Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 11/26

Chiefs Punter Dustin Colquitt Named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week from The Mothership

Colquitt punted 5 times versus the Chargers for a total of 203 yards, with 4 punts landing inside the 20. The lone punt not downed inside the 20-yard line was muffed by Chargers returner Javontee Herndon, which gave the Chiefs the ball back.

So far this season, Colquitt has landed 25 of 48 punts inside the 20 for 52.1 percent, a staggering number.

Andy Reid Discusses the "Soul" of the Locker Room from The Mothership

After starting 1-5, the Chiefs have pulled back up to .500. Reid attributed their recent success to the "family" the players have built.

"We've got a good locker room, which is the most important thing," Reid said. "These guys, they like being around each other, they like to practice and they didn't let that situation get them down and the coaches did a good job with it. Again, we're sitting here right at .500 so there's a lot of room to improve. They know that—they're going to continue to press forward and make sure we keep getting better.

"I mentioned that, I think John's (Dorsey) done a nice job of putting the team together. I think that's part of it, though. He and his guys are very conscientious about what they bring into the locker room. That doesn't mean that there might not be a guy who's had trouble before, but there's a good soul in there that can work into a good locker room. I would tell you John looks at all that."

Why Was Chiefs FB Anthony Sherman Playing Safety? from The Mothership

"We were running out of people there at the end of the game," Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton explained, "so coach sent him in as a free safety, and he did a great job back there."

Sutton made this comment in jest, considering the score was 33-3 and the game was all but over.

"He's now a dual-role player," Sutton added, jokingly. "Poe runs on defense and offense and Sherman runs on offense and defense.

"I don't know, Poe may end up back there (at safety) next."

A 346-pound safety? That'd be something.

One Prominent National Analyst on the Chiefs: "They're for real. They're scary" from The Mothership

The Kansas City Chiefs (5-5) have reeled off four straight victories to get back to .500, picking up some believers in the process. 

One of those believers is 15-year veteran NFL quarterback and current CBS and "Inside the NFL" (Showtime) analyst, Phil Simms.

Around the AFC West: Brock Osweiler Leads Denver to Victory, Will Start Again Sunday from The Mothership

A look at some of the latest headlines around the AFC West division

With the support of Chiefs' ‘family,' Eric Berry back to being himself from The Kansas City Star

Teams, of course, often talk about being a family. But with so many dollars on the line, few actually mean it.

"I think it's a family — everybody's close," outside linebacker Justin Houston said earlier this season. "You can go in there and sit at any table at any time and talk to anybody at any time about anything ... I think it's very rare. My first couple years, we didn't have that. You couldn't go to sit at the lunch table with anybody and have a good conversation.

"I think this is the first year I'm able to do that. I think the coaches, the GM, did a great job putting a good staff together and getting the right group of guys together."

Reid echoed those thoughts on Monday, crediting general manager John Dorsey for putting together a group of players with "good souls."

Week 12: Wednesday injury report from Chiefs Digest

Coach Andy Reid said Thomas, who suffered a concussion on the second play from the line of scrimmage in Week 11, did not pass the concussion protocol and West is "making progress."

Thomas and West were on the field without helmets and not participating while observing teammates go through individual position drills during the 20-minute portion of practice open to the media.

Chiefs G Ben Grubbs ruled out; QB Tyler Bray practices from Chiefs Digest

Bray's presence on the practice field starts the clock and the Chiefs now have three weeks to either activate Bray or return him to the NFI list.

Bray, who joined the Chiefs in 2013 as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee, originally suffered the knee injury in early January and did not participate in training camp.

Woodson, Rivers, Megatron among 32 Art Rooney Award nominees from ESPN

Raiders safety Woodson is in his 18th pro season, Chargers quarterback Rivers is in his 12th, and Lions receiver Johnson in his ninth.

Other long-time NFL players nominated include Colts QB Matt Hasselbeck (17th season), Packers LB Julius Peppers (14th), Browns QB Josh McCown (13th), Saints TE Benjamin Watson (12th), Chiefs LB Derrick Johnson (11th), Vikings LB Chad Greenway (10th), Eagles LB DeMeco Ryans (10th), Steelers CB William Gay (ninth) and 49ers T Joe Staley (ninth).

Stock up, stock down, according to NFL FPI from ESPN

Entering Week 7, the Chiefs were losers of five straight (1-5 overall) and had a 4.7 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to FPI. But a four-game winning streak has shot their chances of making the playoffs all the way to 72.8 percent.

Since the start of Week 7, the Chiefs have averaged 32.5 points per game, the highest of any AFC team. They have allowed a league-best 4.4 yards per play and 9.8 points per game during the winning streak. In addition, Alex Smith has no interceptions on 226 attempts since Week 4, the only qualifying quarterback in that span without a pick.

