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Feels good. Can't wait for MNF and a shot at first place! We have A LOT of Kansas City Chiefs news for you this morning. Get to reading.
That week, Haley didn't shave. Against Minnesota, the coach brought back a sweat-stained, faded hat that he wore often last year. He added games to the locker room, and it's not uncommon to see Haley alongside his players, tossing beanbags during a few light minutes.
The Chiefs won their next two games. As the weeks passed, the beard grew, and Haley came to a realization.
"Maybe I was trying too hard," he said. "I might've been ... might've been trying too hard. Maybe I was worrying about the wrong things."
After Whipping Oakland, Haley and Chiefs Have The Look Of A Winner from KC Star
Make it three in a row for Kansas City after a 28-0 whitewashing of Oakland. Sunday's win was the Chiefs first-ever road shutout of the Raiders and the franchise's first road blanking of any opponent since defeating the Chargers 19-0 at San Diego Stadium in 1973.
Kansas City's pivotal division win brings an opportunity to enter into a three-way tie atop the AFC West next week.
The Morning After: Oakland from The Mothership
KC Star Video: Adam Teicher's take on the Chiefs 28-0 win over the Raiders
KC Star Photo Gallery: Chiefs 28, Raiders 0 | Sunday Oct. 23
NFL.com Video: Chiefs vs. Raiders Highlights
NFL.com Video: GameDay: Chiefs vs. Raiders Highlights
NFL.com Video: Chiefs Postgame Press Conference
There is a grown man, maybe 50 years old, shouting insults about someone’s mother. Could be Brandon Flowers’ mother being cursed. Might be Dwayne Bowe’s.
Either way, these are the kinds of slurs that start knife fights in the streets. But this is an NFL stadium, so the Chiefs players just look back and smile, and why not?
They’ve done enough talking already: a 28-0 victory on the road, ending the Raiders’ eight-game AFC West win streak.
Jekyll or Hyde ? The Chiefs May Be A Bit Of Both from KC Star
The Kansas City Chiefs secondary stole the show Sunday as the defensive backfield accounted for six interceptions off Oakland QBs Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer en route to a 28-0 blanking of the Raiders at O.co Coliseum, Kansas City's first shutout victory since the Chiefs registered a 41-0 win vs. San Francisco (10/1/06).
Chiefs Intercept Six Six Passes, Shutout Raiders 28-0 On Road from The Mothership
The postgame meeting between the two coaches, the Chiefs' Todd Haley and the Raiders' Hue Jackson, didn't appear very friendly. They did shake hands, but Jackson had some things to say to Haley, who moved on without letting Jackson finish.
Chiefs Buzz: Haley, Jackson Share An Icy Postgame Handshake from KC Star
Pick-six took on a new meaning Sunday afternoon in Oakland when five Chiefs defensive backs combined to tally six interceptions off Raiders quarterbacks Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer.
Two of the takeaways turned into scores with
Kendrick Lewis and Brandon Flowers both making house calls in front of the Black Hole.Redefining Pick-Six from The Mothership
So it's not merely surprising that the Chiefs have willed their way back into the AFC West race, but that they've done so before the season hit its midway point.
"It's not hard to believe," Johnson said. "But it's hard to do. It was our plan to get out of the hole, to fight back.
"We're growing up as a team. It's just everybody kind of knowing who we are."
Chiefs Suddenly Have Division Lead In Their Sights from KC Star
Bush got stuffed at the 1-yard line on a fourth-and-goal play that ruined a chance to cut the deficit to 14-7 early in the second quarter. It came on a play with Bush taking a shotgun snap from center and getting hit by linebacker Derrick Johnson. The Raiders had seemingly tipped their hand when Bush lined up there only to have to call a timeout with the play clock running down. They talked it over during the timeout, then ran the play anyway.
"I love that you guys see all the different things that you think stopped us from scoring," Jackson said. "Look, they stopped us. And they won. And they won 28-0."
Kansas City Chiefs Shut Down Oakland Raiders 28-0 from The San Jose Mercury News
What's a reasonable expectation now?
The Chiefs are still a long way from being a playoff team, but they at least looked like it Sunday. Shutting out a division opponent on its home field is difficult, and the Chiefs made it look easy. If they can somehow beat the Chargers next Monday night, they will be favored in their next two games, against Denver and Miami. A 6-3 record going into that difficult stretch would be a fine situation.
