Another AFC West Test Awaits The Chiefs from The Mothership
"Our mindset right now, we're playing another divisional game," Hali said. "We have to capitalize on that. We wanted to win the game, but that didn't happen. We can't hang our hat on that game; there are more games for us to win and we just have to focus on the next team."
The next team is a San Diego Chargers squad that is led on offense by QB Philip Rivers.
"He knows how to work the pocket," Hali said of Rivers. "He drops back far in the pocket and then to climb the pocket, it's hard for rushers, because we think we can get there, from the edge, and he's inside; so, we have to do a good job as far as rushing him."
Andy Reid's Wednesday Presser Transcript from The Mothership
Q: What's the balance with taking care of the ball and making big plays?
REID: "Yeah, I mean, I think you can do that, sure. We did take more shots down the field and we'll continue to work on that. That hasn't necessarily been our strength in this offense up to this point, but we're trying to get better at the things that we need to get better at and that's one of them, so we'll keep working on it. At the same time, we'll work on taking care of the football. That's an important stat, points and score are important. Each team is going to give you an opportunity for something different. We had a shot at getting a couple deep ones against that crew (Denver), but every week is different."
Alex Smith: We've Still Got Everything Ahead Of Us from The Mothership
Q: What more can you do as a quarterback to make things better?
SMITH: "I think obviously play better, execute; I think that's the most obvious thing. I look back at myself and how I played on Sunday night and certainly didn't play very well early. I missed some opportunities there that really could have helped us get into a flow. I mean certainly just come out and execute, it's the little things. I think we turn on the tape, all of us offensively, and we all look at it and it was all of the little things. A little thing here and a little thing there, we all had our share, and that's what results in the inability to execute, but basically the inability to move the football. It was kind of the details of everything."
Red Coater Apprentices Deliver Thanksgiving Baskets from The Mothership
For the second-consecutive year, the Chiefs Red Coater Apprentices partnered with Harvesters Community Food Network to help feed local families in need for the Thanksgiving holiday.
On Tuesday, the group collected donated items, arranged them in food baskets and distributed them to local families in Kansas City. Items such as a frozen turkey, dressing, potatoes, green beans and more were collected and then personally delivered to the family in need, this holiday season.
Twitter Q&A: Chiefs WR Dexter McCluster from The Mothership
Dex: "First and foremost, the adversity that we went through, the last couple of years, kept us strong, kept us together and that hard work and effort carried on to when coach Andy Reid and his staff came here. We're having fun and as long as we keep having fun and working hard, we'll be good."
OL Chandler Burden Signed To Practice Squad from The Mothership
The Kansas City Chiefs signed offensive lineman Chandler Burden to the practice squad roster and released fullback
Toben Opurum , the team announced today.Chandler Burden (6-4, 310) served on the Chiefs practice squad for six weeks of the 2013 season, before being released on Nov. 12. He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans on April 30, 2012. He was released by the Titans prior to the 2012 season and then signed by the Miami Dolphins, where he served on the team's practice squad. He was released by the Dolphins on Aug. 23, 2013.
Chiefs History: What's New Always Gets Old from The Mothership
In a cover story in Pro Football Illustrated, Bill Gleason was quick to point out that in 1963 the game lived "in places like Chicago's Wrigley Field, New York's Yankee Stadium, Philadelphia's Franklin Field, and Los Angeles' Coliseum. [The fan] lives in those places, and he's comfortable most of the time simply because his guardians keep him on a diet for one reason or another."
The AFL's new stadiums, which might seem out of date today with their Jetson-like architecture, had gleaming bathrooms, wider concourses and better parking, to name a few of their amenities. In comparison, the Eagles' Franklin Field had sideline seats near the end zone that faced comparable seats in the endzone on the opposite side, not facing toward the 50-yard line, as newer stadiums did. As for parking, the large lots we take for granted today were non-existent.
KCChiefs.com Video: Chiefs Brief: Week 12
KCChiefs.com Video: Alex Smith Wednesday Press Conference
KCChiefs.com Video: Cheer chatter: Janae
Chiefs' Offense Continues To Lag Behind from FS Kansas City
The Chiefs simply don't make enough dynamic plays downfield to put up a lot of points.
And that lack of big-play potential virtually cripples the offense when it is forced to come from behind, as it failed to do in Sunday's 27-17 loss to Denver.
But on the flip side, the Chiefs, likely by design, are a ball-security machine. The Chiefs and quarterback Alex Smith have thrown the fewest interceptions (four) of any team in the NFL.
