Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 11/12

Chiefs to Host 49th Annual Toys for Tots Collection from The Mothership

For nearly five decades, the Chiefs and members of the Marine Corps have hosted an annual Toys for Tots collection at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs will continue this tradition when the team plays the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Nov. 16, during the club's annual Salute to Service game.

"The Toys for Tots program is an example of communities pulling together and providing for the less fortunate in our area," Gunnery Sergeant Chad A. Sawyer said. "It is the one program in which all money and toys raised goes directly to the community they came from. The Kansas City Chiefs have taken the lead in this area for decades. Their partnership with the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program, one of the longest in professional sports, has enabled thousands of Kansas City families to celebrate the holidays. The Combat Logistics Regiment 4 and the Toys for Tots Foundation thanks the Hunt family and everyone involved with the Chiefs organization for their support."

Uniting the Community and Honoring Tradition from The Mothership

Throughout the month of November, which is Military Appreciation Month, the Chiefs will be honoring and recognizing the men and women in the armed forces.

It all starts on Tuesday when the Chiefs Community Caring Team spent time with students from Ruskin High School's ROTC program, while visiting the National WWI Museum. Then, later this week, the Chiefs will honor hundreds of men and women who have served and are currently serving our country at Arrowhead Stadium. Plus, early next week, the Chiefs plan on visiting a local air force base.

Chiefs vs. Bills: Top Three Defensive Plays from The Mothership

1. Poe's sack on first-and-goal

The Chiefs defense has been making stands at the goal line all season long, and Sunday was no exception.

Midway through the second quarter and with the Chiefs trailing 7-3, the defense faced a first-and-goal situation from the 8-yard line against the Bills offense.

Just like that, first-and-goal from the eight became second-and-goal from the 14.

The Chiefs held the Bills to a field goal in what turned out to be a huge play in the game on the sack from Poe.

Chiefs vs. Bills: Top Three Offensive Plays from The Mothership

1. Dwayne Bowe's 15-yard reception early in the fourth quarter

On third-and-16 and trailing 13-3 from the Chiefs 46-yard line, Alex Smith and Bowe connected on a 15-yard strike that took everyone on the offense doing their jobs to make this play happen.

The offensive line, with help from Junior Hemingway and Jamaal Charles, gave Smith time to deliver a perfectly thrown strike down the field to Bowe, who made a contested catch along the sideline and was able to get both feet in bounds.

This catch set up the next play, which is the one that everyone remembers. But if not for the blocking, perfectly aimed throw and contested catch, the next play would have never happened.

Chiefs Announce Roster Moves from The Mothership

Supernaw (6-5, 248) has played in four games in two NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens (2014) and Houston Texans (2013). He spent time on both the Texans and the Ravens practice squads. He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Houston in 2012.

KCChiefs.com Podcast: Chiefs Download 11/12

KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: WWI Memorial Visit

KCChiefs.com Video: Chiefs Community Visit: World War I Museum Tour

KCChiefs.com Video: Arrowhead Update 11/11: Happy Veterans Day

KCChiefs.com Video: Wired: Josh Mauga is Mic'd Up vs. Bills

Chiefs place RB Cyrus Gray, TE Demetrius Harris on IR; sign TE Phillip Supernaw from Chiefs Digest

Running back Cyrus Gray's and tight end Demetrius Harris' seasons are officially over.

The Chiefs on Tuesday placed Gray (knee) and Harris (foot) on season-ending injured reserve following their respective injuries in Week 10's game against the Bills. Gray tore his ACL in the third quarter and Harris fractured his foot during pregame warm-ups.

Gray, a third-year pro, finishes the season with 31 yards rushing and a touchdown on eight carries, and four special teams tackles (three solo).

Harris, a second-year pro, finished the year with three catches for 20 yards.

Chiefs sign TE, promote RB from practice squad from ESPN

Even if Fasano plays against the Seahawks, the Chiefs will need another tight end. They like their three-tight end formations. They were able to get through the Buffalo game without Harris, using fullback Anthony Sherman at times in his place.

