Chiefs vs. Panthers Post Game Gab

Whatever momentum the Chiefs had in their corner after the Broncos victory was just wiped away by the Carolina Panthers as they defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 34-0. The scoreboard does not really give the game justice it was not even that close, the Chiefs were dominated at every position on the field.

If the Panthers would not have let up in the fourth quarter they could have covered a forty point spread. The Chiefs came out flat and could not match the Panthers energy level throughout the game, the Panthers seemingly got the Chiefs to roll over and die.

The Panthers took the lead with 8:30 left in the fist quarter on a 10 yard DeAnglo Williams touchdown run. On the ensuing Carolina drive they would once again get inside the Chiefs 20 yard line only to fumble on a Jonathon Stewart carry that was stripped away by Rookie DT Glen Dorsey.

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Chiefs vs. Panthers Pre Game Gab

A winning streak is something that has not been talked about at Arrowhead for a long time, on Sunday the Chiefs have a opportunity to begin one. The Chiefs will travel to Carolina to take on the 3 and 1 Panthers beginning a seven game stretch in which they will face likely playoff teams. This game and the next six will be the test of all tests for the sixteen rookies on this roster. The Panthers in many ways are what the Chiefs hope to become.

Carolina plays a tough physical hit you in the mouth style of football and can mix it up with two very good receivers in Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad. Don’t let the stats fool you the Panthers do not rank in the top 17 in any major offensive statistical categories, but they are not asked to put up a bunch of points they only have to score about 20 points a game and run the clock down.

The Chiefs will once again be led this week by Damon Huard last week he completed 75% percent of his passes and stabilized a very erratic offense. Herm Edwards has made several statements this week that make it sound like if Huard can find a way to pull off another upset he may stay in, until his hot hand cools off. Carolina’s defense will present much greater problems for Huard and the Chiefs than Denver. The Chiefs will have to contain a intimidating front seven led by all pro defensive end Julius Peppers and second year linebacker Jon Beason. To make matters worse for the Chiefs O-line they will face this battle without rookie left tackle Branden Albert. Herb Taylor filled in nicely last week and played impressively in the preseason, Taylor will play a major roll in the success or failure of the O-line this week.

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Previewing the Chiefs at Panthers

The Kansas City Chiefs are feeling good about beating the formerly unbeaten Denver Broncos last week.  This week they head to Bank of America Stadium to take on the Panthers, a  team that at 3-1 also should be feeling good about its early season start.  The Panthers last week topped the Falcons at home, and are now in sole possession for the lead in the NFC South for the first time in a long time.

Carolina has done it with a running game with just over 100 yards per game.  That may not be as easy this week, as two big parts of the O-line - Jordan Gross and first-round pick Jeff Otah are both hurt, and both have missed practice time this week.  It may be up to Jake Delhomme, who has 860 yards and three TD’s through the air, to get the job done.  Last week he threw TD’s to Steve Smith and Mushin Muhummad in the win over the Falcons.

The Chiefs will want to come in and run the ball, but they too also know after last week they can throw it.  Damon Huard looked good vs Denver, and had a solid day while the biggest thing was not making the back breaking mistakes that fellow QB Tyler Thigpen did the week before in losing to the Falcons.  He’ll have to be weary of that Panthers D-line, as last week they were able to put some heat on Matt Ryan.

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QB Croyle Could be Back by Week 7

It looks as if QB Brodie Croyle could be back by week seven according to head coach Herm Edwards. What the coach would not commit to is if Croyle would be the starter when he returns. “We’ll talk about that when Brodie comes back,” Edwards said. “I don’t have to commit to anybody right now. Damon Huard is the quarterback.” Edwards at least has the flexibility of going with either Croyle, Huard, or even Tyler Thigpen, who didn’t play well in his first start, but could at least get another shot at some point in 2008. As for Croyle, he was beaten badly in a week one loss in New England and has not played since.

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What a Difference a Win Makes

Everyone at Arrowhead is all smiles this week, L.J. seems to understand his role in the offense, two weeks after saying he saw “the writing on the wall”. Derrick Johnson played the best game of his Chiefs career Sunday, a forced fumble, interception and a half a sack that went uncredited.. Now in his fourth year Johnson may have finally realized his potential and role on the team as leader of the defense. That would be good news for the Chiefs who are in need of leadership with all the young inexperienced players.

With the Chiefs victory over the Denver Broncos they put their selves in a position with a win at Carolina and a Chargers loss to move into a two way tie in the AFC WEST. Granted that seems to be a unlikely scenario but keep in mind a Chiefs victory against a undefeated Broncos team seemed unlikely. With a victory in hand at least the Chiefs now have some scenarios. … . The Chargers will face a Dolphins team that is unpredictable to say the least, they started out 0-2 and then knocked of the Patriots snapping their regular season winning streak, in dominating fashion in their house. The Chargers have shown the propensity to play to their competitions level. Last week they let the Raiders get up on them 18-3 before exploding for 25 points in the fourth quarter. This game has upset written all over it.

