Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 10/14

Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles Officially Placed on IR; Spencer Ware Promoted from Practice Squad from The Mothership

After an MRI confirmed on Monday that Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles did suffer a torn ACL in their game last Sunday against the Chicago Bears, Charles was officially placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, which will end his season.

Examining Chiefs RB Options Moving Forward from The Mothership

The Chiefs will look a few in-house options first, including third-year player Knile Davis, who has shown during his career that he can help win games as a featured back.

De'Anthony Thomas has spent more time as a receiver this season but has experience as a running back and knows the offense, so he's another option there as well.

The final in-house option is Spencer Ware, who was recently promoted to the active roster and provides a combination of skill sets for the Chiefs to possibly try and utilize.

In any case, the production and presence Charles was able to provide the Chiefs offense will be impossible to replace, but Reid said it's about working with what's available now.

Play it Forward; A Tony Gonzalez Film, Premiers Friday Night from The Mothership

PLAY IT FORWARD is a rousing portrait of All-American NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez and his older brother Chris. Over the course of a year -  as he approached the end of career - future Hall-of-Famer Tony puts his heart on the line to achieve the one dream that has always eluded him: Super Bowl glory.

At the same time, Chris, whose own football aspirations were thwarted by an injury, works to realize his very different ambition of becoming a professional firefighter. Equally full of heart and tension, PLAY IT FORWARD is an uplifting look at these two brothers, driven both on and off the field.

Around the AFC West: Broncos Remain Undefeated at 5-0 from The Mothership

Even with 2 interceptions and no touchdowns by Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, the Broncos successfully kicked three field goals and had a pick-six interception to compile 16 points, enough to beat the Raiders Sunday.

With that considered, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak still feels his offense needs to be better.

"The biggest thing offensively is that we have to finish," he said. "When you go back and look, we dropped a couple of touchdowns and had a turnover in the end zone. That's 17 points and maybe more. It's obviously a concern, it has to get a lot better and everybody just has to take their responsibility and take more upon themselves to continue to push forward. I think that we're working hard and the guys are working hard, but we're just not playing very consistently and we have to find a way to do that."

That said, Kubiak has enjoyed the success of the perfect start.

After 1-4 start, Chiefs' mental toughness will determine their fate from The Kansas City Star

And with the Chiefs now sitting at a surprising (and disappointing) 1-4, the players who did speak Sunday made it clear there's only one way out.

"Look, here's the deal — when you get into these situations, you have to take it one game at a time," defensive end Mike DeVito said. "You gotta focus on each day, each practice, getting better.

"I know that's not the sexy answer, but that's all you can do. You start worrying about your record and looking ahead and feeling sorry for yourself when we've still got, I don't know, how many games (left)? You can pack it or you can keep grinding, but if you pack it in, you make it harder for yourself."

Outside linebacker Justin Houston echoed similar words.

Chiefs edging closer to another No. 1 overall draft pick from ESPN

It doesn't take a genius to realize this season is quickly getting away from the Kansas City Chiefs, who have lost four straight games and at 1-4 are on the bottom of the AFC West.

It does take people of above average intelligence to figure out their chances for getting the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft. Fortunately, the fine folks at ESPN Analytics fit into that category.

They've crunched the numbers on what remains of the season for the Chiefs and the rest of the NFL teams and determined Kansas City will likely have the 12th pick in the draft.

Chiefs place Jamaal Charles on IR, elevate Spencer Ware from practice squad from Chiefs Digest

Kansas City placed running back Jamaal Charles on season-ending injured reserve, a formality following Monday's announcement that Charles suffered an ACL tear in his right knee.

The Chiefs elevated second-year running back Spencer Ware from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster, a source familiar with the transaction confirmed Tuesday afternoon with ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal.

Chiefs sign Spencer Ware from the practice squad, make a host of other moves from The Kansas City Star

"Yeah, he's worked very hard getting himself in that position," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said at a news conference Monday, referring to Ware. "We thought he had a good preseason and training camp. He had the opportunity to play both spots, which makes him valuable. Obviously, that's why we kept him. He's got good hands and is a good blocker."

The Chiefs' decision to sign Ware to the active roster is interesting, given the fact the team brought in a handful of veteran backs, including former Kansas State star Bryce Brown, Ben Tate and Pierre Thomas, for workouts on Tuesday, sources confirmed to The Star.

