Angel
11-16-2006, 08:48 AM
A wild card point of view
Nov 14, 2006, 1:32:21 AM by Jonathan Rand - FAQ
There was moaning and groaning around town when the Chiefs’ 13-10 loss in Miami soon was followed by the Chargers’ 49-41 victory in Cincinnati. A lot of Chiefs fans considered this a double dose of bad news because the Chiefs fell another game behind the Chargers, who remain tied for first place in the AFC West with the Broncos.
The Chargers’ victory, in truth, meant more good news than bad news for the Chiefs. The Bengals fell a game behind the Chiefs in the wild-card race, which is especially significant because the Bengals hold a head-to-head tie-breaker over the Chiefs by virtue of their opening-day victory at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs have far more control over their destiny in the wild-card race than division race, and are better off with a result that helps their wild-card chances than a result that hurts their AFC West title chances. At the risk of being accused of failing to think big, the Chiefs’ best playoff chances now lie with grabbing the AFC’s sixth and last spot.
An 0-2 start left the Chiefs facing a steep uphill battle to win a division title, especially in the NFL’s deepest division. While the Colts and Bears are the league’s top teams, no other division claims two teams as strong as the Broncos and Chargers. The Chiefs’ 5-4 record would put them no worse than tied for second place in any other division.
If the season ended today, the Chiefs would have to win a tie-breaker against the Jets and Jaguars for the last AFC playoff spot. That’s not a bad situation, especially because the Jaguars visit Arrowhead on the season’s final Sunday. To win any other tie-breakers, the Chiefs better spruce up their record against AFC rivals, which stands at 1-4.
Sure, the Chiefs could get back in the division race by beating the Broncos at home on Thanksgiving and winning at San Diego on December 17. And the Chiefs can close ground on at least one of those rivals when they meet Sunday night in Denver.
Overtaking both rivals seems like a longshot for the Chiefs, however. The Broncos’ only loss since opening day came against the unbeaten Colts and they won convincingly two weeks ago in Pittsburgh, site of the Chiefs’ 45-7 loss October 15. The Broncos do not have the look of a team that’s going to hit the skids.
Though a lot of strange things can happen over the last seven games, it will be hard to keep the Broncos and Chargers out of the playoffs. That would leave a wild scramble for the AFC’s last playoff spot and as the Chiefs found out a year ago, a 10-6 record is no guarantee of a post-season date.
With 10 wins, though, the Chiefs would have to like their chances. Yet, as they were reminded Sunday, every loss hurts a lot in the season’s second half. Having added tight end Tony Gonzalez to an already-long injury list, the Chiefs face home games against the Raiders, then Broncos on just three days’ rest.
That would be a tall order for a reasonably healthy team, much less the battered Chiefs. At least the Broncos will hit town with even less rest than the home team, considering they play Sunday night before having to travel.
First, of course, the Chiefs need to get back on a winning track and beat the Raiders, who will come in as a deserved underdog with a 2-7 record and second-lowest scoring team in the league. The Raiders gave the Broncos all they could handle on Sunday but the Broncos dodged the kind of bullet in Oakland that the Chiefs couldn’t dodge in Miami.
A playoff push for the Chiefs will have to start now. They’ve won five of their last seven games and need to win five of their next seven games, too.
That won’t be easy, but it’s doable and more doable than finishing first in the AFC West. You might want to adjust your scoreboard watching accordingly.
The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2006/11/14/rand_a_wild_card_point_of_view/
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Nov 14, 2006, 1:32:21 AM by Jonathan Rand - FAQ
There was moaning and groaning around town when the Chiefs’ 13-10 loss in Miami soon was followed by the Chargers’ 49-41 victory in Cincinnati. A lot of Chiefs fans considered this a double dose of bad news because the Chiefs fell another game behind the Chargers, who remain tied for first place in the AFC West with the Broncos.
The Chargers’ victory, in truth, meant more good news than bad news for the Chiefs. The Bengals fell a game behind the Chiefs in the wild-card race, which is especially significant because the Bengals hold a head-to-head tie-breaker over the Chiefs by virtue of their opening-day victory at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs have far more control over their destiny in the wild-card race than division race, and are better off with a result that helps their wild-card chances than a result that hurts their AFC West title chances. At the risk of being accused of failing to think big, the Chiefs’ best playoff chances now lie with grabbing the AFC’s sixth and last spot.
An 0-2 start left the Chiefs facing a steep uphill battle to win a division title, especially in the NFL’s deepest division. While the Colts and Bears are the league’s top teams, no other division claims two teams as strong as the Broncos and Chargers. The Chiefs’ 5-4 record would put them no worse than tied for second place in any other division.
If the season ended today, the Chiefs would have to win a tie-breaker against the Jets and Jaguars for the last AFC playoff spot. That’s not a bad situation, especially because the Jaguars visit Arrowhead on the season’s final Sunday. To win any other tie-breakers, the Chiefs better spruce up their record against AFC rivals, which stands at 1-4.
Sure, the Chiefs could get back in the division race by beating the Broncos at home on Thanksgiving and winning at San Diego on December 17. And the Chiefs can close ground on at least one of those rivals when they meet Sunday night in Denver.
Overtaking both rivals seems like a longshot for the Chiefs, however. The Broncos’ only loss since opening day came against the unbeaten Colts and they won convincingly two weeks ago in Pittsburgh, site of the Chiefs’ 45-7 loss October 15. The Broncos do not have the look of a team that’s going to hit the skids.
Though a lot of strange things can happen over the last seven games, it will be hard to keep the Broncos and Chargers out of the playoffs. That would leave a wild scramble for the AFC’s last playoff spot and as the Chiefs found out a year ago, a 10-6 record is no guarantee of a post-season date.
With 10 wins, though, the Chiefs would have to like their chances. Yet, as they were reminded Sunday, every loss hurts a lot in the season’s second half. Having added tight end Tony Gonzalez to an already-long injury list, the Chiefs face home games against the Raiders, then Broncos on just three days’ rest.
That would be a tall order for a reasonably healthy team, much less the battered Chiefs. At least the Broncos will hit town with even less rest than the home team, considering they play Sunday night before having to travel.
First, of course, the Chiefs need to get back on a winning track and beat the Raiders, who will come in as a deserved underdog with a 2-7 record and second-lowest scoring team in the league. The Raiders gave the Broncos all they could handle on Sunday but the Broncos dodged the kind of bullet in Oakland that the Chiefs couldn’t dodge in Miami.
A playoff push for the Chiefs will have to start now. They’ve won five of their last seven games and need to win five of their next seven games, too.
That won’t be easy, but it’s doable and more doable than finishing first in the AFC West. You might want to adjust your scoreboard watching accordingly.
The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2006/11/14/rand_a_wild_card_point_of_view/
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