and, though they didn’t want to admit it, somewhat intimidated by the NFL.

Giving them even more in common, both were thrown into the starting lineup, asked to battle experienced receivers and savvy quarterbacks probably before they were ready.

“We didn’t want to be the weak part of the defense,” Flowers said.

The Brandons needed each other, and still do. The two are so close they even purchased homes that are practically next door.

“Those guys are like brothers. They’re connected at the hip. They do everything together,” quarterback Matt Cassel said. “They’re constantly watching film, even the night before a game. It’s great to see.”

They’re also a big reason the Chiefs have recovered from three season-opening losses to win three in a row. Their game against San Diego on Monday night will be for a share of first place in the AFC West, something that seemed impossible just three weeks ago for the defending division champions.

The Chargers (4-2) will be facing a defense that hasn’t been scored on in six straight quarters, something no Chiefs team had done since the 2003 team went 13-3 and won the AFC West.

“We’ve played against each other plenty of times and they’re good corners,” Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said. “They’re complete players. They press. They can play off. They can play the ball. There are certain corners you don’t worry about catching it or doing things. These guys do it all. Those two corners are a lot of the reason they’ve gotten three in a row and are rolling pretty good.”

Statistically, even during their season-salvaging three-game winning streak, the Kansas City defense has not piled up a lot of impressive statistics.

While it’s true they intercepted six passes last week in a 28-0 victory at Oakland, the Raiders actually outgained the Chiefs 322-300. The week before, Indianapolis had 355 yards. The week before that, Minnesota had 341 yards.

“The six picks happened because everybody was doing their job,” Haley said. “But I think you’re seeing some positive results because they’re playing together. I think our defensive players and our entire team, we all have a much clearer vision of what we are and what we have to be to be successful on a consistent basis.”

Flowers had two interceptions, returning one 58 yards for a touchdown, and was selected the AFC defensive player of the week. Carr added an interception.

It was one of his late-night sessions with his buddy that gets credit for the pick six. He and Carr had taken particular notice of a formation the Raiders like to use.

“I was looking just for that quick game read from the quarterback. I saw it,” Flowers said. “It’s a quick three-step drop by the quarterback. Three quick steps means the ball has to come out quick. I just knew what route he does off that drop.

“When hard work pays off, it is satisfying. I feel the NFL game is 80 percent mental, 20 percent physical.”

Carr has no doubt the 1-on-1 sessions with his pal have made him a much better player.

“I can kind of pick his brain and use that on the field and he can do the same with me,” Carr said. “We see things differently. But together we can make it into a game plan for each other.”

Their consultation never ends.

“We challenge each other,” Flowers said. “He stays right around the corner from me, so he comes to my house and I go to his house.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sometimes late at night, when Todd Haley is walking through the Kansas City Chiefs complex, he hears what sounds like furtive whispers behind closed doors.

It also happens on the road at the team hotel. Usually he just ignores the earnest, muted conversation and goes on his way. But sometimes he invites himself in and takes part in the two-man team meeting that starting cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers so often hold with each other.

“I can be walking through this building at odd times and they’ll have found some little area,” said Haley. “They’re in there. You hear soft whispers. It can be at the hotel, or here, in their room. It can be upstairs.”

Since they were rookies together in 2008, the two friends have been putting their heads together and studying film, going over different nuances and tendencies of the upcoming opponent — working as hard as they can to be as good as they can.

When the two fourth-year cornerbacks get together, it’s not to tell jokes or relax at the end of a long day.

It’s football talk on the most sophisticated level.

“We spend a lot of time together,” said Flowers. “We started doing it our rookie year.”

A close friendship took root almost immediately when the two arrived in 2008. Flowers, a second-round pick from Virginia Tech and Carr, chosen in the fifth round from Grand Valley State, were both very young and, though they did not want to admit it, somewhat intimidated by the NFL.

Giving them even more in common, both were thrown into the starting lineup, asked to battle experienced wide receivers and savvy quarterbacks probably before they were ready.

“We didn’t want to be the weak part of the defense,” said Flowers.

The Brandons needed each other, and still do. The two are so close they even purchased homes that are practically next door.

“Those guys are like brothers. They’re connected at the hip. They do everything together,” said quarterback Matt Cassel. “They’re constantly watching film, even the night before a game. It’s great to see.”