"We didn't have to change anything," coach Andy Reid said. "It's that simple. We have a pretty big package in the three [tight end formations]. He stepped in and did all of it. He didn't blink a bit. We still had production with that group."

Chiefs Play It Safe, and Haven't Been Sorry Since Week 1 from The New York Times

It was the most surprising result of the season. We just didn't know it at the time.

In the summer, Las Vegas oddsmakers pegged the Kansas City Chiefs for eight wins this season. So in Week 1, when the Tennessee Titans visited Kansas City and won, 26-10, it was easy to acknowledge that it was going to be a down year for the team. After the loss, ESPN justifiably dropped Kansas City to 26th in its power rankings.

In Week 2, Kansas City lost a close game at Denver. Since then, the Chiefs are 6-1 and have outscored opponents by 89 points. They are tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the best point differential since Week 3, and no team has a better record over that period. The Chiefs' 41-14 rout of the New England Patriots stands as perhaps the best performance by any team this season, and yet they continue to fly under the national radar. Is it still because of Week 1?

Meet the no-name 2014 Chiefs D -- hard to bend, almost impossible to break from FS Kansas City

Fact: Of the 40 best-tackling safeties in the National Football League, the Kansas City Chiefs regularly feature three of them. That's according to ProFootballFocus.com, and it's tied with Tennessee for tops in the circuit.

In 269 combined run snaps, defensive ends Allen Bailey and Jaye Howard have yet to miss a stop. PFF credits inside linebacker Josh Mauga with just two missed rush tackles on 198 running snaps, and defensive partner James-Michael Johnson with just one miss of a receiver tackle in 148 passing snaps.

"Whether it's shooting free throws or (tackling), you've got to take a lot of pride in that," Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton tells FOXSportsKansasCity.com. "(You say) 'I'm good at this, I can do this,' you know? And every guy here is going to miss some. But you want to limit the misses and in a way, you want to know, 'If am going to miss, I'm going to miss him thisway, I'm not missing them on this side.' Because that's understanding the leverage, the help."

NFL Power Rankings: These Chiefs better than last season's 9-0 version from CBS Sports

When the Kansas City Chiefs opened the 2013 season with nine consecutive victories, I angered a lot of Chiefs fans by proclaiming it was one of the worst 9-0 teams I'd ever seen.

Let's just say the nastiness from Middle America came in waves, some of it not clean enough for publication. One day they got so angry on Twitter that I was actually trending in Kansas City. It's as if I said their barbecue wasn't as good as North Carolina's (PS: I like Kansas City's better).

Here we are a year later, and the Chiefs are 6-3 after nine games and climbing up my Power Rankings the past month, all the way up to No. 10 this week. So I'd like to say this to Chiefs fans:

This team is better than that 9-0 team of a year ago.

Power Rankings: No. 10 Kansas City Chiefs from ESPN

Ten is a good spot for the Chiefs at this point. If they deserve to be ranked higher than the Seahawks, also 6-3, they'll prove it on Sunday and the injustice will be corrected next week.

Week 10 power rankings from ProFootballTalk

11. Kansas City Chiefs (No. 13; 6-3):  The Real Andy Reid should invite the Fake Andy Reid to every game for the rest of the year.

The Chiefs vs. the defending Super Bowl champions from ESPN

If recent history is any gauge, the Kansas City Chiefs have a good chance of beating the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs are on a roll when they play against the defending Super Bowl championship team. The Chiefs have won six of their last nine games against the previous season's champs. They've also won the last three times they've played against the previous season's Super Bowl winner at Arrowhead.

Up next: Kansas City Chiefs from Seahawks.com

Unsung Hero

Ron Parker. Yes, that Ron Parker. He was with the Seahawks in 2011 and 2012, when he played in four games. But Parker was claimed off waivers by the Chiefs last season. In Sunday's oh-so-close victory over the Bills in Buffalo, Parker was a difference-maker. And no play made a bigger difference than his fully extended lunge to tomahawk the ball from the grasp of Bryce Brown as he was heading for the end zone in the third quarter, and with the Bills leading 10-3. As the Bills' back reached the 5-yard line, there was nothing between him and the goal line by those 5 yards. Until Parker's play sent the ball out of the end zone for a touchback.

