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Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 12/17

Good morning. It's sad that the stories from yesterday's game are about the punter and the first overall pick in the draft. Sad. Also, there are more articles in today's Star than I linked to. They are now requiring subscription for access to everything. Here is today's Kansas City Chiefs news.

Thearon W. Henderson

Chiefs' Level On Incompetence Reaches New Heights from KC Star

So losing 15-0 to the Raiders on Sunday isn't a new low as much as it is a rearranging of the stank ashes from what's long been a colossal flop by men paid to be much better.

But gaining 119 yards and making seven first downs against the NFL's No. 30 defense is a new flavor of uselessness that deserves its own special spotlight today.

The Chiefs' offense is less imposing than a pillow. Let's explore.

Punchless Chiefs Fall To Raiders 15-0 from KC Star

Even in a season that will go down in infamy, the Chiefs will look back on one game in particular for its offensive ineptitude.

That game will be Sunday's 15-0 loss to the Raiders at the Oakland Coliseum. Against a defense that allowed a league-high 31 points, the Chiefs managed none. They had season lows for yards (119) and first downs (seven).

Crennel Makes Breaston Inactive Again; Receivers Do Little from KC Star

Bowe's season is over because of broken ribs. Breaston was inactive because of coach Romeo Crennel's decision.

Instead, the Chiefs went with a group of receivers that included Jamar Newsome and Devon Wylie. Each caught just one pass.

"I thought the younger guys would give us a better chance, so I dressed the other guys,'' Crennel said.

Breaston had little to say afterward.

Offensive Struggles Plague The Chiefs, Who Fall To Raiders, 15-0 from The Mothership

Later in the third quarter, the Chiefs began to move the ball. Kansas City entered the red zone for the first time all game, taking it to Oakland's four-yard line. Facing a fourth and goal situation, with the play clock nearing zero, Quinn was pleading for the snap from C Ryan Lilja, but it came too late, delay of game against KC.

4th and goal from the nine-yard line and in shotgun formation, Quinn's pass to Charles was good for just one yard, turnover on downs.

Colquitt's Punts At Least Kept Raiders' Returners In Check from KC Star

Embarrassed by the punting game last week at Cleveland, deep snapper Thomas Gafford called a meeting of the special teams early last week.

Gafford lit into the punt-coverage team for allowing Cleveland's Travis Benjamin to return a punt 93 yards for a touchdown and Josh Cribbs to return another 38 yards.

They got the message. Especially punter Dustin Colquitt.

Postgame Notes: Chiefs At Raiders from The Mothership

P Dustin Colquitt booted seven punts for 383 yards (54.7 gross, 51.9 net) in today's contest. His 54.7 gross average is the second-highest single game gross average of his career. His 51.9 net average is the second best single-game net average of his career. It is the second time this season he has recorded a net average of more than 51.0 yards (51.3 vs. San Diego on Sept. 30).

Oakland Raiders Shut Out Kansas City Chiefs 15-0 from The San Jose Mercury News

This was a game decided at the line of scrimmage, with the Raiders pushing the Chiefs around on both sides of the ball and walking off their home field for the last time this season feeling good for a change.

"I felt up front we did a nice job," Raiders coach Dennis Allen said. "I thought we were able to run the ball effectively. We were able to control time of possession, which I think was critical to our defense playing as well as it did."

The Raiders improved to 4-10, the Chiefs fell to 2-12, and the game deservedly had little or no national attention.

Raiders Shut Out Chiefs For Only Second Time Ever from CBS Sports

About the only bright spot from this loss is it kept Kansas City in the running for the No. 1 overall draft pick. The Chiefs and Jaguars are tied with the worst record in the NFL with two weeks remaining.

This matchup between two old AFL rivals lacked the meaning many of the past meetings had with both teams entering the game with at least 10 losses for the first time ever.

The quality of play matched the poor records for much of the day as the Chiefs took nearly 40 minutes to earn their initial first down of the game and the Raiders failed to reach the end zone.

Top-5 Pick Assured, Chiefs Can't Afford To Miss from FS Kansas City

Of the last 20 NFL teams to win a conference championship, 11 of them featured a former first-round pick at signal-caller. Take out Brady, and it's 11 of the last 16. Of the last 40 NFL teams to reach the conference championship, 26 of them featured a former first-round pick under center. Take out Brady, and it's 26 of the last 35.

There's the flip side, of course: Take Raiders 15, Chiefs 0. Sunday's tilt between Kansas City and Oakland showcased two former first-rounders dueling at quarterback. It also showcased 11 punts, 12 penalties and zero touchdowns. Yikes.

So, no, not every theory is airtight.

Week 15 LVPs: Alshon Jeffery, Josh Freeman Had Forgettable Performances On Sunday from Yahoo! Sports

Can we safely assume that Daboll has Oakland Raiders defense on his fantasy team? One of the bright spots on the Chiefs this season has been running back Jamaal Charles, a 2010 Pro Bowler who entered Sunday's action with 1,220 yards after missing most of the 2011 season with a torn ACL. Facing a Raiders defense that ranked 32nd across the board in Football Outsiders' DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) metric, Charles was largely ignored in the 15-0 loss. Charles had three carries for -2 yards in the first half - with a 42-yard run wiped out by a holding penalty - and just nine carries for 10 yards on the day. In two games against the Raiders this season, Charles had 14 carries for 14 yards. In 12 games against the rest of the NFL, Charles has 235 carries for 1,216 yards.

Contenders Stumble In Dramatic Day from FOX Sports

Oakland 15, Kansas City 0: Make that Sebastian Janikowski 15, Kansas City 0. Oakland's kicker provided all of his team's points with five field goals. Such meager scoring output probably wouldn't be enough against a quality opponent, but these were the Chiefs.

Raiders vs. Chiefs Quick Hits from Raiders.com

In two games this year, the Raiders limited Jamaal Charles - the league's No. 5 rusher entering the week, coming off three straight 100-yard games, to 14 yards on 14 carries. He had nine carries for 9 yards today. Charles (748 carries, 4,257 yards, 5.7 avg.) needs two more carries to officially qualify and rank as the No. 1 rusher of all-time in terms of average per carry.

KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Game Highlights Raiders

KCChiefs.com Video: From The Podium: Romeo Crennel

KCChiefs.com Video: From The Podium: Brady Quinn

KCChiefs.com Video: Postgame Wrapup With Mitch Holthus

KCChiefs.com Video: Focus Point: Week 15

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