Chiefs look for fifth straight win against playoff-hungry Bills from STATS, Inc via FS Kansas City

The Kansas City Chiefs could be streaking their way toward history.

They can continue their impressive run with a fifth consecutive victory Sunday when they face a visiting Buffalo Bills team that's also trying to remain a serious playoff contender.

Kansas City (5-5) has yet to lose since the five-game skid that appeared to end its season before it really started.

Rex Ryan, Andy Reid exchange compliments on weight loss from ESPN

"You have Andy Reid looking good, slimming up," Ryan said at his Wednesday news conference. "He looks good. Big Andy looks good, but he's not that big any more."

Reid returned the favor on a conference call with Buffalo reporters later Wednesday.

"I'll tell you: He's done a great job of that now, he's way ahead of me," Reid said of Ryan. "I have a few more push-aways to do to catch him."

No repeat for Chiefs in London in 2016; following year remains possible from ESPN

"I don't foresee us playing a home game in the near future," Hunt said. "It would be much more likely that we would play an away game before we would play another home game.

"Having said that, the league is going to expand the international series. Beginning in 2018, there will be four games [in London] and the league is already looking at other markets like Mexico, Canada, Germany, Brazil, maybe one day somewhere in Asia. I think the series is going to expand, but certainly, I don't want to give up another home game in the near future."

Chiefs RBs are thriving even without Jamaal Charles from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City

Yes, that was big Dontari Poe plowing over the goal line in last Sunday's 33-3 win over San Diego, which got the Chiefs back to .500 and into the thick of the AFC playoff hunt.

The sight of Poe doing his touchdown dance was certainly memorable, but more important to Kansas City's four-game win streak has been the ability of unheralded running backs Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware to carry the load after Jamaal Charles's season-ending knee injury.

Play looks simple, but there are risks in giving ball to Dontari Poe from ESPN

"The downside is ... ball security," Pederson said. "There is some timing involved. We did have motion on the play. [Poe could have jumped] offsides. We had a silent count on the goal line, on the road. There is a lot of downside, really, to that play.

"Where we were, time of the game, situation, the whole thing, on the road. We felt we had the momentum if there is such a thing and we felt like that was our best chance to go a half-yard, to give it to the biggest guy on the field."

Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week from Chiefs Digest

"Just doing my job," Colquitt said. "We've had a lot of good punt protection this year. Guys are making differences and (special teams coordinator) Dave (Toub)'s really pushing those guys and me to really playing three games a week, we call it.

"Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays we know we have to punt so between the coverage guys, and then our gunners like (cornerback Jamell) Fleming, he's really taken charge over there with the guys that come in with (wide receiver Chris) Conley and really making a difference. It's putting the return guys - quick fair catches or getting down there and downing the ball inside the 5. Those guys are doing that, so it makes my job easy."

Emergency quarterbacks for all 32 teams from ESPN

Running back Spencer Ware would be a good choice as an emergency quarterback for the Chiefs. He was recruited to LSU as a quarterback but switched positions shortly after his arrival. "As a quarterback, you have to learn all the different positions, so he understands that part of the game,'' coach Andy Reid said. "He kind of has that big-picture part (down)." -- Adam Teicher

Alex Smith 'shocked' by 49ers benching of Colin Kaepernick from ESPN

"I see it from afar,'' Smith said. "So many things have changed since I was there. Tough for me to speculate. I'm certainly shocked, looking at it from afar, that it's gone the way it's gone. It's surprising.''

Smith was none too happy about being benched during the middle of the 2012 season. But he said he doesn't feel vindicated by what's happened with Kaepernick.

CBS Sports Video: BUFFALO AT KANSAS CITY

Preview: Bills at Chiefs from The Sports Xchange via WPTZ

EXTRA POINTS

1. McCoy needs 98 yards from scrimmage to reach 10,000 in his career and has topped 100 in four straight games.

2. Kansas City has gone a franchise-record four straight contests without committing a turnover.

3. Chiefs QB Alex Smith has thrown a franchise-record 253 consecutive passes without an interception dating to Week 3, the longest streak in the NFL this season.

PREDICTION: Chiefs 23, Bills 17

Bills-Chiefs game basically a playoff warmup from The Buffalo News

The Buffalo Bills are in the knockout portion of their schedule, where losing pretty much is not an option if they have any hope of making the playoffs.

And no remaining game carries such implications to the degree that Sunday's clash with the Kansas City Chiefs does, because both teams are 5-5 and, for all practical purposes, competing for a wild-card playoff spot.

"The loser of this game is definitely a long shot to make the playoffs," linebacker Preston Brown said Wednesday. "It definitely is a must-win game for us."

"This is a playoff game for us, pretty much," said linebacker Nigel Bradham. "We've got to take it that way and prepare all week as we've got to win this game."