RB Darrin Reaves among 4 players signed to Chiefs practice squad from Chiefs Digest

The Chiefs made numerous transactions Tuesday to tweak the 10-man practice squad.

Running back Darrin Reaves, rookie offensive lineman Michael Liedtke, linebacker Jayson DiManche and cornerback Saalim Hakim signed with the practice squad, the Chiefs announced.

The 5-10, 215-pound Reaves, who brings playing experience from the 2014 season with the Carolina Panthers, spent time with the Chiefs in training camp and preseason.

Free-agent finds for Week 6: Charcandrick West, Willie Snead, Charles Sims among top options from ESPN

Charcandrick West, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (0.3 percent): Before the season, Knile Davis was the running back tagged as the handcuff to Charles, though following the injury to Charles, West earned seven carries (for 31 yards) while Davis received just two. West may not dominate the workload in a fashion that rivals what Charles did for the Chiefs, but he's the presumptive starter in an offense that has relied on the run. He should be owned in all leagues.

Knile Davis, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (23.5 percent): And while signs point to West having the first shot at carries, Davis shouldn't be entirely ignored. He was a third-round pick with outstanding speed and terrific measurables, but he's struggled with reliability (fumbles and dropped passes). West is the first KC back to add, but Davis can be added in leagues of 12 teams or larger, too.

Jamaal Charles: Is Kansas City Chiefs RB's NFL Future In Doubt? from Forbes

Tearing an ACL is one of the biggest nightmare's for a running back and coming back from one of them is tough enough. Having to come back from a second one is demoralizing and quite simply more difficult than the first.

At 28 years old, Charles is already starting to get up there in age for a running back. He has been used as a workhorse throughout a large portion of his career and Kansas City knows that his time for being a elite running back is coming close to an end. They were hoping that he could provide them with at least three more superstar caliber years, but following this injury they have to be worried that the window will close much sooner than expected.

Kansas City Chiefs help cancer survivors from KCTV5

As a new mom and Chiefs cheerleader, Brandy Reed was not ready to hear the words many of us dread:  "You have breast cancer".

"He was four months old when I was diagnosed," she said. "Obviously, as a new mother, that was the last news I wanted to hear."

Diagnosed at age 29, she had no clue what was coming next.

Ultimate Standings: Fans' love for Andy Reid helps Chiefs in rankings from ESPN

What's Good

The fortunes of the Chiefs turned dramatically on a January day in 2013 when the team hired Reid as its new head coach -- this year, coaching came in at No. 23, up one spot from last season. Working with new GM John Dorsey, Reid set the Chiefs on a course for immediate and long-term success. Kansas City, which won a league-worst two games in 2012, won 11 and reached the playoffs in Reid's first season, followed by a relatively successful 9-7 record last year. The Chiefs look set to be contenders for the AFC West championship for years to come, so it's not difficult to see Reid and the owners who hired him (23rd) coming in with KC's best scores this year.

Andy Reid, John Dorsey under pressure with Chiefs' 1-4 start from NFL.com

At 1-4, the Chiefs are just about invisible in the playoff picture. But the bigger issue revolves around Reid -- and his sidekick, general manager John Dorsey -- moving forward. This was supposed to be the year when it all came together for Reid in Kansas City, when two years of coaching and personnel moves gave birth to a team poised to claim the AFC West crown. All the Chiefs have at this point is an inept offense, an even worse defense and a substantial void created by the torn ACL that ended the season of Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles on Sunday.

Even worse, there are no easy fixes for what ails Kansas City. When asked how the Chiefs can improve, Reid could only offer the standard reply coaches give when they are running out of answers.

Chiefs Early Look: Best player out, QB lacking and coach back on hot seat after four-game game losing streak from The Minneapolis Star Tribune

STORYLINE: Remember the feel-good stories when Andy Reid was bounced from Philly as a worn-out coach only to land in Kansas City, where he immediately turned the Chiefs into an 11-5 playoff team? Yeah, that seems long ago, doesn't it? Well, Reid is back on the hot seat after a four-game losing streak that includes last week's embarrassing home loss to Chicago. Since going 11-5 in 2013, Reid is 10-12, including 0-1 in the playoffs.