They’re also a big reason the Chiefs have recovered from an agonizing 0-3 start to win three in a row. Their game against San Diego on Monday night will be for a share of first place in the AFC West, something that seemed impossible just three weeks ago for the defending division champions.

The Chargers (4-2) will be facing a defense that hasn’t been scored on in six straight quarters, something no Chiefs team had done since the 2003 team went 13-3 and won the AFC West.

“We’ve played against each other plenty of times and they’re good corners,” said Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. “They’re complete players. They press. They can play off. They can play the ball. There are certain corners you don’t worry about catching it or doing things. These guys do it all. Those two corners are a lot of the reason they’ve gotten three in a row and are rolling pretty good.”

Statistically, even during their season-salvaging three-game win streak, the Kansas City defense has not piled up a lot of impressive statistics.

While it’s true they intercepted six passes in last weekend’s 28-0 shutout at Oakland, the Raiders actually outyarded the Chiefs 322-300. The week before, the Indianapolis Colts had 355 yards. The week before that, Minnesota had 341 yards.

“The six picks happened because everybody was doing their job,” said Haley. “But I think you’re seeing some positive results because they’re playing together. I think our defensive players and our entire team, we all have a much clearer vision of what we are and what we have to be to be successful on a consistent basis.”

Carr had one of the interceptions and Flowers had two, returning one 58 yards for a touchdown, and was named AFC defensive player of the week.

It was one of his late-night sessions with his buddy that gets credit for the pick six. He and Carr had taken particular notice of a formation the Raiders like to use.

“I was looking just for that quick game read from the quarterback. I saw it,” said Flowers. “It’s a quick three-step drop by the quarterback. Three quick steps means the ball has to come out quick. I just knew what route he does off that drop.

“When hard work pays off, it is satisfying. I feel the NFL game is 80 percent mental, 20 percent physical.”

Carr has no doubt the one-on-one sessions with his pal have made him a much better player.

“I can kind of pick his brain and use that on the field and he can do the same with me,” Carr said. “We see things differently. But together we can make it into a game plan for each other.”

Their consultation never ends.

“We challenge each other,” said Flowers. “He stays right around the corner from me, so he comes to my house and I go to his house.”

The San Diego Chargers are sitting alone atop the AFC West but don’t believe
they’re playing their best football.

The Kansas City Chiefs feel like they’re finally starting to come around
after an embarrassing start, but they haven’t really been tested lately.

The Chargers look to bounce back from a disappointing loss Monday night when
they visit the Chiefs, who are trying to win their fourth in a row and claim a
share of first place in the division.

San Diego (4-2), which saw its run of West titles end at four as Kansas City
captured the crown last season, was in position to extend its winning streak to
four last Sunday, leading the New York Jets 21-10 at halftime. The Chargers
failed to score after the break, however, and Philip Rivers(notes) threw two
fourth-quarter interceptions that led to the Jets’ last 10 points in a 27-21
road loss.

“We just need to play better and put a complete game together,” said Rivers,
who finished with a season-low 179 passing yards. “We still haven’t put one
together and we’re 4-2. You can look at that two ways: Obviously we’re not
playing as good as we can and we’ve won four games, or we better put it together
or we’re not going to get done what we want to get done.”

Rivers has clearly not been playing up to his potential.

The three-time Pro Bowler has seven touchdown passes to nine interceptions -
four fewer than he had all of last season. He had no touchdowns and two
interceptions in a 20-17 win over Kansas City on Sept. 25, a victory that
started the Chargers’ three-game winning streak.

That loss was the Chiefs’ third straight to start the season, but they’ve
rebounded by winning their last three. No team has started 0-3 and won its next
four games since Pittsburgh in 2000.

Kansas City’s wins haven’t come against the NFL’s top competition, however.
The Chiefs (3-3) have defeated last-place teams Minnesota and Indianapolis and
beat an Oakland squad last Sunday that was unsettled at quarterback.

They intercepted both Kyle Boller(notes) and Carson Palmer(notes) three times in a 28-0
victory. It was the franchise’s first six-interception game since 1984 against
Seattle and first road shutout since beating San Diego in 1973.

“The great part about what this team has done is we just continue to grind
and take it one game at a time,” quarterback Matt Cassel(notes) said. “You can see us
get better from the start of the season till now. Hopefully we’ll just continue
to make progress. We know it’s a one-game season every week.”

Cassel had two interceptions against the Raiders – his first picks since
throwing one to Eric Weddle(notes) at midfield with 55 seconds left in San Diego last
month.