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L.J. Up for FedEx Ground Player of the Week Award

Quarterbacks DREW BREES of the New Orleans Saints, JASON CAMPBELL of the Washington Redskins and BRETT FAVRE of the New York Jets are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on September 28 - 29, while running backs EARNEST GRAHAM of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, LARRY JOHNSON of the Kansas City Chiefs and CLINTON PORTIS of the Washington Redskins are the finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week honors, the NFL announced today.

Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx from 9 a.m. EST on Tuesday through 11 a.m.. EST on Friday to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week. The winners will be announced Friday evening on NFL.com.

Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. As part of the Air & Ground program for the first time, FedEx is teaming up with Safe Kids USA – a national non-profit organization that works to prevent accidental injury among children – to deliver safer kids by making weekly $1,000 donations in the winning players’ names. The funding directly benefits local Safe Kids coalitions in that team’s city, to fund pedestrian safety improvements throughout the year. This year, FedEx celebrates its fifth year of the program and will surpass the $1 million mark in funding to create safer communities for children.

New this season, fans can tune into the “FedEx Air & Ground Lowdown” posted only on NFL.com/FedEx starting Wednesday mornings. The show examines the nominees in the Air & Ground categories through exclusive video highlights and expert analysis. NFL Network’s MARSHALL FAULK and TERRELL DAVIS host the weekly five-minute show.

A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week finalists:

· New Orleans’ DREW BREES completed 23 of 35 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns in the Saints’ 31 – 17 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

· Washington’s JASON CAMPBELL passed for 231 yards and two touchdowns completing 20 of his 31 passes in the Redskins’ 26 – 24 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Campbell managed an offense that controlled the ball for more than 38 minutes.

· New York Jets’ BRETT FAVRE threw for a career-high six touchdowns and posted a 123.7 passer rating in the Jets’ 56 – 35 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Favre completed 24 of 34 passes to eight different receivers for 289 yards.

A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week finalists:

· Tampa Bay’s EARNEST GRAHAM rushed for 111 yards and one touchdown over 20 carries in the Buccaneers’ 30 – 21 win over the Green Bay Packers. Graham’s fourth-quarter one-yard touchdown sealed Tampa Bay’s victory.

· Kansas City’s LARRY JOHNSON rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries in the Chiefs’ 33 – 19 win over the AFC West rival Denver Broncos, the Chiefs’ first win of the year.

· Washington’s CLINTON PORTIS totaled 121 rushing yards on 21 carries in the Redskins’ 26 – 24 win over the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys.

Grading the Keys to the Game

Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers vs. Broncos triplets: In their wildest imaginations Herm Edwards and Gunther Cunningham could not have thought their rookie corners would have played this well. If Larry Johnson and his 198 yards were the story of the game offensively , Carr and Flowers had to be the story defensively . The Broncos did pile up a bunch of yards thru the air mostly due to the fact they were trailing the majority of the game. Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall both had nice stats but both were forced to fumble. Jay Cutler was picked off twice and only threw one touchdown all in all the Chiefs rookie cornerback tandem had a hand in three of the Broncos four turnovers.

Grade B+

Keep Larry Johnson rolling: The main objective for the Chiefs this week was to keep L.J. going after his breakout game last week at Atlanta. Larry Johnson responded and showed up in a big way for the Chiefs today gaining 198 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns. Johnson took matters in his own hands today taking the second play off the game down the field 65 yards putting the Chiefs in a position to grab the lead and continue to feed him the rock. Often taking two or three defenders to drag him down L.J. looked like the runner of old and was all smiles after the game two weeks after questioning his role on this team. A couple 100 yard games and a victory makes everyone happy.

Grade A+

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Chiefs vs. Broncos Post Game Gab

“Winning cures all” No one statement may ring more true for Herm Edwards and the Kansas City Chiefs today. The Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos 33-19 in a game that could have been a lot worse score wise for the Broncos.

The Chiefs started well out of the gate setting up the run with Larry Johnson. On the second play of the game LJ took the ball up the middle and motored 65 yards down the field. Eventually Johnson ran out of gas and was caught from behind at the Broncos 21. The Chiefs would get the ball down to Broncos five setting up a Nick Novak 23 yard field goal. With the Chiefs up 3-0 they had something they had not possessed in 21 ½ quarters…..a lead!!!

On Denver’s opening drive rookie receiver Eddie Royal was stripped from behind by DE Turk McBride, after a 20 yard gain that would have got Denver out of some bad field position. Kansas City responded on a drive led by Damon Huard that would again see the Chiefs get inside the five yard line and again settle for a Nick Novak field goal.

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Albert Carted Off the Field in Second Quarter w/ Arm Injury

Chiefs rookie tackle Brandon Albert was hurt in the second quarter to today’s matchup with the Broncos.  Reports say that Albert, who was the teams second first-round pick this year, that he suffered an injury to his right arm or elbow and is not expected to return. He was replaced by Herb Taylor at left tackle.  He had to be carted off the field.