Chiefs vs Giants - Preseason Game 2
Aug 13, 2006, 3:15:23 PM by Pete Moris
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (0-1)
AT
NEW YORK GIANTS (1-0)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2006 – 7:00 PM (CENTRAL)
GIANTS STADIUM – EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY
TV: FOX National Coverage (WDAF-4 in Kansas City) – Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Chris Myers and Pam Oliver
LOCAL RADIO: KCFX-FM (101.1) – Mitch Holthus, Len Dawson, Bob Gretz and Bill Grigsby.
THE MATCH-UP
Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards returns to the Big Apple as Kansas City faces the N.Y. Giants in a preseason contest that will be televised nationally by FOX on Thursday evening (8/17) from Giants Stadium. Kansas City enters the contest after a 24-14 loss at Houston (8/12), while the Giants are coming off a 17-16 win at Baltimore (8/11).
After five seasons guiding the on-field fortunes of the N.Y. Jets (2001-05), Edwards is entering his first campaign in charge of the Chiefs. However, Edwards is a familiar face at Arrowhead Stadium after beginning his pro coaching career with Kansas City as a recipient of the NFL’s Minority Coaching Fellowship in ‘89. He later served as a scout and defensive backs coach for the club before joining Tony Dungy’s staff in Tampa Bay in ‘96.
Edwards inherits a Kansas City squad that finished 10-6 a year ago. After becoming the first coach in Jets history to guide that franchise to a trio of postseason berths, Edwards is seeking to lead the Chiefs back to the postseason for the first time since 2003. New York won the NFC East with a 11-5 record a year ago in Tom Coughlin’s second season with that franchise.
The Chiefs and Giants boast two of the NFL’s most exciting and productive performers at running back. In Kansas City, RB Larry Johnson earned his initial Pro Bowl berth a year ago after piling up 2,093 yards from scrimmage, a figure that ranked second in the league behind only Giants Pro Bowl RB Tiki Barber (2,390). In terms of rushing yards, only Seattle RB Shaun Alexander (1,880) accumulated a better total than Barber (1,860) and Johnson (1,750) last season.
Up next for the Chiefs is a Governor’s Cup match up at Arrowhead against in-state rival St. Louis (8/26), while the Giants have a “road” contest at the N.Y. Jets (8/25). The NFL’s first mandatory cutdown date is Tuesday, August 29th when clubs must trim their rosters to a maximum of 75 players.
THE SERIES
Kansas City owns a 2-9 (.182) record in regular season play vs. the Giants. The Chiefs are 1-2 in preseason play vs. the Giants, giving KC a 3-11 overall mark against New York. Kansas City’s initial meeting of any kind with the Giants came in the ‘72 Hall of Fame Game (7/29/72) when the Chiefs defeated New York by a 23-17 margin in Canton, Ohio. The last preseason meeting between the two squads resulted in a 34-23 Giants win at the Meadowlands (8/13/04).
The Chiefs have never defeated New York on the road, owning an 0-6 mark in regular season play against the Giants at Giants Stadium. Kansas City’s most recent regular season trip to the Meadowlands to face the Giants was a 27-17 setback (12/17/05). Giants RB Tiki Barber established a single-game franchise record for New York in that contest, rushing for 220 yards.
Kansas City is 2-3 in regular season play vs. the Giants at Arrowhead. The Giants received a standing ovation when they were introduced in their most recent trip to Arrowhead, a contest that marked the NFL’s return to play following the tragic events of September 11th. The Giants won that contest by a 13-3 count (9/23/01).
Kansas City’s most recent win against the Giants was a 20-17 overtime thriller at Arrowhead (9/10/95). That victory initiated a string of three consecutive home OT victories for Kansas City to start the ‘95 campaign. QB Steve Bono rallied KC from a 17-3 fourth-quarter deficit and tied the score at 17-17 with a three-yard TD pass to WR Danan Hughes with 1:22 remaining. K Lin Elliott’s 23-yard FG in OT made the final count 20-17 in favor of the Chiefs.
The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.