In that meeting, the Chiefs were playing their first game since All-Pro
running back Jamaal Charles(notes) was put on injured reserve with a torn left ACL.
Kansas City’s ground game was in flux and finished with a season-low 81 yards.
It has since found some consistency behind Jackie Battle(notes) and is averaging 145.3
rushing yards during the winning streak.

Battle, who has run for 195 yards on 35 attempts in the last two games, will
be facing a San Diego defense that has yielded 162 rushing yards in each of its
last two contests.

Kansas City’s defense has also been susceptible against the run, ranking
25th in the league with 125.5 yards allowed per game. The Chargers’ Ryan Mathews(notes)
rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in last month’s matchup.

The Chiefs, 8-2 at home since the start of last season, have lost seven of
eight to the Chargers, with the lone victory coming in a Monday night game at
Arrowhead Stadium to open last season.

“We just have to keep believing,” Kansas City cornerback Brandon Flowers(notes)
said. “We never bowed our head and thought the season was done like some people
did. We just knew if we kept pushing, things would turn around for us. It’s
going to be a great showdown Monday night.”

The San Diego Chargers come to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs Oct. 31 for a Monday Night Football clash on Halloween. If the Chiefs win, they will earn a three-way tie for first place in the AFC West nearing the midway point of the 2011 NFL season.

Matt Cassel in early 2010.
Wikimedia Commons

Here are some players to watch for Kansas City as the team looks to have a four-game winning streak on the year.

Matt Cassel(notes)

Matt Cassel hasn’t had a truly great game yet this year. Yet the Chargers have the third-best pass defense in the NFL. San Diego only gives up 175 yards per game through the air. Cassel has had two games over 250 yards in victories over the Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts. Yet against the Oakland Raiders Oct. 23, Cassel couldn’t capitalize on a disheveled Raiders defense and only had 161 yards passing. Last week, he had his worst passer rating of the year. If Cassel can have a decent game against San Diego, the Chiefs will not lose.

Tamba Hali(notes)

Tamba Hali has had four sacks on the year, including two against the Vikings Oct. 2. He’s on pace to have 10 sacks in 2011. San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers(notes) has been sacked 14 times , including five times against Denver. Hali needs to have a breakout game. Kansas City only has six sacks as a team this year. Hali was a sackmaster last year but has been largely quiet in 2011.

Jackie Battle(notes)

Running back Jackie Battle is the surprise of the Kansas City Chiefs. When Jamaal Charles(notes) went down with a season-ending knee injury, everyone including myself expected the Chiefs to have a non-existent running game. Boy was I wrong. Battle has steadily improved and topped out at Indianapolis with 119 yards rushing on 19 carries. The Chargers give up around 122 yards on the ground per game. It’s time for Battle, along with Dexter McCluster(notes), to run away with the game against San Diego.

Brandon Flowers(notes)

Safety Eric Berry(notes) went down with a knee injury earlier in the year. That left cornerback Brandon Flowers to pick up the slack. Like many players on the squad, Flowers’ coming out party was against the hapless Raiders. He has four interceptions on the year and two Oct. 23. He needs to have a big game to take Rivers and the Chargers’ receivers out of the picture.

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.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Just three weeks ago, that’s all the Chiefs heard too.

In a surprising turnaround from the NFL’s basement, Flowers and Kendrick Lewis returned interceptions for touchdowns and Kansas City piled up six interceptions to shut out the Oakland Raiders 28-0 on Sunday for its third straight victory.

“We love it. Any defense loves to play away and hear boos,” said Flowers, who had two interceptions. “Every defense loves that. For us to come out here and get the Oakland Raiders crowd to do that, the Black Hole, that was big for us.”

The Chiefs didn’t care who played quarterback for Oakland.

Starter Kyle Boller became the first Raiders quarterback in 13 years to throw three interceptions in the first half, including Lewis’ 59-yard score on the first drive of the game for Oakland (4-3).

Carson Palmer, acquired in a trade Tuesday, relieved him in the second half and threw three more interceptions – including one that Flowers returned 58 yards to give the Chiefs a 28-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs (3-3) have rebounded from an 0-3 start and will play for a share of the AFC West lead next Monday night against San Diego.

“We just have to keep believing,” Flowers said. “We never bowed our head and thought the season was done like some people did. We just knew if we kept pushing, things would turn around for us. It’s going to be a great showdown Monday night.”

