Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 12/11

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How to enter: Retweet the tweet below and follow @KCChiefs to be entered to win four tickets to the Chiefs Week 15 match up against the Oakland Raiders.

12/10 Practice Recap: RB Jamaal Charles Held Out of Practice from The Mothership

During the media portion of practice Wednesday, Charles could be seen walking without any limp, a positive sign for the Chiefs.

"I think he'll be OK but he's going to go through treatment," Reid said of Charles' status. "We'll just see."

Oakland Raiders: A Closer Look from The Mothership

Last season, the Chiefs beat the Raiders 56-31 at Arrowhead Stadium.

It was a nine-sack, three-interception performance from the Chiefs defense that solidified the victory in front of a raucous Arrowhead crowd that at the time set the world record for loudest outdoor stadium at 137.5 decibels.

This week, the Raiders head to Kansas City as a team without a road victory (0-6) this season, but it was just three weeks ago they were winless and pulled off the 24-20 upset over the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football.

But as is the case with any storied rivalry, when the two teams get together, everything else can be thrown out the window.

Andy Reid Press Conference 12/10 from The Mothership

Q: After three losses in a row, how do you get back on a winning track?

REID: "Well, you come out and do the fundamentals in practice and go through the process each day of getting yourself better. We have to make sure we put the players in good positions and eliminate some mistakes and play better."

Q: You're asked a lot about your receivers not having a touchdown. How would you evaluate your receivers?

REID: "The touchdowns, other people are scoring them. I think we are ok there. They are making plays there. I think Dwayne Bowe has had a very good year. Even though he hasn't had a touchdown, he's had a very good year. Those things will come. I'm not that worried about them. We have touchdowns coming in other places."

Chiefs QBs Host Wellness Tour from The Mothership

The group led the students through Play 60 stations, including ladder drills, push-ups and sit-ups, learning techniques of catching and throwing the football and more. They also answered questions about healthy eating and how to stay active.

"We want to show these kids how to live a healthy lifestyle, how to be active and play for 60 minutes a day," QB Alex Smith said. "This was a great chance to spend time with these kids and drive that message home. Anytime that you get to interact out in the community with young kids, it's always a fun time and a great time to teach them about making good, healthy choices."

Chiefs Weekly: Top Social Posts from The Mothership

Eric Kush is ready for the holidays, posting a photo of the pesky Elf on the Shelf in their Chiefs wreath.

Tragic Beginnings from The Mothership

Can it be true that tragedy has visited the Kansas City Chiefs more often than any team in the long history of professional football?  News of Eric Berry's recent illness prompted this reflection from a number of reporters, but I wonder. Moreover, can it be said further that the Chiefs above all others are therefore better prepared to deal with it?

Perhaps, but the circumstances are so different in all these cases, and the time periods so distant, it is unlikely.  Still, the Chiefs have had more than their share of heart-break.

Take the circumstances that befell Stone Johnson the franchise's first year in Kansas City.

KCChiefs.com Podcast: Chiefs Download 12/11

KCChiefs.com Video: Locker Room Sound 12/10

KCChiefs.com Video: Opponent Preview: Examining the Oakland Raiders

KCChiefs.com Video: Twitter Q&A: Chase Daniel

KCChiefs.com Video: Arrowhead Update 12/10: Third down will be key

KCChiefs.com Video: Reid: Charles is day to day

KCChiefs.com Video: Community Visit: Tony Aguirre Community Center

Week 15: Wednesday injury report from Chiefs Digest

Hali was observed without his helmet taking part with teammates in the warm-up and stretching portion of the indoor afternoon practice open to the media. He left the field when the Chiefs moved to individual position drills.

The Chiefs list wide receiver Donnie Avery (groin), cornerback Phillip Gaines (concussion), linebacker Joe Mays (groin).

Gaines began practice before sustaining the concussion, according to a team spokesman.

It's not him, it's them: Alex Smith needs help, and his wideouts aren't giving it from ESPN

So in the age-old question kicking around these days with No. 11 and the Chiefs' present malaise -- is it him, or is it them? -- the answer is both ... both, but with a strong, strong, strong lean toward "them."

Smith won't come right out and say this, of course, because:

a) he's a company man;

b) he's an obscenely rich company man, and poor-mouthing the poor is bad form in any context, NFL or otherwise.

A scribe asked Smith, a guy sacked 13 times over his last three games -- all Chiefs losses -- on Wednesday what his "comfort level" was dropping back in the pocket at the moment. To this, No. 11 chuckled softly, then dropped the political correctness:

"As good as it always is," the quarterback replied. "It's a part of the game. We've had our fair share of games where I have been very clean. There's a lot that goes into that."

Chiefs set to sink or swim with ‘banged up' G Mike McGlynn from Chiefs Digest

McGlynn suffered a quad contusion in Week 13 and did not finish the game. He did not practice Wednesday in Week 14, was limited Thursday, and then put in a full practice Friday before the game against Arizona.

But injury aside, McGlynn hasn't been a model of consistency through 13 regular-season games.

He has allowed seven sacks on the season for a loss of 46 yards, and penalized four times (two holding, two false starts).

McGlynn's struggles have been magnified in the past four games where he's drawn three penalties, and, of course, the three sacks allowed in Week 14 to the tune of 27 yards lost.

No reason to think Chiefs will fare better against Oakland's Murray this time from ESPN

Over the last three weeks, the Kansas City Chiefs have faced three unheralded running backs and turned each one into an instant sensation.

Latavius Murray of the Oakland Raiders was the first of the bunch and perhaps the most destructive...

