Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 11/24

How Dominant Was the Chiefs Defense on Sunday? from The Mothership

It was more than interceptions, yards allowed or 346-pound big-man touchdowns. The Kansas City Chiefs showed everyone what they are about in their 33-3 win.

It wasn't a display of what they could do; they've already done that over the past four games. This was an exclamation point on what they're already been doing, and people will begin to take notice.

That's the biggest takeaway.

Over the past two weeks against divisional opponents on the road—the Denver Broncos last week and then the Chargers on Sunday—the Chiefs have outscored them 62-16 combined.

Eric Berry's "Ninja-Esque" Play Impresses Andy Reid from The Mothership

Early in the second quarter, Berry made a play on second-and-10 on a quick pass from quarterback Philip Rivers to receiver Stevie Johnson on the outside.

What Berry did was unbelievable, or quite believable for those who have watched what the three-time Pro Bowler has done this season.

"That tackle he made on the quick screen I thought was a superior play," Reid said on Monday. "You just don't see that very often where he goes underneath an offensive lineman, pops up and makes a tackle on a screen.

"I mean that was ninja-esque."

Tamba Hali—Making the Difference Both On the Field and Off from The Mothership

His 2 sacks of quarterback Philip Rivers—both in the third quarter—had given him a total of 85.0 for his career, placing him in the top 10 among active players and in the top 50 among all those in NFL history. The multiple-sack effort, the 20th of his career, was good to pass Neil Smith (19), achieving second place in Chiefs franchise history.

But if you have ever heard an interview with Hali, you already know how he responded when asked about those individual feats.

"It does feel good to know that," he said, "but I don't want to take attention away from what we're doing here as a team."

The team, and more specifically, his defense, is in the midst of a dominating stretch. After allowing 26.5 points per game in their first six games, the Chiefs are allowing just 9.75 points a game in their last four, all victories.

Chiefs RB Spencer Ware Grateful for Opportunity in Kansas City from The Mothership

"I'm extremely grateful for Kansas City, [general manager] John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid for giving me an opportunity here when nobody wanted me," Ware said. "I show them my gratitude by how I play on the field each and every day."

It was the manifestation and realization of the work he put in and those he credits for allowing him to earn this chance.

He was more focused on sharing his gratitude for the opportunity rather than basking in the glory of his moment.

And it was indeed, a moment.

"My thanks go to God for keeping me strong through the hard times and making me end up where I am today," he added.

Chiefs QB Alex Smith Shines in Familiar Surroundings from The Mothership

The Chiefs thoroughly dominated the Chargers in every facet of the game, picking up their fourth straight win in the process.

From his teenage years to his time at the University of Utah, Smith has always been able to return to the city that developed his love for football.

"I'm fortunate in that I've gotten to play [at Qualcomm] at every level," Smith said. "I played here in high school, played here in college and now in the pros.

"It's fun to come back."

Smith had plenty of fun on Sunday as he put together one of his best performances in a Chiefs uniform, completing 20 of 25 passes for 253 yards.

The 10.1 yards per attempt is his best output since the Oakland Raiders game back in 2013 (14.35 YPA).

Chiefs DL Dontari Poe Sets NFL Record with Touchdown Run on Sunday from The Mothership

He knew his big moment would come at some point. He just had to be patient.

Over the past year, every time the Chiefs would get into a short-yardage situation, Poe would make sure Chiefs coach Andy Reid knew he was ready to go.

"I do it every time," Poe explained of getting in line of sight with Reid on the sideline. "I try to make sure that coach Reid sees me standing over there."

On Sunday, Poe's name was called for this personnel group for the fifth time in two years, although this time would be different.

It was his big opportunity.

Winning the battles of field position gives Chiefs an edge from The Kansas City Star

Kickoff and punt coverage was exceptional for the Chiefs, again.

Punter Dustin Colquitt, a master at dropping kicks in the shadow of the goal line, landed four of his five punts inside the 20. Five of Santos' kickoffs went through the end zone for touchbacks. One was squibbed at the end of the first half and, finally, one was brought out.

"Having a great kicker like Cairo, you don't get that many chances, but you're always ready for the ball to come out. You never know," Alexander said. "When they decide to come out, we always talk about making them regret it."

Monday night matchup between Bills, Patriots has Chiefs' attention from Chiefs Digest

"We'll watch it tonight, for sure," coach Andy Reid said during Monday afternoon's conference call with Chiefs beat writers. "That's what we do."

There is more at stake for the Chiefs outside of Monday night's results, of course.

The Chiefs have a looming showdown against the Bills at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 12, and the next 24 hours provide opportunities for scouting and game-week preparation.

"It's not like the old days where you had to go collect the film," Reid said. "I mean, they get it in the computer fairly quick to the league office in New Jersey there at NFL Films, so we're able to get the tape pretty quick and take a peek at it at least by early morning (Tuesday)."

Bills QB Tyrod Taylor injured in loss to Patriots, questionable for Sunday from ESPN

Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan hopes quarterback Tyrod Taylor is able to play this Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs after Taylor suffered an apparent shoulder or upper chest injury in the second half of Monday night's 20-13 loss to the New England Patriots.