Javier Arenas and Le’Ron McClain each added touchdown runs for the Chiefs on a day the Kansas City offense didn’t have to do much at all.

After being outscored 89-10 in losses to Buffalo and Detroit to open the season, the defending AFC West champion Chiefs are back in contention in the division.

While the wins came against cellar dwellers Minnesota and Indianapolis and a banged-up Raiders team missing its leading passer, scorer and rusher for most of the game, the Chiefs aren’t apologizing.

“This is a tough group of guys we’ve got,” Chiefs coach Todd Haley said.

The Raiders’ promising season was jolted last week when Jason Campbell was knocked out with a broken collarbone. Coach Hue Jackson moved quickly to get a replacement by trading for Palmer on Tuesday.

Palmer had been available because he refused to play with Cincinnati and had been working out on his own in California. Because of his rust and unfamiliarity with his teammates and the playbook, Palmer did not start.

It didn’t end up mattering because neither quarterback was able to do much. Boller was 7 for 14 for 61 yards and became the first Raiders quarterback to throw three interceptions in the first half since Donald Hollas in 1998 against Miami. Palmer went 8 for 21 for 116 yards with the three interceptions.

This marked the first time the Raiders had thrown six interceptions in a game since that 1998 game against the Dolphins and the Chiefs had their first six-interception game since 1984 against Seattle.

“We knew that they had a quarterback controversy,” Lewis said. “We studied film and studied their routes and that they were going to give him a limited playbook. When we had the opportunity to make big plays and capitalize, that’s what we did. And we did a good job with it.”

This was also the sixth time the Raiders have been shut out at home, with five coming since the start of the 2006 season.

Jackson was coy all week about whether Boller or Palmer would start at quarterback in Oakland’s first game since Campbell broke his collarbone.

Oakland, Calif. — Brandon Flowers heard the boos at the Black Hole grow louder with every pass the Kansas City Chiefs intercepted and could only chuckle.

Just three weeks ago, that’s all the Chiefs heard too.

In a surprising turnaround from the NFL’s basement, Flowers and Kendrick Lewis returned interceptions for touchdowns, and Kansas City piled up six interceptions to shut out the Oakland Raiders, 28-0, Sunday for its third straight victory.

“We love it. Any defense loves to play away and hear boos,” said Flowers, who had two interceptions. “Every defense loves that. For us to come out here and get the Oakland Raiders crowd to do that, the Black Hole, that was big for us.”

The Chiefs didn’t care who played quarterback for Oakland.

Starter Kyle Boller became the first Raiders quarterback in 13 years to throw three interceptions in the first half, including Lewis’ 59-yard score on the first drive of the game for Oakland (4-3).

Carson Palmer, acquired in a trade Tuesday, relieved him in the second half and threw three more interceptions — including one that Flowers returned 58 yards to give the Chiefs a 28-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs (3-3) have rebounded from an 0-3 start and will play for a share of the AFC West lead on Monday night against San Diego.

“We just have to keep believing,” Flowers said. “We never bowed our head and thought the season was done like some people did. We just knew if we kept pushing, things would turn around for us. It’s going to be a great showdown Monday night.”

Javier Arenas and Le’Ron McClain each added touchdown runs for the Chiefs on a day the Kansas City offense didn’t have to do much at all.

After being outscored 89-10 in losses to Buffalo and Detroit to open the season, the defending AFC West champion Chiefs are back in contention in the division.

While the wins came against cellar dwellers Minnesota and Indianapolis and a banged-up Raiders team missing its leading passer, scorer and rusher for most of the game, the Chiefs aren’t apologizing.

“This is a tough group of guys we’ve got,” Chiefs coach Todd Haley said.

The Raiders’ promising season was jolted last week when Jason Campbell was knocked out with a broken collarbone. Coach Hue Jackson moved quickly to get a replacement by trading for Palmer on Tuesday.

Palmer had been available because he refused to play with Cincinnati and had been working out on his own in Southern California.

Because of his rust and unfamiliarity with his teammates and the playbook, Palmer did not start in his debut.

It didn’t end up mattering because neither quarterback was able to do much.

Boller was 7 for 14 for 61 yards and became the first Raiders quarterback to throw three interceptions in the first half since Donald Hollas in 1998 against Miami. Palmer went 8 for 21 for 116 yards with the three interceptions.

