Gästebuch » The Kansas City Chiefs could have taken this week off

KANSAS CITY Will Grier Jersey , Mo. (AP) — assured of not only their third consecutive AFC West title but also the No. 1 seed in the playoffs before the Oakland Raiders came to town.Instead, they’ll have everything on the line Sunday.The Chiefs blew a fourth-quarter lead against the Chargers a couple weeks ago, and last week they lost a shootout in Seattle. They are now 0-2 with a chance to clinch the division, and they risk falling all the way to the No. 5 seed in the playoffs if they can’t defeat one of their longtime rivals.Article continues below ...“Last time I checked we are in a pretty good position here,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I know it can become a woe-is-me thing and this is how it happens, it can be a negative. I feel like throughout the team, though, the guys understand where they’re at and what they need to do to fix it.“The objective is to win games,” Reid said. “We have one game left here in the regular season.”Now, the Chiefs long ago locked up a spot in the postseason, so that won’t be an issue when they kick off against Oakland at the same time the Chargers are playing the Broncos. But what happens over the ensuing hours could potentially have massive playoff ramifications.If the Chiefs (11-4) win, they get a path through Arrowhead Stadium. If they lose and the Chargers win, Los Angeles vaults to the top of the AFC West and the No. 1 seed.If both teams lose, the Patriots or Texans would have a chance to snare the top spot, and Kansas City could conceivably go from having a bye to a wild-card matchup next weekend.“It’s a very small margin between winning and losing,” Reid said.“Very, very small. The pace can change quickly. So it’s important the attitude is right http://www.carolinapanthersteamonline.com/christian-miller-jersey , and Kansas City has had a lot of ups and downs. Are players and coaches willing to make a change? We have an opportunity to do that.”The Raiders (4-11) would like nothing more than to play spoiler. They’ve lost seven of their last eight against the Chiefs, including a 40-33 shootout in Oakland earlier this season.But despite a season’s worth of turmoil with no end in sight — who knows where they will play next season? — the Raiders have quietly performed better. They beat the Steelers and Broncos in recent weeks and coach Jon Gruden believes his vast rebuilding job is making progress.“We’re trying to get some momentum for our offseason,” Gruden said. “This is our first year here. I know the expectations were high for some, but we’re laying the foundation for how we want to play.“All we can do is keep developing our team,” he said, “and fight like hell for 60 minutes.”As the Raiders and Chiefs prepare to meet, here are some key story lines:HEALTH CHECKThe Chiefs remain without wide receiver Sammy Watkins because of a sore foot, but they hope to get cornerback Kendall Fuller back from a broken hand. Their defense was shredded by the Seahawks when he decided at game time that he would be unable to go. “That’s a day-to-day thing,” Reid said, “but I think he feels a lot better.”HEALTH CHECK, PART 2Raiders left guard Kelechi Osemele returned last week against Denver and instantly upgraded the entire offense. He did not allow a pressure in 31 passing snaps and helped pave the way for Doug Martin to run for a season-best 107 yards. “It’s always good to be able to do that,” said Osemele, who’d been out with a knee injury. “It’s a great feeling, man.”CARLSON’S KICKSOne of the few bright spots for Oakland this season has been rookie kicker Daniel Carlson, who is perfect on extra points and 15 of 16 on field goals since signing in October. The fifth-round pick was cut by Minnesota after missing all three field goals in Week 2, but he could break Sebastian Janikowski’s franchise record for field-goal accuracy in a season set in 2012. “To me that’s something you enjoy later in life,” he said. “You enjoy it in the offseason a little.”STEPPING UPOakland’s rookie tackles Kolton Miller and Brandon Parker have taken plenty of heat as the offensive line has failed to protect Derek Carr much of the season. “I know Pro Football Focus has some statistics that aren’t always positive,” Gruden said Jordan Scarlett Jersey , “but they played very good, and not just pass protecting but run blocking and handling the audibles. We have seen a lot of progress there.”SLOW STARTSOne common thread during the Chiefs’ late-season slide: slow starts by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who nonetheless remains a top candidate for league MVP. He was 1 of 7 out of the gates against Seattle, though he bounced back to have another solid game.