Taylor remained in the game but was seen frequently grabbing the inside of his shoulder pad. The team did not make Taylor available to reporters after the game.

Ryan said he had "no idea" if Taylor will be ready for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, adding, "I hope he's ready."

Chiefs' Andy Reid comfortable with current RB depth from Chiefs Digest

While the Chiefs could be stretched thin at the running back position if West were to miss time, Reid didn't sound concerned over depth during a Monday afternoon conference call.

"We have trust in Knile," Reid said. "So, we've got Knile right there, too."

And it is early enough in the week where the Chiefs can evaluate West's status heading into Week 12.

"We'll see with Charcandrick," Reid said. "I'm not counting him out at all, so we'll just see how it works out today. They're doing the MRIs and all those things that they do now. We'll find out here in a little bit where we're at."

Spencer Ware steps in with a big game at running back from ESPN

"He doesn't blink,'' quarterback Alex Smith said. "The guy works extremely hard all week. You knew he was going to be ready. You knew he was going to know his stuff.''

Ware was impressive in training camp but couldn't find a roster spot in a crowded Chiefs backfield. He began the season on the practice squad, then was elevated to the active roster when Jamaal Charles was lost for the season with a torn ACL.

Ware again impressed the Chiefs enough in practice that he passed Knile Davis and became the top backup to West. Ware scored a touchdown in a recent win over Detroit.

Notebook: Chiefs safety Eric Berry displays ‘ninja-esque' moves from Chiefs Digest

"I mentioned after the game," Reid said, "I saw him back when he literally had the one hair coming out of his chin and he refused to shave that one hair - it was the only one he had. And telling me that he was going to play - that he was going to be back and better than ever."

Berry, who finished Sunday's game with a season-high eight tackles, stuck to his word and was declared cancer free on June 22 before returning to the team in time for training camp on July 27.

Reid admits it was difficult to believe at first based on what he observed of Berry undergoing treatments, but the faith didn't waver.

Credit to Chiefs for getting back to .500, but can they sustain it? from ESPN

It takes a lot of energy to do what the Chiefs have done. They've had to be on-point at all times and indeed have limited their mistakes to a minimum.

The Chiefs haven't been able to sustain this kind of success in either of the past two seasons since Reid arrived. In 2013, the Chiefs started 9-0 but things fell apart from there. They lost six of their last eight games, including the playoff game against the Colts...

...Last year, the Chiefs won five straight games to rally from a 2-3 start. They then lost three straight and four of the next five to ruin their playoff hopes.

10 things from Week 11 in the NFL: Jets playoff hopes take hit, Brock Osweiler can get job done from The NY Daily News

Next week's Chiefs-Bills game will be massive, regardless of what happens to the Bills on Monday night. The Chiefs impressively dismantled the Chargers in San Diego for their fourth straight win and have a great schedule down the stretch. After next week's home game against the Bills, they're at Oakland, home vs. San Diego, at Baltimore (without Joe Flacco) and home to Cleveland and Oakland to finish the year.

Kansas City's defense has been stellar. It has allowed 9.75 points per game during its winning streak and just 11 points per game in its last six games.

After 1-5 start, Chiefs riding four-game winning streak from The Associated Press via FA Kansas City

With their 33-3 rout of the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, the Chiefs have followed up a five-game losing streak filled with discord and disappointment with a four-game winning streak that has pushed them back into playoff contention with six games left in the season.

It was just last season that Carolina lost at least five straight before rattling off four wins in a row. But you have to go back to 1970 and the Bengals to find a team that started 1-5 -- or worse -- and managed to make the playoffs. Cincinnati was 1-6 before winning its last seven.

No other team has started 1-5 and made the playoffs, according to STATS.

After a Horrid Start, the Chiefs Are Making a Playoff Run from The New York Times

The 1970 Cincinnati Bengals have been widely credited with bringing the West Coast offense to the N.F.L...

...But that 1970 Cincinnati team is famous for another reason: Of the 158 teams from 1970 to 2014 that started an N.F.L. season with a 1-5 record, it is the only one to make the playoffs. It actually began the season 1-6, before winning its final seven games to finish 8-6.

Now, 35 years later, the Kansas City Chiefs (at 5-5) are poised to join the Bengals.

As Chip Kelly's Eagles crash, Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs are rolling from NJ.com

Since the start of 2012, Reid has won 25 games. Over that same span, Kelly has won 24. But this season, with injuries and adversity hitting both franchises, one coach has rallied his season. The other has watched his players question effort of teammates and ugly on-field frustration pouring out.

Meanwhile in Kansas City, Reid's team is playing with effort and enthusiasm—even incorporating the old 'Refrigerator Perry' touchdown run into the playbook.

For the second time in three years, Reid could have the Chiefs in the AFC postseason. For the second straight year, Kelly's Eagles will likely be on the outside looking in of the NFC postseason picture. Last time the Eagles missed out on the playoffs in back-to-back years? Reid lost his job.

Kansas City Chiefs and Cross-Lines serve food to those in need from KSHB

Armourdale residents got a big surprise while enjoying a Thanksgiving lunch - Kansas City Chiefs players were the "chefs."

