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Eight Days
Nov 15, 2006, 8:38:30 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ
The next eight days will be the turning point of the Chiefs season.
There’s no other way to look at what’s immediately ahead for this team. They have four days to get ready to play Oakland this Sunday and then three days to rest and prepare to play the Donkeys on Thanksgiving evening.
Eight days from now, the picture for the Chiefs will be clearer because their goal for those two games is singular. They must beat both the Raiders and Broncos. They cannot split and they certainly cannot lose both games.
They must win twice. Anything less and the chances of making the playoffs are pretty much gone. The Chiefs margin for error was left on the field at Dolphin Stadium. Their inability to beat Miami took away the minimal breathing room they had in the race to the post-season. If they don’t make it, the turning point of the season will go down as the Chiefs possession with three minutes, 10 seconds to play and holding the ball at their own 14-yard line. The inability to get the offense into field goal range proved fatal to the Chiefs chances for victory.
And, it may have been fatal to the team’s chances for the playoffs. That’s because they are a miserable 1-4 within the AFC, which after head-to-head competition is the No. 2 tiebreaker for the tournament. If they played in the NFC West, they would be sitting in a much better position, with their 4-0 mark against teams in that division. In the NFC, 5-4 would have them tied for the fifth spot in the playoffs.
Right now, they are tied for the last spot in the AFC playoffs. But, among the teams that match their 5-4 record – New York Jets and Jacksonville – the Chiefs easily have the worst conference record. The Jets are 4-4 and the Jaguars are 3-3.
Right now, tiebreakers are not something the Chiefs need to be thinking about. The only thing that should be on their radar screen is the next eight days. They’ll hear about this Wednesday morning from Herm Edwards, but the echo effect is needed within the locker room. Among the ranks of the players, leaders need to step forward and convince every player on the roster that all other things in their lives need to be set-aside for the next eight days. That must come from every player, because the injuries have forced the Chiefs to reach all the way to the bottom of their 53-man roster for contributions.
Walkout of Arrowhead late Thanksgiving night with a 7-4 record and many, many things would remain possible for these Chiefs. They would still be in the thick of the race to the playoffs, and the timing would correspond with the return of some of their more important players. By the time the Chiefs made the trip to Cleveland after mini-bye weekend after the Denver game, they should have Brian Waters, Derrick Johnson, Greg Wesley and possibly even Tony Gonzalez all back and ready to play. Trent Green figures to get back into the mix this week or next at the latest.
With two victories and returning players, the Chiefs would go into the last five games of the season as strong as they’ve been at any point this season. They would need that strength as those final five games include three head-to-head meetings with contenders: Baltimore, San Diego and Jacksonville.
It’s all about the next eight days.
The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2006/11/15/gretz_eight_days/
Nov 15, 2006, 8:38:30 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ
The next eight days will be the turning point of the Chiefs season.
There’s no other way to look at what’s immediately ahead for this team. They have four days to get ready to play Oakland this Sunday and then three days to rest and prepare to play the Donkeys on Thanksgiving evening.
Eight days from now, the picture for the Chiefs will be clearer because their goal for those two games is singular. They must beat both the Raiders and Broncos. They cannot split and they certainly cannot lose both games.
They must win twice. Anything less and the chances of making the playoffs are pretty much gone. The Chiefs margin for error was left on the field at Dolphin Stadium. Their inability to beat Miami took away the minimal breathing room they had in the race to the post-season. If they don’t make it, the turning point of the season will go down as the Chiefs possession with three minutes, 10 seconds to play and holding the ball at their own 14-yard line. The inability to get the offense into field goal range proved fatal to the Chiefs chances for victory.
And, it may have been fatal to the team’s chances for the playoffs. That’s because they are a miserable 1-4 within the AFC, which after head-to-head competition is the No. 2 tiebreaker for the tournament. If they played in the NFC West, they would be sitting in a much better position, with their 4-0 mark against teams in that division. In the NFC, 5-4 would have them tied for the fifth spot in the playoffs.
Right now, they are tied for the last spot in the AFC playoffs. But, among the teams that match their 5-4 record – New York Jets and Jacksonville – the Chiefs easily have the worst conference record. The Jets are 4-4 and the Jaguars are 3-3.
Right now, tiebreakers are not something the Chiefs need to be thinking about. The only thing that should be on their radar screen is the next eight days. They’ll hear about this Wednesday morning from Herm Edwards, but the echo effect is needed within the locker room. Among the ranks of the players, leaders need to step forward and convince every player on the roster that all other things in their lives need to be set-aside for the next eight days. That must come from every player, because the injuries have forced the Chiefs to reach all the way to the bottom of their 53-man roster for contributions.
Walkout of Arrowhead late Thanksgiving night with a 7-4 record and many, many things would remain possible for these Chiefs. They would still be in the thick of the race to the playoffs, and the timing would correspond with the return of some of their more important players. By the time the Chiefs made the trip to Cleveland after mini-bye weekend after the Denver game, they should have Brian Waters, Derrick Johnson, Greg Wesley and possibly even Tony Gonzalez all back and ready to play. Trent Green figures to get back into the mix this week or next at the latest.
With two victories and returning players, the Chiefs would go into the last five games of the season as strong as they’ve been at any point this season. They would need that strength as those final five games include three head-to-head meetings with contenders: Baltimore, San Diego and Jacksonville.
It’s all about the next eight days.
The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2006/11/15/gretz_eight_days/