Kevin Haskin: Road win for Chiefs sets up loud event for Arrowhead from The Topeka Capital-Journal

Marshawn Lynch of the Seahawks against a Chiefs defense that has not allowed a rushing TD.

Nice matchup to go see, particularly for an Arrowhead Stadium crowd that might want to have a voice in this 12th Man business.

Nathaniel Hackett: Kansas City Chiefs challenged Kyle Orton, Buffalo Bills to throw on key drive from Syracuse.com

Why did the Bills, who had already run for over 100 yards in the game and had plenty of time left on the clock, take four straight shots at the end zone?

"They challenged us," Hackett said.

"They put five guys down and played man across the board, so I'm like, 'Let's air it out.'"

The Chiefs had seven players in the box on this play and a single high safety. Chris Hogan came open toward the top of the screen, but Orton threw a contested pass to Sammy Watkins that was broken up. Running the ball against that stacked front would have been fruitless.

Chiefs may have to play schedule as it is from ESPN

I've been asked whether other Chiefs games will be flexed later in the season but I don't see any strong candidates. The subsequent two Chiefs games -- Nov. 20 against the Raiders in Oakland and Nov. 30 against the Broncos in Denver -- are already scheduled to be played at night.

The Dec. 7 game against the Cardinals in Arizona looks to be a strong game. It already will be played in the late afternoon TV window but not as the featured national game. Fox has that telecast while CBS will show Chiefs-Cardinals.

The Film Don't Lie: Chiefs from ESPN

The Chiefs are fortunate the dangerous punt-return decisions made by rookie De'Anthony Thomas in Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills didn't cost them a victory. They might not be so lucky the next time, which is why the Chiefs should replace Thomas when they return a punt from inside their 20 in this Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Microsoft Engine That Nailed The World Cup Is Predicting Every NFL Game - Here Are Its Picks For Week 11 from Business Insider

Seattle Seahawks vs. Kansas City Chiefs - Chiefs win, 65.9% chance (Chiefs -1.5)

Week 10 winners and losers from NFL.com

The outskirts of the AFC playoff race remains crowded. Ten teams still have a winning record, which makes every matchup between contenders feel doubly important. That's why Kansas City and Cleveland's wins in Week 10 stuck out.

The Chiefs were outplayed for three quarters in Buffalo, yet found a way to win because of their superior quarterback and red-zone defense. Kansas City has clinched the AFC East title with an undefeated 4-0 record against the division, a record that could come in handy with any tiebreaks against the Bills or Dolphins. I see the Chiefs as a playoff team.

Seahawks place DT Brandon Mebane on injured reserve, ending his stellar season from The  News Tribune

The Seahawks have placed run-stuffing, blocker-devouring defensive tackle Brandon Mebane on injured reserve because of a torn hamstring, ending what had been a standout season on the inside for the eight-year veteran.

The team brought back tight end RaShaun Allen by signing him off the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad to fill Mebane's place on the 53-man active roster.

The loss of Mebane comes five days before the Seahawks (6-3) play at Kansas City (6-3), which has the NFL's fifth-ranked rushing offense with All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles, to begin a rugged, six-game stretch that will define the Super Bowl champions' season.

Seahawks will be tested without Brandon Mebane leading the defense from ESPN

The Seahawks do not have another player who can do what Mebane does, at least not as well. The man who will take on most of the responsibility for replacing him is 34-year-old former Vikings Pro Bowler Kevin Williams, who likely will start alongside defensive tackle Tony McDaniel. Williams is still a good defensive tackle, but he's not the player he was a few years ago.

Second-year defensive tackle Jordan Hill, who missed three games with an ankle injury and plays mostly in nickel packages because of his quickness, also will need to step up and play more in run situations.

The Seahawks signed former 49ers defensive end Demarcus Dobbs (6-foot-2, 280) last week, and he can play some inside too.

