Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 12/9

Chiefs holding 50th annual Toys for Tots collection on Sunday from The Kansas City Star

All toys will be collected at the stadium entrances by Marines. Gates at the Scout Investments Club level will open at 9:30 a.m. with the remaining gates opening at 10:30 a.m. The game, which is also the Chiefs' annual military tribute, will start at noon.

Cash or checks made payable to "Toys for Tots" will also be collected at the stadium gates. Monetary contributions can also be made online at chiefs.com/toysfortots.

Chiefs vs. Chargers: 12 Stats to Know from The Mothership

5. The odds are currently in their favor

According to ESPN Stats and Analytics, the Chiefs currently have a 93 percent chance to make the playoffs.

But stats and numbers aren't going to help the Chiefs in their final four games of the season, and we've already seen that anything can change in a short period of time.

Four games ago, the Chiefs were below .500 and saying it was about "taking it one week at a time."

That's the same approach that got them here and it won't change moving forward.

Chiefs Move Up in Latest NFL.com Power Rankings from The Mothership

The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the hottest teams in the NFL and the latest Power Rankings over at NFL.com bring that point home.

According to the rankings, the Chiefs climb up one spot to No. 9 this week after their 34-20 win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

Social Recap: Chiefs React to Beating the Raiders from The Mothership

Many Kansas City Chiefs took to social media after their 34-20 win over the Oakland Raiders.

Around the AFC West: Who Will Start at QB for the Broncos Against Oakland this Weekend? from The Mothership

Quarterback Peyton Manning hasn't played since Denver's game against the Chiefs.

"Peyton worked hard through the weekend and worked hard today," head coach Gary Kubiak said. "I just got done talking to [Head Athletic Trainer Steve] Greek [Antonopulos]. I think tomorrow is kind of a rest day for him."

Donald Stephenson is on guard for Chiefs on a moment's notice from The Kansas City Star

Jeff Allen wanted to play, make no mistake. He rested his injured ankle most of last week hoping to get extended playing time against the Raiders last week.

Allen lasted only seven plays at left guard, but he knew the position was in good hands with Donald Stephenson.

That's tackle Donald Stephenson, as in never-played-guard Donald Stephenson.

"That's all right, he was ready to go," Allen said. "And he did a good job for somebody without experience there. Still I wish I could have finished the game."

Chiefs elevate OL Jarrod Pughsley to active roster, waive C Daniel Munyer from Chiefs Digest

Kansas City elevated offensive lineman Jarrod Pughsley from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster, a source familiar with the transaction confirmed Tuesday.

Terez Paylor of The Kansas City Star reported the news on Pughsley first.

In an apparent corresponding move, the Chiefs waived rookie center Daniel Munyer, a source on Tuesday afternoon informed ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal.

Another starting offensive line combination looms for Chiefs from ESPN

The Chiefs will also get a better idea when they begin their practice week whether starting center Mitch Morse will be able to play against the Chargers. Morse, who had been the one constant for the starting offensive line during the season's first 11 games, didn't play against the Raiders because of a concussion.

The Chiefs lost guard Ben Grubbs for the season with an injured neck. Allen has previously missed time because of a sprained knee. Tackle Eric Fisher didn't start until the season's third game because of injuries.

Stephenson, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Zach Fulton and Jah Reid have also started games for the Chiefs this season.

Chiefs sign offensive lineman Jarrod Pughsley to 53-man roster from The Kansas City Star

Pughsley, 24, played tackle and guard for the Chiefs during the preseason and was one of the final cuts in the 53-man roster deadline before the start of the season.

At 6 feet 4 and 310 pounds, Pughsley could provide depth inside and outside for a Chiefs team that is banged up along the offensive front.

Top 10 finishes in scoring, points allowed would be unusual double for Chiefs from ESPN

The Kansas City Chiefs are on the verge of doing something they've done just four times since the NFL-AFL merger of 1970. They're poised to finish in the NFL's top 10 in scoring offense and scoring defense.

Those other four teams, from 1971, 1990, 1997 and 2013 all made the playoffs. None won a playoff game.

So, finishing in the top 10 in both points and points allowed will guarantee the Chiefs nothing.

Chiefs' chances of making the playoffs now almost at 93 percent from ESPN

Even the Chiefs' playoff outlook isn't bad for a team that would almost certainly be a wild-card entrant and play all of its postseason games on the road. The Chiefs are given a seven percent chance to make the Super Bowl and a 3.3 percent chance to win it. Both numbers are seventh-best in the NFL and fourth-highest in the AFC.

Using the Jim Mora Scale, we break down Week 14's NFL p-p-p-playoff implications from ESPN

San Diego Chargers (3-9) at Kansas City Chiefs (7-5): The Chiefs were 1-5 after six games. The combined record of their four remaining opponents is 14-34. If you have friends who are Chiefs fans, you can go ahead and get them playoff tickets for Christmas.

Vote: Which 7-5 team is the most dangerous? from ESPN

The Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets have one thing in common -- their 7-5 record.

But do any of them scare you?