“It’s all about the next play. The next play you always have an opportunity to do better,” Mahomes said. “As long as you go out there and execute the next play, that’s the best thing you can do.” CLEVELAND (AP) — ‘Tis the season for giving, and Hue Jackson’s about to get something before Christmas he can’t return.Fired by the Browns in October after winning just three of 40 games as Cleveland’s coach, Jackson will return Sunday for the first time to face fans who haven’t forgotten or forgiven him.“I’m sure he’ll get booed a lot, the fans will probably give him a hard time,” said Browns guard Joel Bitonio. “I think he understands that, too.”Article continues below ...Jackson figures to receive a frosty ho-ho-homecoming as the Browns (6-7-1) try to complete a two-game sweep of the Cincinnati Bengals (6-8), who hired Cleveland’s former coach as a special assistant shortly after his dismissal.Jackson’s decision to join a division rival so quickly irritated several Browns players, who showed him their displeasure when the teams met last month.After first predicting a win, safety Damarious Randall intercepted a pass near Cincinnati’s sideline and handed the ball to Jackson, who awkwardly accepted it during the first half of the Browns’ 35-20 victory on Nov. 25.But the coldest moment came after the game when Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield gave his former coach an abbreviated handshake and then called Jackson “fake” in an Instagram comment the next day when the QB’s behavior was criticized.Mayfield offered no regrets then for his actions or remarks, and this week said his relationship with Jackson hasn’t warmed.“I said what I said,” Mayfield said. “We have to be able to come in, be able to block out the distractions Greedy Williams Jersey , block out the outside noise like we have week to week every time this season and be able to do our job.”Mayfield later said “no comment” when asked whether he or Jackson had reached out to the other since their previous meeting.Jackson figures to have an uncomfortable visit to FirstEnergy Stadium, which is expected to be sold out. Since he left Cleveland, the Browns have turned their season around by going 4-2 — with a pair of road wins — under interim coach Gregg Williams.The Bengals, on the other hand, have dropped five of six with Jackson serving again alongside coach Marvin Lewis.Some of the Browns remain upset with Jackson and are using his slight to inspire them.Unlike his teammates, Myles Garrett has moved on.“Since he’s there, that’s still a motivating factor for them to try to get after it a little bit differently,” said the Pro Bowl defensive end. “But I want to beat them into the ground and I want to win. That’s with every team. It doesn’t matter who they are.”The Bengals may be looking for payback to support Jackson, and that’s fine with Mayfield.“Football is an angry, violent game,” he said. “If you play anything but (ticked) off, I do not think that you are doing it right.”STRONG FINISHThe Browns’ playoff push may come up short, but they still have a lot to play for. Cleveland hasn’t won more than seven games since 2007, the club’s most recent winning season.Also, with wins over Cincinnati and Baltimore in the final two weeks, the Browns could finish 4-1-1 in the AFC North.As far as Mayfield’s concerned, if any player has another goal, he can show them the door.“We want to win our last two games http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/justice-hill-jersey-authentic ,” he said. “If the guys on this team don’t want to do that, then you can get out.”MIXON’S THE MANWith receiver A.J. Green out for the season with an injured toe, running back Joe Mixon has become the focal point of the Bengals’ offense.He’s run for 100 yards in each of the past two games and is tied with receiver Tyler Boyd for catches in the two-game span as well. Boyd hurt his right knee last Sunday, leaving Mixon as Cincinnati’s last, best option to move the ball.“I feel great, not sore,” the second-year running back said. “It’s been a pretty heavy workload, but I’ve been waiting for it. I’m handling it the best way I can.”DANGER ZONECleveland’s efficiency inside the red zone has been spectacular under offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, who took over when Todd Haley was fired the same day as Jackson.The Browns have scored on 15 of 16 trips inside the opponents’ 20-yard line in the past six games.BASEMENT BOUND?A loss would consign the Bengals to last place in the division. They’ve finished last only once during Lewis’ 16 previous seasons, in 2010.For a team that was thinking about the playoffs after a 4-1 start, merely trying to avoid the basement isn’t much of a rallying point. Even if they win their final two games, the Bengals will have matched their longest postseason drought under Lewis — three straight years.“We definitely don’t want to finish last, but I can’t say we have any extra motivation just because of that,” defensive end Carlos Dunlap said.