Teicher: Chiefs’ trip to St. Louis has playoff feel

[Tribal Warfare]

Chiefs’ trip to St. Louis has playoff feel
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson tuned in to Thursday night’s game between the Chargers and 49ers, but maybe not for the reason you’d expect.

“I always watch football when I get a chance to,” Johnson said.

Not that it would have helped, as the Chargers overwhelmed the 49ers 34-7, but Johnson should have been pulling for San Francisco. San Diego’s victory turned up the pressure significantly on the Chiefs for Sunday’s game against the Rams in St. Louis.

The Chiefs still control their own destiny with regard to the AFC West championship. If they win their final three games, they’ll win the division.

If the 8-5 Chiefs lose to the Rams, they’ll cede control of the division race to the 8-6 Chargers, who control the tie breaker against the Chiefs. The Chiefs would then be in the unenviable spot of needing help from the miserable 2-11 Bengals, losers of 10 straight games, or the equally dismal 3-10 Broncos. The Chiefs would need one of those two bottom-feeders to beat San Diego in one of the Chargers’ final two games.

That adds a playoff feel to Sunday’s game that would have been missing had the Chargers lost to San Diego and given the Chiefs some margin for error.

“I think it’s been that way for a while around here,” said quarterback Matt Cassel, still recovering from last week’s appendectomy and listed by the Chiefs as having a 50-50 chance of playing Sunday. “We’re in a tight division race, and we know it. We know that the games continue to get bigger and bigger, and it starts with the Rams.”

Other than his weekly practice of describing the Chiefs’ upcoming game as the biggest of the season, coach Todd Haley tried not to make too much of this weekend. He stood by his usual plan of dividing the long season into four-game quarters, saying the goal is — as usual — to get the Chiefs to three wins in the quarter.

But the importance of some games speaks for itself.

“Anytime you’re in December and you’re playing, and you’re in the (playoff) mix, they’re big games,” Haley said. “We keep them in the present tense as best we can.

“The focus is (where) it is each week. That’s the reason why early in the year you break the season up into quarters and we have a specific goal for each quarter of what we want to accomplish. That won’t change. Now the games will get bigger, but the focus is on this four-game season.

“Our goal (for the quarter) is to get to three (wins), figuring if we get three, good things will happen. We remind the players of that each and every day. Our coaches talk like that, and I talk like that. I hear more and more players talk like that.”

In this case, three wins for the quarter will mean the first AFC West championship for the Chiefs since 2003 and their first playoff appearance since 2006. The Chiefs started the quarter with last week’s 31-0 loss to the Chargers in San Diego.

The Chiefs are in the middle of their third two-game road swing of the season. They were swept in the first two, by Indianapolis and Houston in October, and by Oakland and Denver last month.

After losing to the Broncos, the Chiefs briefly dropped from first place for the only time this season. They quickly regained it by winning the next week over Arizona.

The Chiefs are aware that this time, they might not get back to first place with another two-game losing streak. The Chargers are playing well and have an incredibly weak remaining schedule.

“You’ve got to be a pro about it. You’ve got to take advantage of your situation,” Johnson said. “We still control our destiny, meaning we should stay in our lane and worry about what we have to worry about and win the game we have to win; and that’s this week in St. Louis. Big game for us.

“We all know our situation regardless of win or lose by any other division opponent. If we win, we don’t have to worry about that. There’s not going to be any kind of wild-card team coming out of our division. We need to win our division.”

The Chiefs won in Seattle three weeks ago but otherwise weren’t even competitive in Denver and San Diego. In each case, the Chiefs were facing a highly motivated opponent trying to save its season.

Certainly, that will be the case Sunday with the 6-7 Rams. They’re tied for first place with Seattle in the NFC West and also may never see the top again if they lose to the Chiefs.

But the Rams should have no more motivation in that regard than the Chiefs do.

“We can’t worry about the game two weeks from now or three weeks from now,” offensive coordinator Charlie Weis said. “We’ve got to put all our time and energy into the game this Sunday, 12 o’clock against the Rams.”

[Fritz88]

Playoff feel was last week's. It was crushed by SD.

[stevieray]

THIRD two tier road games...shocking.

I'd almost bet we've played more back to back road games than any other team in the last five years, at least.

...and IIRC, the winning percentage for any team on BTB road games isn't very high.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by stevieray

THIRD two tier road games...shocking.

I'd almost bet we've played more back to back road games than any other team in the last five years, at least.

...and IIRC, the winning percentage for any team on BTB road games isn't very high.

Are you really complaining about the league's creampuffiest schedule?

[CaliforniaChief]

Is Arrowhead East really considered a road game?

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by Gif Horse

Are you really complaining

no, that would be you, claythan.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief

Is Arrowhead East really considered a road game?

It's not Arrowhead East. It's the freaking Edward Jones Dome.

[CaliforniaChief]

Originally Posted by LittleBoPeep

It's not Arrowhead East. It's the freaking Edward Jones Dome.

Right. And that's why the Dispatch's columnist wants them to play "America, the Beautiful" instead of the "Star-Spangled Banner."

We're coming, bitch. In DROVES.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by stevieray

no, that would be you, claythan.

There is no conspiracy against the Chiefs. Some teams have had to play three straight road games this year.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by stevieray

no, that would be you, claythan.

The Rams just finished a 3 game road trip. I wouldn't be complaining.

[donkhater]

Interestingly, I have no anxiety about this week's game. Not that St. Louis isn't improved, but if KC can't handle the Rams on the road, they really aren't ready to take the next step.

They've already passed my expectations for them this season. Players like Cassel and Bowe and DJ have had good seasons to make the immediate future seem more hopeful. The Chiefs are still devoid of the talent it takes to make a serious playoff push anyway.

Anything past what they've already accomplished is gravy, IMO. I still fascinated to see how big of a step they can make. It would be sweet to keep SD out of the playoffs after the slobberfest on the NFL network Thursday by their 'analysts'.

[Warrior5]

Originally Posted by donkhater

They've already passed my expectations for them this season. Players like Cassel and Bowe and DJ have had good seasons to make the immediate future seem more hopeful. The Chiefs are still devoid of the talent it takes to make a serious playoff push anyway.

Anything past what they've already accomplished is gravy, IMO.

Exactly my thoughts. I'm not going to get my hopes up...

But I do like gravy.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by LittleBoPeep

The Rams just finished a 3 game road trip. I wouldn't be complaining.

...and the last two years the Chiefs opened up and finished their seasons with back to back road games, due to construction.

btw, go check yourself. I'm just stating that it's hard hill to climb, and we get our lion's share of it.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by donkhater

It would be sweet to keep SD out of the playoffs after the slobberfest on the NFL network Thursday by their 'analysts'.

... now that's some good gravy.

[Bane]

Still the suckification of Adam Teicher continues.