Ex-C-NS star Tyvon Branch haunts Raiders with pick-6 (Syracuse and CNY in the NFL) from Syracuse.com

On Sunday, the former Cicero North-Syracuse star played against his former team for the first time and came up with one of the biggest plays of the Chiefs' season.

Branch picked off a Derek Carr pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown to give the Chiefs a 34-20 lead and seal a crucial victory.

Alex Smith holds key to Chiefs' contention, but will he come through? from Sports Illustrated

Kansas City has legitimate chance to win out, which would mean a 10-game winning streak to finish the season, an 11-5 record and a date in the wild-card round with the beatable AFC South champions, whether it's Indianapolis or Houston. (How about a rematch of the 2013 wild-card game where the Chiefs blew a 38-10 third quarter lead at Indianapolis?) In the final four games, the Chiefs host the Chargers (3-9), travel to Baltimore (4-8) and host the Browns (2-10) and Raiders (5-7). Not only are those teams bad, but they're slumping, with a combined 3-14 record in their past four games.

So it's all there, and more, for the Chiefs. They're headed for the playoffs and will most likely be favorites in the first round on the road. And they should be.

Reid has turned Bolts rival into red menace from The San Diego Union-Tribune

Bottom line

Same old story. The Chargers are outmanned, needing Philip Rivers to do his best James Bond. The Chiefs are better at most defensive positions. Aided by Reid's scheming and play-calling, their offense is more balanced. Also, it's better at protecting the ball. Call special teams a wash, with Kansas City having missed three one-point kicks in the last two games.

Eric Berry's success fuels the Kansas City Chiefs from Pigskins Today

The thing is, nothing makes it more apparent that he's beat cancer than normalcy. Berry has put it behind him and shown that life can snap back into focus. When that diagnosis was made, he wanted nothing more than for life to simply go back to the way it had been before. As he sat crying at his parent's breakfast table, the reality almost overwhelming, he just wanted to step back in time a few weeks to when he felt healthy, strong, and at the top of his game.

That's been his focus the whole time. Whether doing just a few pushups, reporting to training camp or working to get back in game shape, his goal has always been to work hard—harder than he's ever worked—to get back to where he was.

Mellinger Minutes: Rewatching another Chiefs win and spending the Royals' money from The Kansas City Star

This was the entire Marcus Peters Experience. Gave up some yardage by trying to strip everything early, got caught out of position, called for unsportsmanlike conduct when he lost his brain and shoved Michael Crabtree, got called for a pass interference (I actually thought that was a bad call, but whatever) ... and otherwise played terrifically. Absolutely overpowered Crabtree on a decently but imperfectly thrown ball at the end of the second quarter that would've extended a drive, and showed good awareness on the interception.

AFC wild-card race: Steelers and Chiefs have a lot to play for from The Washington Post

The Kansas City Chiefs (7-5) are the first wild-card team while the New York Jets (7-5) are riding in the second, giving them the last playoff berth in the AFC. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5), Buffalo Bills (6-6) and Texans are all within striking distance for that last postseason spot.

The strongest among that group are the Chiefs, who are 9.5 points per game better than average after you adjust their margin of victory for strength of schedule, followed by the Steelers (7.7) and Bills (2.2). In other words, two of the stronger remaining teams aren't even in the playoff picture yet. Recent projections have the Steelers getting in (54 percent chance) and joining the Chiefs as the two AFC wild-card teams.

Chiefs Star Jamaal Charles is a Gamer On and Off the Field from Sports Illustrated Kids

As Charles supports his team from the sidelines and looks forward to recovery, he's had time for another passion: video games. Last weekend, he traveled to San Francisco to attend Sony's PlayStation Experience and show off his skills with the game Destiny.

Kid Reporter Manat Kaur spoke with Charles during the event about his love of video games, rehabbing his injury, and what kind of career he'd have if he weren't playing football.

Week 14 Fantasy Football Hot Takes from CBS Sports

Spencer Ware > Charcandrick West

Remember the Charcandrick West era? In the aftermath of Jamaal Charles' season-ending knee injury, West was run into the ground, racking up 88 carries in three-and-a-half games before a hamstring injury put him on the shelf for Week 12. Spencer Ware stepped right in and kept things rolling, given the Chiefs double-digit Fantasy points in Weeks 11 and 12. West returned to action in Week 13, but Ware outperformed him, scoring eight Fantasy points in a split workload to West's three. However, West had 11 touches in the win over the Raiders, to Ware's nine, and actually played twice as many snaps (34) as Ware (17). The Chiefs are likely to continue to get both backs involved in the offense, but don't be fooled by Ware outscoring West in Week 13 -- West is the one you want to rely on for Fantasy purposes in Week 14, if anyone.

Late-season predictions for all 32 teams from ESPN

Cornerback Marcus Peters will win rookie defensive player of the year. Peters not only leads the Chiefs in interceptions with five, but they all seem to come at crucial moments. His play-making ability has greatly helped a defense that failed to create turnovers last year. -- Adam Teicher

Annual gaming event puts Marines and Chiefs players together from KMBZ

The Pros vs. GI Joe movement started in 2007 with the idea of connecting troops in Iraq with professional athletes using the medium of video games and real time video competition.