Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 12/2

Here's What We Learned From Andy Reid on Monday from The Mothership

Reid spoke about the coaching staff's focus in the midst of a five-game win streak.

"I think there are a lot of things that go into that, but the one thing as coaches and players that you can control are the fundamentals, technique and effort," Reid said. "Our guys have done a good job with that the last several weeks. If you really focus in on that, those are the things you can control. As you go on, it's important that you don't get caught up in everything that's out there but that you keep yourself tunneled in. That will be our challenge down the road here. We've got to do a better job. Last year, we didn't do very well with that and it caught up to us. We can learn from that and do better this year.

"I think it's a joint effort. We've all got to do that. It starts with me obviously and works its way around the team, so we've got to do a better job there."

How High Have the Chiefs Climbed in Latest Power Rankings? from The Mothership

The Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now after winning five straight games.

When the latest Power Rankings from NFL.com came out on Tuesday, it was obvious that the football-watching world had been paying attention to what the Chiefs have been doing recently.

The Chiefs now come in at No. 10 in NFL.com's latest Power Rankings, climbing three spots from last week.

Here's what they had to say about the Chiefs:

15 Things You Didn't Know About Alex Smith from The Mothership

4. Which NFC team would you most like to play in the Super Bowl?

San Francisco 49ers.

Social Recap: Travis Kelce Actually Has His Own Holiday Sweater from The Mothership

OL Jeff Allen and RB Spencer Ware have a bromance brewing.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on pace for 1,000-yard season from The Kansas City Star

Teams have also opted to defend Kelce and Maclin — who often line up on the same side of the ball — with cloud coverage, where teams can roll safety help their way. And when that happens, quarterback Alex Smith — who has thrown an NFL-low three interceptions — will sometimes opt to throw away from them, which makes sense within the construct of the offense.

"It doesn't really matter who gets the ball or not," Avant said. "We're just trying to get it to the right person. That's what matters most. We know that each game it will be different, based on what we're presented with, based on what they're playing with on defense. That kind of dictates who gets the ball."

Kelce understands.

How good are Chiefs' playoff chances? 85 percent good from ESPN

Five-game winning streaks have a way of changing perspective. In October, we were examining the Kansas City Chiefs' chances for getting the first overall pick in the draft.

Now we're calculating their overwhelming percentage that they will make the playoffs.

Indeed, things look very good for the 6-5 Chiefs heading into the last full month of the regular season. Here's how good, according to ESPN Analytics:

Chiefs coach Andy Reid praises Jeff Allen's toughness from The Kansas City Star

"He's a tough kid and he's been that way since we've been here. He's had some injuries, but he always pushes through them if he can. If you can push through it, he's going to push through it."

Chiefs impressed with Spencer Ware's ability to handle heavy workload from ESPN

"Maybe the endurance part of it," coach Andy Reid said regarding what the Chiefs learned about Ware. "He hadn't played a lot of snaps and then he comes in and puts together a pretty healthy game, as far as number of carries and plays for you. If there was a surprise, maybe that was it."

The Chiefs weren't surprised by Ware's violent running style. He dished out punishment to defenders at LSU and during training camp and again during the second half of the previous week's game against San Diego when he replaced the injured West.

Ware averaged 6.5 yards after contact against the Chargers and 3.1 yards after he was first hit against the Bills. Those are the two highest totals by a Chiefs running back this season.

Chiefs' Mike DeVito nominated for service award from The Kansas City Star

The award is presented annually to a league member who demonstrates an exemplary commitment to honoring and supporting the military community.

DeVito has taken part in numerous community service events supporting the military since he joined the Chiefs in 2013. He was nominated by the Chiefs because of his collaboration with Snowball Express, which gives surviving spouses and children of fallen heroes the opportunity to visit the Chiefs' training camp in St. Joseph. DeVito also leads player groups on visits to Whiteman Air Force Base and Fort Leavenworth and has partnered with Pro vs. G.I. Joe, which provides deployed troops an opportunity to go head-to-head in online video game competitions against professional athletes.

Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs 2015: Prediction, Betting Odds, Preview for Week 13 Game from The International Business Times

Prediction

The Chiefs are bound to lose eventually, but it probably won't be in Week 13. Kansas City's five-game losing streak at the beginning of the season came against all good teams, and they should continue to beat up on teams with losing records. Oakland is just 1-4 against teams above .500, and they will have a tough time slowing down the Chiefs.

Kansas City over Oakland, 31-23

Raiders Host Chiefs in Critical Week 13 AFC West Showdown from Raiders.com

The contest this weekend will be the first of the year between the two AFC West rivals, with the second match-up coming in Kansas City for the regular season finale. Last season, the teams split their annual clashes, with each team winning at home. Of Oakland's five remaining games, four come against AFC West opponents. The Raiders are 1-1 within the division this year. Last week, the Raiders won a tight road game in Tennessee against the Titans, 24-21, while the Chiefs extended their winning streak, beating the Buffalo Bills at home, 30-22.