This marked the first time the Raiders had thrown six interceptions in a game since that 1998 game against the Dolphins and the Chiefs had their first six-interception game since 1984 against Seattle.

“We knew that they had a quarterback controversy,” Lewis said. “We studied film and studied their routes and that they were going to give him a limited playbook. When we had the opportunity to make big plays and capitalize, that’s what we did. And we did a good job with it.”

This was also the sixth time the Raiders have been shut out at home, with five coming since the start of the 2006 season.

Jackson was coy all week about whether Boller or Palmer would start at quarterback in Oakland’s first game since Campbell broke his collarbone.

With star running back Darren McFadden leaving in the first quarter with an injured right foot, it didn’t much matter.

Oakland moved into Kansas City territory on its first drive and tried to run a trick play on third-and-1 that backfired.

No. 3 quarterback Terrelle Pryor lined up at receiver and went in motion to behind the center and took a quick snap for a keeper. The Raiders were called for a false start because Pryor was not set for a second.

On the next play, Boller threw a pass to Jacoby Ford that Lewis stepped in front of and returned 59 yards for the touchdown to give the Chiefs a 7-0 lead.

The boos of Boller started, but Palmer remained on the sideline with a baseball hat. Boller threw his second interception on a deep pass to Denarius Moore that Flowers caught. The Chiefs then drove 61 yards for a score on McClain’s 1-yard run.

Boller finally got the Raiders moving with some good runs by Michael Bush before Derrick Johnson stuffed him on fourth down at the 1 when Jackson called for a direct snap to the running back.

The Raiders drove to the Chiefs 36 late in the first half before Boller underthrew Darrius Heyward-Bey and was intercepted by Brandon Carr. Not that Palmer felt any better matching Boller’s mark.

“It was just an awful feeling walking off the field to be beat like that in the fashion that we were beat,” Palmer said. “We need to regroup.”

Notes: Kansas City’s previous biggest road win over the Raiders was 32-10 in 1966. … This was the sixth time the Raiders have been shut out at home, with five coming since the start of the 2006 season. … Raiders TE Kevin Boss left with a concussion.

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Associated Press.

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The Kansas City Chiefs shutout the hapless Oakland Raiders by a score of 28-0 Oct. 23 in Oakland. Two interceptions by the Chiefs defense led directly to touchdowns as the Raiders couldn’t find their offense without injured quarterback Jason Campbell(notes). The NFL’s leading rusher went down with a foot injury during the game. ESPN reports Darren McFadden(notes) sprained his right foot in the first half.

Matt Cassel in early 2010.
Wikimedia Commons

Quarterback Matt Cassel(notes) was just 15-for-30 and 161 yards passing. Running back Jackie Battle(notes) had 76 yards on the ground as Kansas City had 139 yards rushing total.

It was the defense that won the day. The Chiefs picked off Carson Palmer(notes) and Kyle Boller(notes) three times each. Two of them went for touchdowns. Brandon Flowers(notes) and Kendrick Lewis(notes) each had a defensive touchdown in the best all-around game the Chiefs have had so far.

Granted, the victory was against a team without a clear choice at quarterback. But it still doesn’t explain the Raider’s lapses on defense. Cassel wasn’t outstanding, but head coach Todd Haley pounded out running plays against a decent defense that only gives up 113 rushing yards per game. Today’s game showed the Chiefs have clearly gotten better.

The game was sloppy in general. The Raiders and Chiefs combined for 24 penalties covering 218 yards. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win against the Raiders which is always a good thing.

The shutout was the first between these teams since Dec. 28, 2002, when the Raiders beat the Chiefs 24-0. This is the fourth shutout in the 105 rivalry games these two clubs have played. Kansas City now has 55-48-2 record over the entire series.

Kansas City now is just a game and a half out of first place in the AFC West. The San Diego Chargers lost to the New York Jets the same day. After starting 0-3, Kansas City now has a .500 record and is right back in the hunt for a division title.

Next week, K.C. welcomes the Chargers on Halloween for a Monday Night Football matchup. The Chiefs narrowly lost to the Chargers in San Diego by a 20-17 score back on Sept. 25. The Chargers are 4-2, having lost to the New York Jets when they squandered an 11-point lead in the final 18 minutes of the game.

Oct. 31 will be a tie for the division lead at home. The last time Kansas City played on Monday night against the Chargers, they opened the 2010 season with a victory.

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.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.