Still, there has to be a balance between ball security and being able to deliver down field.
Third Down An Achilles Heel For Chiefs from Chiefs Spin
Entering Week 12, the Chiefs have numerous concerns on offense, including ranking 24th overall in yards per game (320), 27th in yard per play (4.8), 26th in passing (198.5 per game), 25th in red zone touchdown percentage (48.5) and 16th in points per game (23.2), among others.
But one glaring hole that could help kick start the offense is converting on third downs, an area where the Chiefs currently rank a mediocre 22nd (35.6 percent).
Making the team's third-down conversion rate even worse is they're second to last among the 13 current teams with a record above .500. Only the Arizona Cardinals (6-4) are inferior at 31.5 percent.
With QBs Getting Rid Of The Ball Fast, Sacks Have Dried Up For Chiefs from FS Kansas City
You want nuts? We'll give you nuts. This is nuts: Since Oct. 27, the Kansas City Chiefs, the baddest cats south of Leroy Brown, have recorded exactly one more NFL sack than you and your buddies in Section 308.
And if that drives you bonkers, geez, imagine how it makes Tamba Hali feel.
"Yeah, of course, it definitely bothers me," the Chiefs' outside linebacker said Wednesday as preparations continued for Sunday's showdown with the San Diego Chargers. "People are saying now that we can't get to the passer, that we can't rush the passer."
Dropped Passes May Be In Chiefs' DNA from ESPN
Ever since the Kansas City Chiefs dropped five passes, according to Pro Football Focus, in the season opener against Jacksonville, the issue has been a problem for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs are fourth in the league in dropped passes with 28. They've had only one game, last month's home matchup against Cleveland, without a dropped pass.
San Diego At Kansas City from CBS Sports
Coming off their first loss, the Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in an unfamiliar position.
While another huge matchup with the Denver Broncos looms in Week 13, coach Andy Reid's team will first try to get back on track Sunday against the struggling San Diego Chargers.
After holding opponents to 17 points or fewer in winning each of its first nine games, Kansas City (9-1) lost 27-17 at Denver in last Sunday's much-anticipated showdown. The Chiefs, averaging an NFL-best 3.6 sacks, have now gone without one in consecutive weeks after failing to get any pressure on Peyton Manning.
KC Close But Can't Clinch Playoff Spot from ESPN
With the Kansas City Chiefs at 9-1, it's a foregone conclusion they will make the playoffs. Winning two of their remaining six games virtually assures the Chiefs a postseason spot. Even with just one more victory, it's almost certain they will be playing in January.
But by my calculations, they'll have to wait at least one more week to clinch a playoff berth, even if they beat the San Diego Chargers on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker Helping Replace Stolen Fairfield Turkeys from CBS Sacramento
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker James Michael Johnson is stepping up to help replace 300 turkeys stolen from a homeless shelter.
When the former Solano County football star heard a local shelter was hit by thieves, he says it was a no-brainer to try and replace what was lost.
Robust In Red: Reid Leads KC Turnaround from The San Diego Union-Tribune
Andy Reid remains the same no-nonsense man, confident in his ability and approach, that he always has been, whether he was laboring through two final years in Philadelphia with a 12-20 record or engineering one of the NFL's most amazing turnarounds with the Chiefs this season, taking them from 2-14 to the current 9-1 as they prepare to host the 4-6 Chargers on Sunday.
"He brought a confidence here that was special," said Johnson, a first-round draft pick of the Chiefs in 2005 and the team's current leading tackler. "His standard is very high; as soon as he stepped foot here on this campus it was straight business.
"He treats everybody like men. That's one of the important things we like about him. He expects us to get the job done and gives us the freedom to do it."
Slow Starts Slowing Down Chiefs Struggling Offense from The Associated Press via The Miami Herald
It had to be a painful experience for Chiefs coach Andy Reid, someone who prides himself on being an offensive innovator, to relive the first quarter of last Sunday's game in Denver.
The first 19 plays included a false start penalty, a fumble in the red zone, another fumble on a snap, a dropped pass, a sack and a three-and-out.
When it comes to lousy execution, that about covers it.
It was the latest and most glaring evidence of a troubling trend in which the Chiefs offense struggles to get out of the gates. They've scored just one offensive touchdown in the first half of their last three games while punting seven times over the same span.
Subtle But Solid Roster Moves By KC from Warpaint Illustrated
Over the last two weeks, General Manager, John Dorsey, activated CB/S Sanders Commings, claimed veteran wide receiver Kyle Williams off waivers and on Tuesday signed defensive tackle, Kyle Love to a one-year contract.
