Good morning! A light day of Kansas City Chiefs news. Today we have a look at an improved KC offense, and a few peeks into what the Broncos are doing to prepare for this week's game. Enjoy!
Nobody really saw this coming. They played a series of defensive battles to open their season — in the rain against San Diego and on the road in Cleveland and Indianapolis — and it looked like scoring points would be a struggle for the Chiefs this season.
Suddenly, after putting up 102 of them over their last three games, the Chiefs are one of the NFL’s highest scoring teams. They’re scoring 26 points per game, behind only New England, Philadelphia and San Diego.
Chiefs offense passes the grade after improvements from KC Star
"I'm just going to control what I control and focus on the Chiefs," McDaniels said at his news conference today. "I have a normal routine with Mr. Bowlen. We see each other every day. He's here every day. We talk about practice, our opponent. He's usually out at practice. I'm just going to continue doing my job and our relationship hasn't changed. We talked the other day, we talked today. I'm going to focus on the Chiefs."
McDaniels is under fire not only because the Broncos have lost 16 of their past 21 games, but because of the recent videotape violation that he was aware of, but never reported.
Broncos coach Josh McDaniels turns focus to the Kansas City Chiefs from The Denver Post
Denver Post Video: Tough rematch on tap in K.C.
The storyline:
You have to think that Todd Haley refusing to shake Josh McDaniels' hand a few weeks back might have had something to do with that whole video-taping mess, right? And I have to think that the Chiefs will stay simple and run the ball down the Broncos' throat and run up the score if at all possible (which it most definitely is).
Fans lucky for Week 13 with marquee matchups like Jets-Patriots from NFL.com
Kansas City, which has outscored opponents 138-67 in going 5-0 at Arrowhead Stadium, hopes it has the chance to run a bit more in the rematch. Denver is third-worst against the run, allowing an average of 141.6 yards.
"The games are just going to get bigger," Haley said. "This game this week will be our biggest game to date. I think that is critical for us."
Kansas City vs. Denver from CBS Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs are averaging 188 rushing yards per game or more than 100 yards per game more than the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts.Joseph Addai's average draft position was 43.9; Felix Jones' was 65.6. Thomas Jones, who has outscored both of them, had an ADP of 92.2.
Trendspotting: Chiefs rolling on offense from ESPN
Ambac Financial Group, which provided a $22 million surety bond when the bonds were issued in July 2006, is one of the victims of the nation's financial markets meltdown. Ambac filed for bankruptcy in November.
That means replacing the surety bond will cost an estimated $220,000 - money that would have to come out of other Jackson County Sports Complex Authority funds. If The Bank of Kansas City continues to freeze funds, it would limit the money available for stadium maintenance or repairs.
"None of this is the fault of the Royals, Chiefs, the Legislature or the county executive," said Dan Tarwater, a Jackson County legislator who has closely followed the renovations at Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadium. "It's Wall Street and the economy. But we will get it resolved."
Bank freezes $3.4 million in funds related to Truman Sports Complex bonds from KC Star
Extremely loud rap and hip-hop music blared through speakers on the practice field Wednesday as the Broncos held their first practice in preparation for Sunday's game at Arrowhead Stadium, notoriously one of the loudest stadiums in the league.
And with the Chiefs leading the AFC West - and a 5-0 record at Arrowhead this season - the Broncos are expecting the stadium to be extra loud Sunday.
Orton believes setup is crucial with third downs from The Denver Post
Patience is a Virtue Award - Dwayne Bowe, wide receiver Kansas City Chiefs First five weeks of the season, Bowe was a riskier play than a 4th and 19 fake punt (I'm looking at you Steve Weatherford). Nonetheless, Bowe quieted all critics and disgruntled fantasy owners with 13 touchdowns in the past seven games. He has gone from outside the top 30 in week five to the number one rated wide receiver. Honorable mention: Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco, Knowshon Moreno and Steve Johnson.
Players of the year from The Daily Evergreen
Pro Bowl votes slow for Jags
Fan voting for the Pro Bowl constitutes one-third of the formula for earning players the honor. In the most recent numbers, the Jaguars did not have a player in any category among the top-five AFC vote-getters.
The five AFC running backs were Tennessee's Chris Johnson, Houston's Arian Foster, the New York Jets' LaDainian Tomlinson, Buffalo's Fred Jackson and Oakland's Darren McFadden.
The Jaguars' Maurice Jones-Drew and the Kansas City Chiefs' Jamaal Charles were the only two players in the top 10 in rushing yards to not be a top-five vote-getter in their conference.
Jaguars Notebook: Quarterback Kerry Collins expected to start for Titans from The Florida Times-Union
This was a good week in the NFL for puzzling coincidences: the Colts played the Bolts (a.k.a., the San Diego Chargers); Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel dueled a fellow gunslinger whose name shares 9 of its first 10 letters, Seattle Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck; and Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan saw the game won by his kicker and near namesake Matt Bryant. Thanks also to Decoder Ring reader Dave Noonan for pointing out this incredible Deadspin graphic showing the parity of each NFL team beating another in a ring. Think how important that Cleveland win over New Orleans seems now.
"I really believe Philip Rivers is the best quarterback in football today," Dilfer said, "and I know that's almost sacrilegious with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady still playing quarterback. But nobody does more things in a cluttered environment than Philip Rivers does. Nobody pushes the ball down the field more than Philip Rivers does."
"His level of difficulty for which he plays the position, down in and down out, far exceeds that of any other quarterback in this league. All that being said, he still puts up sick numbers. He still wins games late. He gets everybody involved."
Trent Dilfer: Tom Brady Not Best QB In The NFL from Football News Now