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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 10/16

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Good morning, Kansas City Chiefs fans! We've gathered a lot of news on your favorite NFL team today. As always, enjoy.

The Texans have significant defensive shortcomings. They allowed at least 24 points in each of their five games and are last in the league in pass defense.

But the Chiefs have given no indication they can take advantage. They needed a potent passing game for the first time this season in trying to come back in the second half Sunday, but they failed to deliver.

Chiefs’ chance at improving passing game on the road could come this week against Texans from KC Star

During their 3-2 start, the Texans have not featured the tight ends in their offense as much as they did this past season when they began 2-3.

Owen Daniels and Joel Dreessen have combined for 17 catches for 232 yards and one touchdown.

"It's probably a combination of factors," Daniels said after practice Friday. "We're running the ball a lot more and a lot better. And I haven't been able to do the things I did last year - yet. I'm getting closer to being able to move around like I did before."

Tight ends confident they will catch on from The Houston Chronicle

Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis spoke with reporters for the first time since Sunday’s loss at Indianapolis. Among the things Weis said: The Chiefs didn’t intentionally go back to Dwayne Bowe on the play after his dropped touchdown pass. But generally speaking, they like to get a player involved again after he makes a mistake like that.

Weis: It’s good to go right back to a player after a mistake from KC Star

KC Star Video: Chiefs Derrick Johnson on the Texans

This is the way game plans work: If there's a clear weakness, the opponent attacks it. The only way it doesn't is if it just doesn't trust itself to properly go after that weakness.

The Chiefs can say what they want about Cassel and their confidence in him, for now and later. But if the game plan never lies, Kansas City will have to show its hand against the Texans.

Wonder what the Chiefs really think of Cassel? We might find out Sunday from The Red Zone

There has to be some award we can give Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. To get end Glenn Dorsey and inside linebacker Derrick Johnson to produce after less-than-stellar starts to their careers is award-winning stuff. Dorsey might have only 15 tackles and a half-sack, but he's taking up blockers and allowing guys like Johnson (team-leading 46 tackles) to make plays. Crennel's defense is a big reason why the Chiefs are a surprising 3-1.

This week in the NFL from The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Few preseason prognosticators predicted big things for the Buccaneers or Chiefs this season, but they're a combined 6-2 after managing only seven wins between them all of last season.

"We're a team transitioning into trying to become a good team," Chiefs Coach Todd Haley said after last Sunday's loss to the Colts. "I've been very clear on that. We're not there. If we had won this game, I'd be saying the same thing because good is much bigger than four games. Good is measured a little differently. But we are transitioning, and we are making progress."

Early theme of NFL season is parity from The Washington Post

Last weekend's game Sunday between the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs provides a prime example. In holding the Colts to only one touchdown in a 19-9 loss, the Chiefs played much of the game in an umbrella defense that often featured six defensive backs and only two defensive linemen. Aside from a handful of short-yardage plays, the Chiefs never had more than three defensive linemen on the field.

"Sure, what you should be doing in that situation is pounding away with the running game, but for whatever reason we couldn't do it," Colts center Jeff Saturday said.

Teams shying away from run at record pace from Yahoo! Sports

Wide receiver should be a strong position for the Kansas City game. Andre Johnson (ankle) and Jacoby Jones (calf) are starting.

"Jacoby practiced today, so everything looks good," coach Gary Kubiak said Friday.

Having Jones come off the bench as the third receiver and as the top returner means a lot to the Texans.

Texans notes: Receiver Jones to return against Chiefs from The Houston Chronicle

This last one is really testing me, though. The Chiefs are still 3-1 and they were going to lose one eventually. And even if Bowe had hauled it in, the Chiefs still might have lost. In that type of game, where Kansas City really had a chance to establish themselves as one of the premier teams in the AFC (which seems to be the better conference this year), they didn't. Bowe's drop was huge. After the game the guys on the 810 postgame show had a list of the biggest drops of Bowe's career. There is no reason an NFL receiver should have a list of worst drops.