...The Chiefs will get another crack at Murray on Sunday when the Raiders come to Arrowhead Stadium. While Murray probably won't rush for 28 yards per carry, as he did against Kansas City last month, nothing the Chiefs have done in their rush defense since then suggests they'll slow down Murray to an acceptable level.

Chiefs have another shot at Raiders RB Latavius Murray from Chiefs Digest

"He's real good," defensive tackle Dontari Poe said of Murray during a Wednesday conference call with Raiders beat writers. "Fast, explosive, finds the hole real well. We've got to kind of put a hat on him and then try to keep him out of each hole."

Still, Chiefs' defenders actually putting a hat on running backs in the past four games have been few and far between.

Opponents during that span have combined for whopping 738 yards rushing against Kansas City's run defense, which currently ranks 31st (136.8 yards rushing allowed per game) in the league.

Chiefs backing toward playoffs once again from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City

After the way the Kansas City Chiefs collapsed toward the end of last season, and especially in the playoffs, they arrived at training camp in July with the mantra of "finish."

It didn't matter whether it was a drive, a game or the entire season.

Well, they haven't done a very good job of it lately.

A Hard Look at Andy Reid | Kansas City Chiefs' Truths part 1 from ProFootballSpot

Stop saying "Its Fixable" and Fix It

The second trend seen in Kansas City has been a lack of answers. Reid has been unable to correct any of the issues with his offense. Alex Smith has been sacked and average of 3 times per game in 2014. Even worse, he's had to deal with 11 sacks in the last 2 contests alone. Yet, there have been no personnel changes and no apparent scheme changes along the offensive line. One notable change was made to the wide receivers by getting some fresh blood, some old and some new, into the lineup. That was generally successful

Chiefs' receivers not catching on from WPTZ

That no Chiefs wide receiver has carried the ball into the end zone has become the illustration point for the team's recent three games losing streak that has left them on the brink of elimination from the playoffs. It's a story that head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Alex Smith are tired of hearing about, yet it's now 13 games without one of them making sure the scoring drought came to an end for their wide receivers. They will hear about it even more if the streak stretches through this Sunday's game against Oakland.

Tom Cable on the Seahawks' wide-outs: ‘They're not just that pretty-boy receiver.' from Seahawks.com

Baldwin leads the Seahawks with 53 receptions, a total that ties the fourth-year wide receiver for 45th in the NFL.

Only five players lead their teams with fewer catches than Baldwin - Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kendall Wright of the Tennessee Titans, with 52 each; Greg Jennings of the Minnesota Vikings with 50; Allen Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars with 48; and Jared Cook of the St. Louis Rams with 48.

Raiders-Chiefs Preview from The Associated Press via Fox Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs are alive in the AFC playoff hunt despite losing three in a row.

The last two of those defeats came against division leaders, but the first one gave the Oakland Raiders their first victory.

The Chiefs are hoping to have running back Jamaal Charles available as they try to avenge that embarrassing display Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid Talks Raiders Week in KC from Raiders.com

Q: When you look back at that game, do you think your team was a little flat? What do you take from that first game against the Raiders?

Coach Reid: "We didn't start off very well. That first half wasn't a very good half of football. I thought we kind of got things going a little bit in the second half, and then we didn't finish off that last drive. That 17-play drive was what got us there. So, we have to do a better job of starting faster."

Murray: "We're up for the challenge" from Raiders.com

Q: What do you see in this Chiefs defense?

Murray: "Those guys up front; it's a tough group of guys. We have a challenge up for us up there and the overall defense in general. We're up for the challenge. We know that they're going to be ready to go, especially with what happened a couple of weeks ago here. Again, we're excited for the opportunity."

Inside Blitz: NFL Teams Went 0 for 4 in 2014 on Big Money QB Contract Extensions from The Big Lead

Lastly, we have Alex Smith, who days before the regular season began, was given a 4-year, $68 million extension from the Chiefs ($45 million guaranteed!). Smith helped lead Kansas City to the playoffs in his first year with Andy Reid, and this year ... well, let's start here: He hasn't thrown a TD pass to a wide receiver yet.

Smith hasn't been as bad as some of the other QBs above, but he certainly hasn't elevated his play beyond that of game manager. With three games left, he's on pace to eclipse his 11 turnovers last year.

Meet the nine owners who will oversee the NFL's new player conduct policy from The Washington Post

Just which of the 32 owners comprise this committee of nine?

All hold stakes of varying sizes in teams. Many are NFL royalty or the children of NFL royalty, belonging to families that have long been owners. Seven of them are men, two are women. Two members of the committee are former players who hold minority stakes in teams...

...Clark Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs is the son of Lamar Hunt, a founder of the American Football League and the man credited with naming the Super Bowl.

Can Kyle Orton author upset of Packers again? from Packers.com

It was Week 15 of the season. The Packers were 13-0. They left Arrowhead Stadium with their only loss of the regular season.

This Sunday, in a Week-15 game in Buffalo, Orton and Rodgers will meet again, in a game that pits the immovable object (Bills defense) vs. the irresistible force (Packers offense).

Can Orton do it again?

Chiefs players optimistic after Eric Berry's diagnosis from KCTV5

KCTV5 caught up with Kansas City Chiefs players at two different community events Tuesday and, while their focus was on the kids, their hearts remain with their teammate.

"I'm constantly thinking about him, pulling for him and being there for anything he needs. He's an amazing person," quarterback Alex Smith said.

Smith took a time-out from teaching students from Alta Vista Middle School about living a healthy lifestyle at Tony Aguirre Community Center to talk about his friend and teammate Eric Berry. Berry, the Chiefs starting safety, was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and will start treatment immediately.