Chiefs Blitz: A Look At The Good, The Bad And The Ugly From The Raiders Game from KC Star
In a surprising turnaround from the NFL's basement, Flowers and Kendrick Lewis returned interceptions for touchdowns and Kansas City piled up six interceptions to shut out the Oakland Raiders 28-0 on Sunday for its third straight victory.
"We love it. Any defense loves to play away and hear boos," said Flowers, who had two interceptions. "Every defense loves that. For us to come out here and get the Oakland Raiders crowd to do that, the Black Hole, that was big for us."
Chiefs Get 6 INTs, Shut Out Raiders 28-0 from The Boston Globe
Kyle Boller dropped back on Oakland's first series and threw a pass to the left sideline that Kendrick Lewis intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Carson Palmer did the same to the right side to Brandon Flowers in the fourth quarter.
After all the talk this week about who would start at quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, it didn't much matter. Boller and Palmer were equally bad.
Chiefs Get 6 INTs In 28-0 Win Over Raiders from KC Star
The bigger story from this game could be the rebirth of the Chiefs, who have won three straight after starting the season with three consecutive losses. They entered the game last in the NFL in scoring defense and had just five takeaways. They surpassed that total today with the six interceptions, the first time since 1984 they had at least six picks.
Chiefs Raid Oakland In Palmer's Debut from ESPN
They ran 245-pound Michael Bush at the Chiefs four times, but Bush could never reach the end zone. The Chiefs held, and Oakland never seriously threatened to score again...
...Linebacker Derrick Johnson was involved in all four tackles. He twice went low to take Bush off his feet, including making the stop on the fourth-down play.
Second-Quarter Goal-Line Stand Was Huge For Chiefs from KC Star
Just a couple weeks ago, it was obituary time for the 2011 season, Matt Cassel and Todd Haley. I'm not sure Pioli was far behind. It's amazing how quickly things can turn around and the three game winning streak even encompassed a bye week.
But, I'm not going to apologize for flip-flopping on my position and neither should you. Given the givens, there was no alternative but to think what we all thought. The fact that Cassel and Co. have proven they are capable of winning despite the missing pieces just simply means they were without anyexcuse for the first two games - although we now know Buffalo and Detroit were decent teams.
Chiefs... Playoffs? from Upon Further Review
They gathered at midfield Sunday afternoon, each of them holding up an index finger. The Chiefs' defensive backs plan to stop after each victory this season for a group photograph.
What an opportunity it would be, they mused this past week, if they were able to do so in Oakland after beating the Raiders.
"Just something that we all can take back when we retire; you can show the picture to your kids when they get older," cornerback Brandon Carr said. "You can just tell all the stories."
Chiefs Secondary Steals The Show With Six Interceptions vs. Raiders from KC Star
Now, another episode. After the Chiefs beat the living daylights out of the Oakland Raiders in a 28-0 Week 7 bashing, you'd think that all would be okay between Haley and Raiders coach Hue Jackson, who's usually one of the more gregarious figures in the league. But then, we saw this little bit of tension between the two AFC West coaches:
Video: Todd Haley May Still Be Failing Post-Game Handshake Etiquette from Yahoo! Sports
On the first play after the two-minute warning, with the game not in doubt, Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel threw deep toward the end zone toward wide receiver Dwayne Bowe going for one last touchdown.
After that, running back Thomas Jones rushed for 14 yards and Cassel did two kneel-downs to end the game.
Jackson also couldn't have been happy about the first pass thrown by Carson Palmer, when the Chiefs' Tamba Hali came in low and hit the quarterback at the knees, drawing a 15-yard penalty for roughing the passer.
Things were chippy from the start, with Raiders tight end Richard Gordon and Chiefs players nearly mixing it up on the field during pregame warm-ups.
There was pushing, shoving and heated words exchanged throughout.
Oakland Raiders Coach Hue Jackson, Kansas City Coach Todd Haley Have Postgame Exchange from The San Jose Mercury News
Routt was nailed for one of a handful personal-foul penalties committed by the Raiders on Sunday.