A Bad Case of the Drops from The Trenton Republican-Times   

As for the Chiefs, they are 3-1 with everyone else in their division at 2-3 and it appears that even their own fans didn't think they would get off to a 3-0 start. With a loss last week, fans are wondering who the Chiefs really are.

Statistically, the Chiefs boast one of the best defenses in the game giving up only 14.2 points per game. It's true that they've only played 4 games while a lot of other teams have played 5, but never the less, they've held down the teams they have played.

Kansas City Chief @ Houston Texans: Game Breakdown from Xtra Point Football

It took most of the summer to accomplish, but by mid-September, the newly renovated football field at St. Catherine of Sienna Parish was ready for its first diocesan grade school games in more than 20 years...    

...The 80-yard field was reconfigured, emerging as a 100-yard field, resodded with newly painted yard lines and end zones. Fencing materials, donated by the Kansas City Chiefs, encompass the field.    

Parochial League revitalizes football field at St. Catherine’s from The Catholic Key 

4.  Kansas City Chiefs versus San Diego Chargers, 128 points (38 good wins, 45 close games, 7 big comebacks)

These teams may not have the passionate rivalry of other series, but it is an underrated rivalry between the lines.  These teams were the class of the early AFL, with Sid Gillman facing Hank Stram, as the Chargers won 5 and the Chiefs won 2 division titles in the first seven years of the AFL.   Eight times since 1981, a team has lost a game in this series despite scoring 30 or more points. 

The Best Divisional Rivalries on the Field from The Big Lead

Beating the up-and-coming Houston Texans will also help Kansas City's quest for respectability, and it's possible if the Chiefs learn from mistakes that cost them a chance to upset Indianapolis last week. But as both teams draw attention with impressive early-season play, serious respectability is a few wins away and then they'll have to prove they can finish the job.

Five pressing questions for Week 6 from USA Today

Sure, he's not going to get the recognition (yet) because he hasn't had a lights-out season, but his numbers are astounding.

He's been targeted 31 times this season and given up just 81 yards. That's insane.

Flowers is the next shutdown corner? from Off the Record

But having nothing to lose doesn't require a nothing-to-lose mentality.  An onside kick to start the game followed by passing on a chip-shot field goal when trailing only by three reflects the kind of strategy employed by a team that doesn't expect to win.

The Chiefs should have instead stuck with a meat-and-potatoes approach against the Colts.  They need to learn from that this weekend, when they enter Reliant Stadium with nothing to lose.

Week Six Friday 10-pack from Pro Football Talk

The Pretenders -- Houston or Kansas City? Considering these cities are known for their barbecue, one of these teams' playoff hopes is about to get smoked. The Texans especially can ill afford a loss. Already, they've lost two of three home games. Lose three home games, and you're just not a playoff team. The Chiefs have a cupcake schedule over the ensuing seven games (Jags, Bills, Raiders, Broncos twice, Cardinals and Seahawks), so they can recover. Still, their playoff worth would get a big boost with a quality win over an AFC South team on the road.

Stakes raised at Cowboys-Vikings, more Week 6 storylines from Sports Illustrated

it's time to take a closer look at what Kansas City's doing. They currently rank second in our overall efficiency metrics, and that young defense should be a major concern to quarterback Matt Schaub. Watch what cornerback Brandon Flowers did in KC's close loss to the Colts last Sunday, and store his name away in your memory banks -- he's the next great one at his position. You want an upset special? This could be it.

Week 6 NFL preview from The Washington Post

The Texans need this win in a bad way. It's not do or die, but going into the bye week in first place will only serve to better the team going into their next game at Indianapolis - a place they've never been victorious at. A win against Kansas City would guarantee that Indy and Houston would be fighting for much more than the right for Houston to say, "Hey, at least we kept it close." First-place will be up for grabs on Monday Night Football. There will be no bigger stage for Kubiak and the Texans than that. But, first things first - beat the Chiefs.

NFL Round-up: Panic Bowl 2010 is on from The Corpus Christi Caller

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