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Chiefs seem up for challenge
Edwards likes his team’s mind-set as it heads into what should be a tough battle for a playoff berth.
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Ever since they started the season with two losses, the Chiefs have been consumed with merely becoming relevant in the AFC playoff race.
By winning seven of nine games since, the Chiefs accomplished that goal — and then some. If the season ended today, the 7-4 Chiefs would be one of the AFC’s two wild-card teams.
As difficult as their climb was, the fight to hold on could be even more arduous. In their final five games, the Chiefs face two of the AFC’s division leaders and one other playoff contender. Three of the five are on the road, beginning with Sunday’s game against the 3-8 Browns in Cleveland.
The Chiefs are 2-3 away from Arrowhead Stadium. But they’ve given every indication over the last two months that they are ready for such a challenge.
“They have a good mind-set for what it takes,” coach Herm Edwards said. “I think they know what it takes and are starting to realize how we play.
“The thing I like about this team right now is I think we’re starting to learn how to play with mental toughness. I think we’re physically a tough football team. We’ve played some physical games the last three weeks, and have stood the test of that. But mentally I think we’re becoming tougher, and that’s a good thing.”
The Chiefs have come farther in the last two months than perhaps any other NFL team. The mood in September was despair, when the Chiefs lost quarterback Trent Green because of a concussion and both of their games.
They won four of five games in October, but the one loss in Pittsburgh was as hideous as they come. The Chiefs were 3-1 in November, but they are still lamenting a lost opportunity in Miami, where their comeback fell three points short.
“To a man these guys believed and they’ve gotten better,” Edwards said. “I said at the beginning of the year that what you want to try to do in football is your team needs to get better as the season goes on. November’s an important month. If you can win in November you can set yourself up to have a chance to go to the playoffs.
“The players understood that. November’s over with. We’ve won some games in November, and that helps us. But these guys never gave up when we were 0-2, and that’s a credit to the players and the staff, believing that this is how we’re going to do it. We were not going to get in a panic mode.”
The Chiefs played at various times in the last two months without such key players as Green, Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez, Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters and linebacker Derrick Johnson.
They weathered the rash of injuries well. The Chiefs should be about as healthy against the Browns as they’ve been at any time this season.
Three wins in December should get the Chiefs into the playoffs. Four almost certainly would get the job done.
Five would make things really interesting. That would give the Chiefs a shot at the AFC West title because they play at San Diego on Dec. 17. The 9-2 Chargers are two games up on the Chiefs and Broncos.
The other games are Dec. 10 against AFC North-leading Baltimore at Arrowhead, Dec. 23 at Oakland and Dec. 31 at home against Jacksonville, at 6-5 another wild-card contender.
If the Chiefs are to get into the playoffs, they will have to find a way to win at least one of their three games on the road.
“In two that we lost, we had the ball at the end of the game to win,” Edwards said. “That’s a good feeling, that they know out of the five games we’ve played on the road, they’ve won two, and in two they had a chance to win. They know they can do this. We’ve done it, stared it in the eye and done this.”
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/16104379.htm
Edwards likes his team’s mind-set as it heads into what should be a tough battle for a playoff berth.
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Ever since they started the season with two losses, the Chiefs have been consumed with merely becoming relevant in the AFC playoff race.
By winning seven of nine games since, the Chiefs accomplished that goal — and then some. If the season ended today, the 7-4 Chiefs would be one of the AFC’s two wild-card teams.
As difficult as their climb was, the fight to hold on could be even more arduous. In their final five games, the Chiefs face two of the AFC’s division leaders and one other playoff contender. Three of the five are on the road, beginning with Sunday’s game against the 3-8 Browns in Cleveland.
The Chiefs are 2-3 away from Arrowhead Stadium. But they’ve given every indication over the last two months that they are ready for such a challenge.
“They have a good mind-set for what it takes,” coach Herm Edwards said. “I think they know what it takes and are starting to realize how we play.
“The thing I like about this team right now is I think we’re starting to learn how to play with mental toughness. I think we’re physically a tough football team. We’ve played some physical games the last three weeks, and have stood the test of that. But mentally I think we’re becoming tougher, and that’s a good thing.”
The Chiefs have come farther in the last two months than perhaps any other NFL team. The mood in September was despair, when the Chiefs lost quarterback Trent Green because of a concussion and both of their games.
They won four of five games in October, but the one loss in Pittsburgh was as hideous as they come. The Chiefs were 3-1 in November, but they are still lamenting a lost opportunity in Miami, where their comeback fell three points short.
“To a man these guys believed and they’ve gotten better,” Edwards said. “I said at the beginning of the year that what you want to try to do in football is your team needs to get better as the season goes on. November’s an important month. If you can win in November you can set yourself up to have a chance to go to the playoffs.
“The players understood that. November’s over with. We’ve won some games in November, and that helps us. But these guys never gave up when we were 0-2, and that’s a credit to the players and the staff, believing that this is how we’re going to do it. We were not going to get in a panic mode.”
The Chiefs played at various times in the last two months without such key players as Green, Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez, Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters and linebacker Derrick Johnson.
They weathered the rash of injuries well. The Chiefs should be about as healthy against the Browns as they’ve been at any time this season.
Three wins in December should get the Chiefs into the playoffs. Four almost certainly would get the job done.
Five would make things really interesting. That would give the Chiefs a shot at the AFC West title because they play at San Diego on Dec. 17. The 9-2 Chargers are two games up on the Chiefs and Broncos.
The other games are Dec. 10 against AFC North-leading Baltimore at Arrowhead, Dec. 23 at Oakland and Dec. 31 at home against Jacksonville, at 6-5 another wild-card contender.
If the Chiefs are to get into the playoffs, they will have to find a way to win at least one of their three games on the road.
“In two that we lost, we had the ball at the end of the game to win,” Edwards said. “That’s a good feeling, that they know out of the five games we’ve played on the road, they’ve won two, and in two they had a chance to win. They know they can do this. We’ve done it, stared it in the eye and done this.”
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/16104379.htm