Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 9/30

Chiefs Coach Andy Reid Takes Pragmatic Approach to Adversity from The Mothership

There's no doubt this coaching staff will go through what happened on Monday night and address where to go from here, but talking through the past isn't part of their process of moving forward.

They wouldn't be the first team to go through adversity during a season in which they still accomplished the goals they had set for themselves.

They have, after all, only played three games this season.

Cornerback Sean Smith Will Return to Practice This Week from The Mothership

"I know he's been working out like crazy, so it's just a matter of getting him back into the football swing of things," Reid said. "We could probably put him right back in and let him get going. I think every rep he can get is an important rep in practice."

The Bengals offense features Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green, tight end Tyler Eifert and WR Marvin Jones, who have already combined for 8 touchdowns this season.

Chiefs Unable to Overcome Slow Start on Monday Night from The Mothership

While the final score of Monday night's game may appear that it was a little closer than it felt, the fact is the Kansas City Chiefs started slow against a team in the Green Bay Packers that doesn't need much help to win at home.

Since 2006, the Packers are 55-17-1 at Lambeau Field under head coach Mike McCarthy.

Despite outscoring the Packers 21-7 in the final 16 minutes of the game, the Chiefs were in too deep of a hole and ultimately fell 38-28 to move to 1-2 on the season.

From the beginning, the Packers really took control of the game.

After one quarter of play, the Chiefs trailed 14-0.

"If you get in a hole early against that kind of team you don't give yourself a very good chance to win," Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said after the game. "Even though we battled back at the end, you can't come out like we did. We knew it was going to be hard coming into Green Bay to beat them. We knew it was doable, but we have to get better."

10 Reasons to Come to the American Royal This Weekend from The Mothership

3. FAMILY FRIENDLY. American Royal offers fun for every member of the family. First, theAmerican Royal Parade beings at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and then you'll have the opportunity to move to the Cowtown Family Fun Fest, which features inflatable games, face painting, a rock-climbing wall, a Ferris wheel and a petting zoo. *SPECIAL* - On Saturday morning, pay $20 for a family-four pack of tickets. Will be available until 4 p.m.

4. THE WORLD SERIES OF BARBECUE®. The World Series of Barbecue® is the largest barbecue competition in the world and features 618 teams from 39 states and three countries.

Chiefs' Andy Reid moves on from Monday night's loss, eyes Bengals from Chiefs Digest

Some of the problems of Week 2 carried into Week 3, and the Chiefs went 2 of 10 on third down, committed seven penalties and Smith threw an interception, giving him three on the season.

The Chiefs are now 5 of 30 on third-down conversion (16.7 percent) through three games to rank last in the league in the category.

But Reid believes the Chiefs can effectively address the lingering issues before Week 4's game against the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals (3-0).

"I'm going to make sure we get this thing fixed," Reid said. "We have a short week and we're well into Cincinnati right now. I tell you it's that fast, it's that fast. That's where I'm at right now."

'We're moving on to Cincinnati' could become a thing for Chiefs from ESPN

"We're moving on to Cincinnati," Reid said shortly after the Chiefs finished a 38-28 loss to Green Bay at Lambeau Field.

A year ago, also on the last Monday night of September, the coach of the Chiefs' opponent said the very same thing. The Chiefs had routed the New England Patriots that night at Arrowhead Stadium in a manner similar to how the Packers handled the Chiefs.

It worked for the Patriots and their coach Bill Belichick. They left Kansas City that night 2-2 and very much looking like a team headed for a fall.

They weren't.

Maybe Chiefs' too little, too late passing game could cost them the season from ESPN

They got their long-awaited touchdown from a wide receiver and a big night from Jeremy Maclin, who had eight catches, 141 yards and that elusive touchdown Monday night.

But these things were far too little and far too late to prevent a 38-28 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, and the Chiefs can only hope that's not a metaphor for their season as well.

The Chiefs are 1-2 and already two games behind the Denver Broncos in the AFC West. Their assignment gets no easier on Sunday, when they play the 3-0 Bengals in Cincinnati.

Chiefs CB Sean Smith expected to return from suspension in time for Wednesday's practice from Chiefs Digest

Cornerback Sean Smith, who served a three-game suspension to start the season, is expected to be activated from the reserve/suspension list within the day.

"(General manager John) Dorse(y) is on top of that, so they'll get all that worked out," coach Andy Reid said Tuesday in a media conference call. "He'll be back this week, so that's the important thing. He'll be back for tomorrow's practice."

Smith's return should have an immediate impact and bolster a struggling pass defense.

CB Sean Smith looks like a savior to Chiefs from ESPN

In the span of a couple dismal weeks for the Kansas City Chiefs, Sean Smith has gone from being a solid NFL cornerback to one being viewed as an essential performer.

The Chiefs went from the NFL's second-rated pass defense last year, with Smith starting all 16 games as their No. 1 cornerback, to the league's 28th best pass defense without him during his three-week NFL suspension for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

That's how much the Chiefs missed Smith.

Chiefs haven't made QB, WR priorities like the Bengals have from ESPN

The Chiefs haven't had a quarterback throw for 383 yards, as Dalton did in Sunday's win against the Baltimore Ravens, since Matt Cassel did it in 2010. They haven't had a wide receiver with 10 catches or two touchdowns in a game since Dwayne Bowe did each, the catches in 2010 and the touchdowns in 2012.

The last time the Chiefs had a receiver with 227 yards? Stephone Paige in 1985. In fact, that's the only time a Chiefs receiver has topped 227 yards in a game.

