Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 1/2

Victory Monday. The Kansas City Chiefs' season may be over, but there are a lot of stories that will be coming up in the next weeks and months. From the head coaching job to free agency and from the combine to the draft, we will keep you up to date. Here is today's Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.

The game continued the late-season pattern for the Chiefs' defense. Other than a miserable game in December against the Jets in New York, the defense played well over the final six games, perhaps setting things up for a big 2012 season. "

Throughout the season, every week we got better and better as a defense," Lewis said. "We're only going to grow and get better as time goes on."

Chiefs Defense Takes Care Of Tim Tebow from KC Star

Romeo Crennel doesn't know if a New Year's Day victory in Denver secured his bid to be the Chiefs head coach for the rest of 2012 and beyond, but his team sure made a compelling case Sunday afternoon.

Kansas City's 7-3 win in Denver won't put the Chiefs in the playoffs or mask an inconsistent season that resulted in an in-season coaching change, but it did show Crennel's ability to generate a locker room response.

The Morning After: Denver from The Mothership

KC Star Photo Gallery: Chiefs End Year By Shutting Down Broncos' Offense, 7-3

NFL.com Video: GameDay: Chiefs vs. Broncos Highlights

NFL.com Video: Chiefs Postgame Press Conference

Three respected Chiefs players - Tamba Hali, Steve Breaston and Le'Ron McClain - agreed that Crennel has "overwhelming" support from the players. So the Chiefs are best served with him as the head coach, but only under the following condition:

They don't get fooled into believing the rest of the fixes from a disappointing season are in-house.

Early indications are good. The coaching staff will undergo major changes, almost certainly with a new offensive coordinator and new special-teams coach.

Chiefs Need To Make Fixes, But Not At Head Coach from KC Star

Big decisions lay ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs. There's a head coach to be hired, an intriguing quarterback situation to address and several noteworthy players headed toward free agency.

The decisions made by the Chiefs front office in the coming days, weeks and months will define the rest of 2012 and beyond.

But on the first day of the New Year, Kansas City is living in the moment.

Big Decisions Loom, But Chiefs Live In The Moment from The Mothership

For his part, Crennel downplayed one of the more intriguing story lines that'll permeate Chiefs-related conversation for the next little while. He didn't beg for the job or lobby for it. That's not his style. Instead, he let other voices - including those that chanted his initials-inspired nickname, "RAC! RAC!" in the locker room - make his point.

"When I got this job," Crennel said, "I told you that I was going to do the best I can and then let the chips fall where they may. And I think that's still the case.

"The people who are going to make the decisions, they see how I've operated, and whatever decision they make, they're going to make it. ... We'll see what happens."

Crennel Wants Chiefs' Head-Coaching Job But Won't Push For It from KC Star

"I thank the Chiefs for giving me an opportunity to get a fresh start. I really enjoyed playing with those guys in the locker room. I think they've got a solid group of character guys. I appreciate them letting me come in and be a part of the team and finish this season on a strong note."

Orton will be a free agent in March if he doesn't re-sign with the Chiefs. Cassel and rookie Ricky Stanzi, who didn't play a down this season, are also under contract.

Orton's Future Unclear After Chiefs Beat Broncos from KC Star

They were celebrating in the locker room. Smiling now, but aware of what's next. Some know they stand to be part of something potentially special. Others understand that their time is through.

The NFL is about change, and the teams that win championships are the best at adapting to it. The Chiefs stand to change significantly over the next nine months, before they play again. Most of it is promising. Some is nerve-racking.

Players Look Ahead As Chiefs' Season Come To End from KC Star

Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe left the game for good late in the first half after catching a 19-yard pass. The Chiefs said during the game he had a neck injury, but it turns out he has a possible concussion.

"He came back on the sideline, but they wouldn't let him go back into the game," coach Romeo Crennel said. "He wanted to come back, but he got hit in the head, and in the NFL we are more cautious about those kinds of things."

Chiefs Buzz: Dwayne Bowe Has Possible Concussion from KC Star

Who will be the Chiefs' starting quarterback next season?

Kyle Orton made his case with two victories in three starts, but it seems unlikely that he'll be re-signed to replace Matt Cassel, or even compete with him. Even Orton said Sunday night that he believes the Chiefs are Cassel's team. With three years left on Cassel's contract, it might be premature to part ways with him now - particularly if Orton, mostly a mediocre player throughout his career, is the best reason for the change.

Chiefs Blitz: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly From The Broncos Game from KC Star

The Kansas City Chiefs will have the first pick by an AFC West division team. They will pick either 11th or 12th. The Chiefs will have a coin flip with Seattle to determine the order. In the past, the coin flips have been held during the NFL combine in late February.

Draft Order Coming Into Shape from ESPN

The Oakland Raiders were part of a record-setting day in the NFL on Sunday when they became the most penalized team in a season.

Rock Cartwright was called for holding during the second-half kickoff return against the San Diego Chargers for the Raiders' 159th penalty of the season, breaking the mark of the 1998 Kansas City Chiefs, who set records for penalties (158) and yards penalized (1,304).

Raiders Join NFL Record-Setters On Sunday With More Penalties from The Los Angeles Times

In terms of the new additions in 2011, Brian Waters doesn't sack the quarterback or intercept passes.

In other words, you wouldn't know the first-year New England Patriot if you walked into him.

Lost in all of the hype about the recent personnel hits (Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Andre Carter, Stevan Ridley and Nick Solder) and misses (several defensive backs, Shaun Ellis and Chad Ochocinco), Waters might be Belichick's biggest coup.

Waters Is The Unsung MVP For Pats from The North Andover Eagle-Tribune

This time, VoterTide, which is built on the same data collection engine, spits out real-time scores for political candidates based on what's buzzing online. The data collection engine processes about 70,000 pieces of data - news articles, Facebook fans and updates, Twitter posts from influential users, YouTube views, and even rumors circulating online - that could end up making or breaking a candidate's run for office...

...Rockdex possesses many of the same features as VoterTide and helps artists, record labels, managers and publicists track what kind of buzz a musician or band is gaining online. The idea for the company was planted in 2006 and, in 2009, the first fine-tuned product was released.

The platform has even expanded outside music. The National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs also use the program to track what is being said about the organization.

The Digital Pulse Of Politics from The Omaha World-Herald