Defensive tackle Jaye Howard and a few of his other D-Line teammates, including Dontari Poe, partnered with Cross-Lines in Kansas City to make the upcoming holiday brighter for the many people the organization serves.

Five Lessons from the Chiefs Game from Chargers.com

Here are five lessons we learned from the 33-3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs:

1. Offense Takes Step Back -The offense had three players return from injury as King Dunlap, Orlando Franklin and Ladarius Green were back in the lineup.  However, with Malcom Floyd sidelined and a number of others out for the year on IR, Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich said last week players stepping in had to step up.  Instead, on the day Philip Rivers set the franchise record by passing Dan Fouts for most career completions, the offense took a step back with their worst outing of the year.  The Chargers failed to enter the red zone on any of their 11 drives and recorded season lows in points and yards (201).

Justin Houston on K.C. turnaround: We never turned our backs on each other from ProFootballTalk

Quarterback Alex Smith said "things can turn easily" when a team hits a rough patch, something linebacker Justin Houston agreed with when he explained why the Chiefs were able to avoid that fate.

"A season has its ups and downs, but we never turned out backs on each other and started pointing fingers," Houston said, via the Kansas City Star. "That's when bad stuff starts happening."

The Bills will be at Arrowhead Stadium next week for a game that will help shape the look of the Wild Card race in the AFC and the remaining five games on the Chiefs schedule come against teams that currently have losing records, which sets them up well to continue riding their hot streak into December.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 12: Chiefs surging behind string of dominant defensive outings from M Live

11. Kansas City Chiefs (5-5)

Another outstanding performance by the Chiefs defense was overshadowed, nay eclipsed, by 346-pound Dontari Poe's 1-yard touchdown run. (Last week: 16)

David Koechner Talks KC Sports, 'Anchorman,' 'Krampus' from The Post Game

TPG: Do you have a favorite Kansas City Chief of all time?

KOECHNER: Willie Lanier. I don't know why, but I had a poster of him when I was a kid. I was a linebacker or interior lineman, but whatever it was, that Chiefs period in the early 70s, when I was a kid and I just found them, it was one of favorite eras. Len Dawson, Hank Strand, Eddie Podalack, Elmo Wright, a lot of great Chiefs.

It's beginning to look like Andy Reid may get the last laugh from Philly Voice

A few hours later, Eagles fans were smacked in the face with a be-careful-what-you-wish-for moment that will likely make Sunday's outcome sting just a little more...

...You see, Andy Reid has coached the same number of games in Kansas City (42) as Kelly has in Philly. Reid's record, however, is now 25-17, one game better than Kelly, the man who replaced him after 14 years as the Eagles' head coach.

If you're wondering if this is the first time Reid has surpassed Kelly in terms of wins and losses, the answer is no. But when you look at how they've arrived at this point, the outlook seems much better for Kelly's predecessor.

If Spanoses show money, Bolts job attractive from The San Diego Union-Tribune

Chargers coach Mike McCoy's salary is believed to be about $2 million, in the range of predecessor Norv Turner. McCoy's salary a year ago was either last in the NFL or close to it, reported the San Jose Mercury News.

The coach McCoy tried to outwit Sunday, Andy Reid of the Chiefs, who took over Kansas City in the same year the Spanoses hired McCoy, is in the third year of a five-year, $37.5-million contract.

A question the Spanoses ought to ask is: Can our coaches match Andy Reid?

Reid has a career win rate of .585. His Chiefs have a win rate of .595 and have won four consecutive games against the Chargers, with Alex Smith and Chase Daniel working at quarterback.

NFL Week 11 overreactions: Playoff time for Cowboys? from USA Today

3. Don't get too excited about the Kansas City Chiefs - they only beat the woeful San Diego Chargers

If you are going to get revved up about one team coming on in the second half of the season, it's the Chiefs. After an abysmal start to the season, they have won four consecutive games to improve to 5-5. We have seen what Andy Reid can do with a team once he gets a team rolling late in a season. It's hard to stop them.

The Chiefs have the softest remaining schedule of any team competing for a playoff berth. What's more, several other wild-card contenders - the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets - have taken sizeable steps backwards, opening up the path for the Chiefs. Albeit against the Chargers' soft defense, Alex Smith completed 20 of 25 passes for 253 yards Sunday. The Chiefs are uniquely positioned for a very strong finish.

NFL Picks Week 12: Packers, Cardinals roll; Saints upset Texans from NOLA.com

KANSAS CITY over BUFFALO, Sunday at noon

What the heck got into the Chiefs? Alex Smith still has trouble finding wide receivers, but who needs wide receivers when you have like 11 running backs or something? Take a look at their schedule: this team has a legitimate shot at winning out after losing five in a row. Against the spread: Chiefs minus-3.5.

Building on success from The Topeka Capital-Journal

Kansas City showed a power run game to build off of headed into the crucial six game playoff run stretch.

The Chiefs come out with a two tight set aligned on the left side and a fullback in Anthony Sherman to be the lead block.

Kansas City decides to pull Eric Fisher and Jeff Allen as kickout blockers on the play.