NFL's Super Bowl Distribution System Doesn't Make Business Sense from Forbes

The London NFL games earn an estimated $13.2 million in gate receipts per game ($1.5 million more per game than any NFL team), so any London game is going to bring in more revenue than if the game had remained in America. However, the NFL can maximize that increase by transferring home games from stadiums that don't make much domestically in the first place.

This year's "home" games played by the Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, and Jacksonville Jaguars cost the NFL $7.1 million in domestic gate receipts, and next year's slate of the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, and Jaguars will cost $8.6 million.

Shields channels NFL lessons into work career from St. Joseph News-Press

Former Kansas City Chief Will Shields took lessons from the gridiron with him while gradually easing into the business world.

Mr. Shields, who was an NFL offensive guard for 14 seasons, delivered the keynote address Tuesday during the eighth annual Small Business Summit at Missouri Western State University's Fulkerson Center. The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce and Steven L. Craig School of Business at Western hosted the event.

The Rise of the Annoying Traveling NFL Fan from The Wall Street Journal

As for which teams can withstand a popular team coming into their stadium? The Detroit Lions, 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Saints and Kansas City Chiefs have shown the least propensity to have huge swaths of tickets on the secondary market over the past five seasons, something that has continued this season. No silent snap counts there.

We've Landed Arrowhead Stadium on the Surface of a Comet from Bloomberg

To give a sense of scale to the impending space rendezvous, we've taken the liberty of landing a professional football stadium on the comet's surface. The larger lobe of the comet, seen below, is about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) across. The 220-pound Philae lander is roughly the size of a quarterback playing inside Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, rendered here to scale.

With big stakes at hand, Week 11 has chance to be special from Yahoo! Sports

Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday): Like defense? Like ugly football? Want a revved-up version of Dolphins at Lions last Sunday? Want to watch the sleepiest of sleeper Super Bowl matchups? Then this one is for you.

Alex Smith and the Chiefs welcome the defending champs to Arrowhead, and Smith has some nice history against them: a current winning streak of four, all with the San Francisco 49ers, against his hometown team.

They're both 6-3, and it's odd how little Super Bowl cred either has received to this point, with some observers writing off the Seahawks as being too chaotic and the Chiefs as being too offensively challenged. The Seahawks scored 77 points in their final four regular-season games a year ago heading into the playoffs. Don't worry about the lack of explosion, folks. These are two excellent football teams squaring off in a fascinating inter-conference battle treat.

Saints prove need for revised playoffs from ESPN

Sweet 'N' Sour Fourth-Down Plays: Trailing 13-3 at Buffalo early in the fourth quarter, Kansas City faced fourth-and-1 on the Bills' 39. The Chiefs went for it; for some reason Buffalo was expecting a punt and had the wrong personnel on the field. Rather than call timeout, Buffalo rushed in defenders who were out of position at the snap. Kansas City ran a misdirection flip, 39-yard touchdown. Sweet for the visitors, sour for the home team whose coaches simply stood around watching rather than call time.

Now Buffalo has the ball and reaches fourth-and-1 at midfield. The Bills go for it; Kyle Orton barks a hard count trying to make Kansas City jump offside; the Bills jump offside.

With seven minutes remaining in the game, Kansas City leads 17-13 and Buffalo faces fourth-and-1 at its 41. The Bills punt. Sure they botched fourth-and-1 on the previous possession. But that was then, this is now, what happened the last time means nothing to this time!

Still trailing 17-13, the Bills reached first-and-10 on the Kansas City 15 with a little under three minutes remaining, holding all three timeouts. Ideal tactics would be to advance slowly and score as the clock is almost expired, so the Chiefs have no time to reply. Instead Buffalo went incompletion, incompletion, incompletion, incompletion -- all on throws to the end zone, as if time was almost out. Huh?

NFL Power Rankings: Pack jump nine spots into top five while Steelers slide from CBS Sports

Chiefs (10): The Chiefs are on a four-game winning streak and playing great defense. The Chiefs haven't given up a rushing TD all season. Alex Smith doesn't have big numbers, but he is a winner and somehow he has overcome zero touchdown passes to wide receivers to have six wins.