Raiders looking to get running game back in gear from The Monterey Herald

The Raiders have gained 220 yards and averaged 3.1 per carry over the past three games, as contrasted to 76 carries, 387 yards and a 5.1 average in games against San Diego, the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Murray missed a game after a concussion in the Chiefs win last season and gained 424 yards. He held off all comers during training camp, including free-agent signee Trent Richardson, to seize the role as lead back.

The former sixth-round draft pick agrees with Del Rio's contention that, particularly against Tennessee, the Raiders were close to breaking more runs.

"We were running hard, we were physical, but maybe not as efficient as we wanted to be," Murray said.

Raiders Face Stiff Test Against Chiefs In Week 13 from CBS Sacramento

Defense is where this team hangs its hat, which shouldn't surprise anyone considering former Army head coach Bob Sutton is the defensive coordinator. Under his tutelage, Kansas City ranks in the top-10 in three of the four major statistical categories, and in the other, they are 11th in the entire league.

Derek Carr and the Raiders' offense better brace themselves for a dogfight, as the Chiefs "D" is seventh in the league in points per game (20.0) and eighth in rushing yards per game (95.9). Oakland's high-flying offense might have a tough time getting going in this one, as this unit is 10th in the NFL in total yards allowed (335.4) and 11that defending the pass (239.5).

And the most dangerous team in the NFL at the moment are ... the Chiefs? from The Guardian

All they do is win. And dance. And play dominating defense in support of an effective offense that is led by a quarterback who is a former No1 overall pick. But since they don't play in a big market, the football world is only beginning to pay attention.

Another Carolina Panthers column? No, that was last week. This is about the team threatening to become the Panthers of the AFC, and the team with the longest active win streak in the American conference in the wake of New England finally losing: the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chiefs fan spoofs 'Tennesssee Mom,' hilariously 'scolds' Travis Kelce for TD dance from FOX Sports

Given the hullabaloo that occurred a couple of weeks ago when a Tennessee mom chastised Cam Newton, via a letter printed in a newspaper, for his various celebrations during the Panthers win against her hometown Titans, it was only a matter of time before someone spoofed her note. That's where Kelce comes in.

Chiefs fan and Twitter user @dcwoods89 channeled his inner "Tennessee Mom" and "lashed out" at Kelce for what his Quan antics did to his 52-year-old father.

The Chiefs look at a familiar face at linebacker from FOX Sports

One option: Former Chief Andy Studebaker, who worked out for the team on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Caplan.

J.J. Watt, Josh Norman headline top DPOY candidates from NFL.com

6. Justin Houston, Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher: As the best edge rusher in football for three years running, Houston might just be the NFL's most underappreciated superstar. Led by Houston's weekly disruption and Indian summer seasons from fellow linebackers Tamba Haliand Derrick Johnson, the stingy Chiefsdefense has allowed just 13.6 points per game since early October. Any slim chance Houston had for Defensive Player of the Year honors vanished with a Week 12 PCL sprain that will sideline him for at least the next couple of weeks.

Best-case, worst-case scenarios for all 32 teams from ESPN

Kansas City Chiefs

Best case: Alex Smith continues to play as he has, the offense continues to score points as it has and the Chiefs get the No. 5 seed in the playoffs. That would probably make their wild-card opponent the winner of the weak AFC South, giving the team a great chance to end its eight-game playoff losing streak that dates back to 1993.

Worst case: The Chiefs, who couldn't sustain their pace after winning nine straight in 2013 and five straight last season, again fall apart down the stretch and miss the postseason for the second straight year. -- Adam Teicher

Heroes & Villains: Osweiler shines; Steelers' D falters from NFL.com

4. Fill-in-the-Blank Chiefs Running Back: Think back to when the Chiefs were 1-5 with Jamaal Charles ruled out for the year. Minus their All-Pro running back, this Alex Smith-led outfit was a candidate for football's most boring watch: Little through the air and maybe nothing on the ground. Instead, Kansas City's backfield depth has saved this attack, with Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware rotating in to punish opponents. With Charles on the field, Kansas City averaged 109.8 rushing yards per tilt. During the team's five-game win streak, though, the Chiefs are pounding teams for 152.6 yards per outing. Throw in a big day from Jeremy Maclin on Sunday and the Chiefs loom as one of the AFC's most intriguing challengers heading into December.

2015 NFL Week 12 Power Rankings from Sports Central

2. Kansas City Chiefs [5] — Five straight wins, by a combined 102 points, including a win over the Broncos and a 35-point beatdown of the Lions, who are 3-0 since. These rankings are for right now, and right now, no one wants to play Kansas City.