Ryan wants more passes thrown to Watkins from The Buffalo News

The head coach has always been in Sammy Watkins' corner. Back in training camp, coach Rex Ryan "introduced" the wide receiver to all of his quarterbacks.

By the way, he told all of them half-jokingly, have you met Sammy Watkins? Ryan wanted his quarterback throwing Watkins the ball from Day 1. So after seeing his No. 1 receiver go an entire half without a target, Ryan spoke up Wednesday.

"We've got to find ways to get him the football," Ryan said, "because he is that talented and that's a challenge to our staff. Even our quarterback. Let's get Sammy Watkins involved more and regardless of what people play because he is such a talent. It's almost like, if you don't use LeSean McCoy, that's a mistake."

NFL Week 12 game picks: Chiefs keep rolling; Pats move to 11-0 from NFL.com

Kansas City is the hottest team in the NFL right now, or at least in the conversation. They've won four in a row and have allowed a shade under 10 points per game during the win streak. And, if that's not enough to set your confidence straight, who can stop Spencer Ware? Introducing the new waiver wire darling in fantasy. There likely won't be a new quarterback in Buffalo this week, as Rex Ryan says he thinks Tyrod Taylor will play. Taylor, after a productive start to the season, has rushed for just 13 yards the last two games. And in three of the last four, he's posted well under 200 yards passing. Yeah, Arrowhead doesn't feel like the perfect spot for a T-Mobile turnaround. The coverage is too good. You're welcome. #BUFvsKC

Bills RB LeSean McCoy set to face old pal Andy Reid again from The Buffalo News

When the Philadelphia Eagles traded away LeSean McCoy, the running back received a text message from his former head coach Andy Reid. He still keeps in touch Reid's family, calling his bond with Reid "a special relationship."

Hearing from Reid when Chip Kelly no longer wanted him clearly meant something to McCoy.

"Had some words for me, encouragement," McCoy said. "So it will be something special. He's a good coach, man. But we have to win and going in there we'll talk a little bit. But the main concern is beating the Chiefs."

AFC playoff picture: Patriots closing in on clinching from ProFootballTalk

6. Chiefs (5-5): Kansas City wins the tiebreaker over Houston and Buffalo based on winning percentage in conference games.

Love/Hate for Week 12: The definitive #Noodlegate interview from ESPN

Quarterbacks I Hate in Week 12...

...Tyrod Taylor, Bills: Hurt, on the road, and falling back to Earth after a hot start. K.C. has not allowed multiple passing TDs in a game since Week 5. The Chiefs have allowed fewer than 250 passing yards in six consecutive games, the longest active streak in the league. They have also allowed the third-fewest rushing yards (77) to opposing QBs this season and have not allowed a rushing touchdown to a quarterback.

NFL player puts turkey on local tables from The Texas Examiner

The nonprofit organization, founded by former Seattle Seahawk Babineaux and brother Jonathan Babineaux of the Atlanta Falcons, has been hosting this event annually with Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs, who is also founder of the Jamaal Charles Youth Matters Family Foundation. Together, the foundations help families of Southeast Texas who may not have the means to supply their own dinner on Thanksgiving Day.

Herm Edwards, NFL Diary: Nothing like playing on Thanksgiving from The Monterey Herald

Herm Edwards, a former Monterey High, Monterey Peninsula College and Philadelphia Eagles standout, is an NFL analyst for ESPN. The former Jets and Chiefs head coach will share his thoughts each week during the NFL season with The Herald's John Devine.

Thanksgiving Day games are different than regular Thursday Night games. They're kind of the anticipation game. When I was the head coach for the Chiefs, it was the first time Kansas City hosted the game. We had the late game.

I can remember going through the parking lot and all these tailgaters were cooking turkeys instead of barbecuing. If you win, the turkey tastes good when you get home. And you get a few extra days off.

Guest Column: Sudden cardiac arrest is preventable epidemic from USA Today High School Sports

The sad reality is that next to nothing is being done to protect young athletes. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was asked about his heart health, and the 26- year-old said, "When I stop to think about it, my heart has never been checked."

"I think the biggest thing I can do as an athlete is bring awareness to the issue," he said. "Being in the NFL, the common language being thrown around centers on concussions. But, when you look at the data and information SCA is a much bigger issue that doesn't get the attention simply because it's not as obvious as a concussion and people can't see the stress young athletes put on their hearts. So being able to show these young athletes what they can do to screen themselves or help make them aware of what symptoms might be could be the difference from a kid getting misdiagnosed as tired to saving his or her life."

Mike Garrett named executive director for athletics at Cal State LA from The Los Angeles Sentinel

At USC, Garrett's illustrious football career continued. He played running back and in 1965 won the Heisman Trophy. During his eight seasons in the NFL, Garrett was a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and won a World Championship ring with the team in Super Bowl IV. He later played with the San Diego Chargers. After his sports career ended, Garrett earned a law degree and became a leader in business and college athletics.