The Kansas City Chiefs entered last week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals having given up over 200 yards rushing in three consecutive games. That streak started of course with the Denver Broncos a month ago when they sliced the Chiefs for 245 yards on the ground.
The Chiefs regained some momentum last week holding the Bengals to just (just?) 144 yards rushing. The front seven has been up and down all year but last week they only had a couple of plays they'd like to have back according to head coach Todd Haley.
"It has been up and down and that’s what we have to eliminate," Haley said of the defensive line. "We need to get a group there that can hang in there week-in and week-out and when they’re a little off then have some guys that make up for them.
"We’ve had some games where they’ve really played solid, even last game [vs. Cincinnati] where the front seven did a really good job throughout the game. They had only two or three plays they’d like to have back. The smaller that number gets the better."
The Chiefs will have a good opportunity this weekend with the slumping Broncos rushing attack. After going for 245 yards, the Broncos have rushed for just 95, 80 and 70 yards in the last three games.
With Brandon Marshall nursing a hamstring injury, it's entirely possible the running game will be a bigger focus for the Broncos this weekend, which means the Chiefs will face a good test of where they're at to end the year.
Oh, and Knowshon Moreno needs just over 100 yards to reach 1,000 for the season. Wouldn't it be nice if Charles hits 1,000 and the Chiefs deny Moreno the same feat?