"We've got to be a little more disciplined, even myself as much as anybody on that last, or second-to-last or whatever, what happened on that last drive," Routt said. "Yeah, we're going to have to go ahead and keep our composure better. Obviously, this was one of those emotional-type games. Division rival; it's a bitter rivalry."
Chiefs Pick Off Raiders And Tighten Up AFC West Race from ContraCostaTimes.com
In the Raiders' brave Hue World, their coach isn't just the undisputed boss, he is also lead publicist and attention-getter-in-chief.
Which is good -- when the Raiders, bound by Hue Jackson's inspiration, come together through grief and drama.
And it is bad -- when the Raiders play their quarterback decision way too cute, then lay an egg at home against Kansas City, as they did in Sunday's 28-0 debacle.
Good Hue is charming, creative and unifying.
Bad Hue is way too full of himself, and on Sunday, he made a bit of a fool of himself.
Oakland Raiders Coach Hue Jackson Outsmarts Himself from The San Jose Mercury News
The fans roared. The Raiders on the sideline leapt. And Palmer had a spring in his step as he jogged toward the huddle.
"It felt good to get hit, actually, believe it or not," Palmer said afterward. "It's been a while since I played football."
Of course, three plays later Palmer threw his first incompletion, and for the rest of the game he settled in for exactly the sort of performance one might expect from a quarterback who was practicing on high school fields in Southern California as recently as last week.
Palmer Struggles In Raiders Debut, But Provides Glimpses Of Promise from The New York Times
Chiefs' weapons: The Chiefs are starting to show real versatility on offense, even without star running back Jamaal Charles and tight end Tony Moeaki, both out for the season with knee injuries. Quarterback Matt Cassel has been terrific during the Chiefs'winning streak and he has a nice chemistry with receivers Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston. Running back Jackie Battle is doing enough and the Chiefs even threw in cornerback Javier Arenasfor a score out of the Wildcat. First-round pick Jonathan Baldwin made his debut Sunday and he looks to get more action as the season progresses. This team is getting dangerous, folks.
Rapid Reaction: Chiefs 28, Raiders 0 from ESPN
Things got off to a promising start for Palmer with an 18-yard completion on his first attempt. Before long, things went awry. Palmer's timing appeared off, and he wasn't in sync with his receivers. One of his passes was read well by cornerback Brandon Flowers, who jumped the route by Denarius Moore, caught the ball in stride and returned it for a touchdown.
Palmer Throws Three Picks As Raiders Endure Beatdown from SportingNews
Added Palmer, "The plan all week was not to start. It was being deceptive, I guess, hopefully giving Kansas City something to think about."
Like nearly everything else the Raiders tried - such as a direct snap to Michael Bush in a single wing formation on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line that was stuffed by Derrick Johnson, or the fourth-and-1 snap to backup quarterback Terrelle Pryor that was nullified by penalty after officials said he didn't set properly after shifting in motion from the slot - the ruse didn't work.
Palmer, Boller Toss 6 INTs As Chiefs Blank Raiders from USA Today
The Chargers next visit the streaking Kansas City Chiefs (3-3), who have won three straight. Right now, the Chiefs are hotter than Rivers, but he refused to dwell on the negative.
"Everyone wants to know what is the matter," Rivers said. "We are 4-2. We've been worse. We had a chance to win this game, but we didn't. The ball is going to be kicked off Monday night in Kansas City whether we won it (Sunday) or lost it."
Philip Rivers Struggling To Reach Elite Status from SportingNews
So much for the notion of a lost season in Kansas City. The Chiefs are surprisingly thriving again after their miserable 0-3 start, and that upset of the Raiders provided the exclamation point to what is now a three-game winning streak.
Even without injured tight end Tony Moeaki and injured running back Jamaal Charles, both of whom have been lost for the season, Kansas City is finding consistent ways to move the ball and score points.
Snap Judgments from Sports Illustrated
Palmer never had a chance to make much of a difference in Sunday's game, a 28-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
He had time to learn only three or four protections and a small fraction of the team's plays. He's still learning his receivers' names, let alone their tendencies. Oh, and the first time he'd thrown in pads in 10 months was Sunday, when he entered midway through the third quarter.
Jackson knew all this. So did Palmer. Heck, so did the Chiefs.