So with the Chiefs in the midst of the toughest stretch of the season, will any of these players make an impact?
Chargers Hashmarks: Facing The Chiefs; Ingram Returns And More from NBC San Diego
Arrowhead Stadium is deafening. There's just no other way to put it. Inside, it's a bubble of volume, turned up to the highest degree, pounding in your ears.
It's one of the toughest -- if not the toughest -- places to play in the league ... but that's also what makes it memorable.
"Going there is the NFL," Rivers said, smiling. "When you go there and play - that atmosphere, those fans and that team. It's a heck of an NFL football team. Besides Seattle, I don't know if I've been to a place as loud. Every place is loud, but those two standout to be at the top when it comes to noise and how to manage those sort of things."
Fighting Hearing Loss For The Crowd's Roar from The New York Times
The measuring method used for the Guinness World Record has an edge of gimmickry. That A-weighted peak measurement, reached for a split second near the measuring device, displays the highest possible readout.
For a vulnerable ear, however, game-day noise isn't just harmless fun. With peaks and troughs, the decibel level of noise reaching a typical spectator averages in the mid-90s, but for a longer time.
Such noise is enough to cause permanent damage and to increase the likelihood of future damage.
Alex Smith Doesn't Throw A Bad Deep Ball from ESPN
On those throws, Smith is a respectable 7-of-22 with three dropped passes. If you add the dropped passes into it, that would be a 45.5 completion percentage, which puts him near the top of the list among quarterbacks who have thrown 10 or more long balls.
He doesn't attempt many of those throws. Passes of more than 20 yards make up only 6.1 percent of Smith's throws, the lowest percentage in the league for any quarterback who has attempted one this season.
That may be starting to change.
Trap Game? Chiefs Insist Focus Is On Chargers from Lindy's Sports
The Chiefs are now 9-1 and tied for first place with the Broncos. They play host to the 4-6 Chargers at the friendly confines of Arrowhead Stadium in the first part of a two-game home stand. Game No. 2 is the return matchup against Denver after losing 27-17 at Sports Authority Field last Sunday night.
"Denver does not have anything to do with this week," said outside linebacker Tamba Hali. "We went over the tape, we know what we didn't get done and now we have to come back and play better and get things done against San Diego. That's what matters."
Kelly, Foles,Impress; McCoy, Jackson Eye Team Records from NJ.com
Any time I had a vote for Coach of the Year, I based it off expectations. If that's still the barometer - and for me it is - then I have to give it to Kelly.
Taking nothing away from Reid, who is 9-1 with a team that won two games last season, but I kind of thought the Chiefs would be decent this year. In one of the few things I got right in my preseason picks, I had Kansas City as a wild card team.
Chiefs Fan Bus Owner Wants To Advise Other Potential Partiers from FOX4KC
They've asked the Chiefs organization to help them organize a seminar - a party bus rodeo, of sorts - allowing interested bus owners a chance to share ideas and designs.
"We got into this in a season where the team had won two games," Bill Rusch, Gilmore's brother-in-law, said. "It wasn't our first bus. And we didn't have any problems selling the old one."
Complete 2013 College Football Hiring And Firing Season Primer from Sports Illustrated
Keep an eye on: Army. Rich Ellerson is in his fifth season. If he loses to Navy again on Dec. 14, Army's losing streak in that series would extend to 12 games. Ellerson is 20-39 in five years at the helm, but the Navy game remains the ultimate barometer. It's tough to see him sticking around if he's 0-5. If AD Boo Corrigan decides to make a change, there's no obvious frontrunner. Ex-Army coach Bob Sutton, the last really successful headman there, has become a star NFL defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. (Could Army even afford him?)
Start 'Em, Sit 'Em For Week 12 from NFL.com
QB Sit of the week
Philip Rivers at Kansas City Chiefs: Rivers has recorded 15-plus fantasy points in just two of his last five games, and Kansas City has been very tough on quarterbacks -- their defense has allowed 13.6 fantasy points per game to the position. Rivers has also thrown at least one pick in five straight games against them. (Maximum value: Low QB1)
NFL Awards Watch: Week 11 from Sports Illustrated
Coach of the Year
1. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs (1): A loss to Denver on the road is hardly something to fret over, and the Chiefs were just a play here or there away from being in the thick of that game. If the Chiefs can avoid a major late-season collapse, Reid remains the front-runner for this award.