Source: Dallas Cowboys plan to sign DT David Irving from Kansas City Chiefs practice squad from The Dallas Morning News

The Cowboys expressed interest in Irving before the draft. The Cowboys were one of seven teams who attended Irving's pro day in San Jacinto, Calif.

Irving (6-7, 273) has all the intangibles to be an NFL player. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.84 seconds, has a 38-inch vertical jump and an 88-inch wingspan.

But Irving also comes with some baggage. He didn't play his senior season at Iowa State after he was dismissed from the team because of an April 2014 arrest.

Andy Reid shoulders blame for Chiefs' ugly loss in Green Bay from The Associated Press via FOX Sports

In the moments after a lopsided loss Monday night, Chiefs coach Andy Reid was in no mood to talk, brushing away a series of questions about the performance in Green Bay with the same answer.

Or at least, a derivative of, "It's my fault."

He was only slightly more forthcoming on Tuesday, when he'd had roughly 12 hours to digest what went wrong in a 38-28 loss that was close in score only. The Chiefs trailed 31-7 at one point, and it took two late touchdowns just to get within two more possessions of victory.

Former Longhorn breaks career tackling record for Kansas City Chiefs from The Daily Texan

Johnson played football for the Texas Longhorns from 2001-2004 under head coach Mack Brown. He was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year during his senior season during which the Longhorns defeating the Michigan Wolverines to win the 2005 Rose Bowl. He is considered one of the most dominant linebackers in Longhorns history.

After breaking this franchise record, Johnson will likely be considered one of the Kansas City Chiefs' greatest linebackers, too.

First look: Bengals vs. Chiefs from Cincinnati.com

Quick facts

TV: CBS with Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Solomon Wilcots (analyst).
Radio: WCKY-AM (1530) and WEBN-FM (102.7).

Line: -3.5

Last week: Bengals beat Baltimore 28-24; Chiefs lost to Green Bay 38-28.

Scheduled uniform: Orange jerseys, white pants.

Key numbers

11.8

Third down conversion percentage of the Chiefs offense in its last eight quarters (2-for-17).

1

Touchdowns Chiefs wide receivers have caught since Dec. 8, 2013.

With Chiefs on horizon, Bengals must avoid a 3-0 deja vu from ESPN

Six days after being blown out on the road, the Patriots returned home and took out their frustrations on the Bengals, blasting them, 43-17. What happened to Cincinnati in that game can't happen again this year. At all costs, it must avoid a 3-0 deja vu when the Chiefs visit Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday...

...Just like when they entered the 2014 Week 5 game at New England, the Bengals come into Sunday's with a 3-0 record, and cautiously optimistic about their chances to finish the season with a deep playoff run. Also, the Bengals are facing a Chiefs team that is coming off an embarrassing loss on national television, just like the Patriots last year.

About the only difference is the Bengals aren't heading into this game after a momentum-halting early-season bye.

The Read Option: Rally in garbage time does nothing to fix Chiefs' problems from The Springfield News-Leader

A 10-point loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field in a prime-time game isn't reason to think the sky is falling ... right?

Wrong. The worst thing that could have happened for the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night was for the offense to finally show signs of life in the second half, making it a respectable 38-28 loss to Green Bay.

It will mask many of the problems that were exposed in the first half of the game, from the offensive line, the play-calling and the performance of quarterback Alex Smith.

5 NFL Games You Can't Miss This Week (Week 4) from CBS Miami

2. Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3-0) - Sun. 1:00 p.m. ET

Sometimes the schedule makers really don't do you any favors, and that's been the story behind the Kansas City Chiefs' season thus far. Sure, they could have easily had that game against Denver in Week 2, but starting off with a tough Texans team on the road, followed by the Broncos and the Packers is pretty brutal. The Chiefs are better than a 1-2 team but they have another huge test on the road against the high-flying Cincinnati Bengals.

Andy Dalton is in full ‘regular season' Andy Dalton mode and as long as he keeps feeding A.J. Green and as long as the calendar doesn't read ‘January' he should continue to thrive. Their wins over San Diego, Baltimore and Oakland (combined 3-6 record) don't look too impressive, but 3-0 is 3-0. Aaron Rodgers gashed the Chiefs on Monday night, and if the Chiefs don't adjust their film study sessions might be an uncut A.J. Green highlight reel.

Still, this is a litmus test game for the Bengals, and a gut check game for the Chiefs. It's nice to be close in these games, but as they say, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. They need a W here.

Agent's Take: The 20 players with big money on the line this season from CBS Sports

Eric Berry, S, Kansas City Chiefs: Berry is making the transition to free safety from his customary strong safety spot in his much quicker than expected return after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma last December. Improved coverage ability could result in the three-time Pro Bowler signing a deal exceeding the six-year, $50 million contract he received as the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft...

...Sean Smith, CB, Kansas City Chiefs: Smith's three-game suspension for a DUI charge exposed Kansas City's lack of depth at cornerback. PFF's fifth highest-rated CB in 2014 should be in high demand on the open market if the Chiefs make retaining Berry a higher priority. Press coverage cornerbacks who are 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds are a rarity.

Capers switches up his defense from The Fond du Lac Reporter

In Monday night's 38-28 win over Kansas City, the 65-year-old coordinator made several adjustments to his scheme to help replace a pair of injured safeties (Morgan Burnett and Sean Richardson) and accommodate a new dime linebacker (Joe Thomas).

What resulted was a stingy defensive effort through the meaningful portion of the victory. Kansas City's offense managed only 168 total yards and 14 points through three quarters before practically matching that production in the fourth (14 points and 158 more yards) to keep things interesting.