Carter: Hold the playoff talk

tk13 · 10-27-2004, 01:09 AM

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10022747.htm

Hold the playoff talk
Outlook better, but Chiefs focusing on Colts

By IVAN CARTER
The Kansas City Star

The weekend forecast isn't calling for snow, and the loser of Sunday's game between the Chiefs and Colts won't pack it up and call it a season. But the Chiefs know they must prepare like it's a playoff game all the same.

The Chiefs cracked the playoff window back open with a 56-10 thumping of the Falcons on Sunday and received a little “Who Dey?” help from an unexpected source when the Bengals beat the AFC West-leading Broncos on Monday night.

Still, at 2-4, the margin for error is as thin as the gap between George W. Bush and John Kerry in the presidential race, and the Chiefs know it. A loss Sunday would drop them to 2-5.

That means the Chiefs would have to win at least seven of their last nine games just to finish 9-7 and have a shot at the playoffs. With a win Sunday, the Chiefs would be 3-4 and have some momentum heading into a pair of winnable road games at Tampa Bay and New Orleans.

“We needed a win to get started, and we got that,” defensive tackle Ryan Sims said following Sunday's victory. “Now, we have to string some wins together. We can still do it. It's a long season, and to me, it all starts next week against Indy. We have to get that one before we can even think about the rest of the season.”

Drawing early conclusions in the ever-shifting waters of the NFL is dangerous because changes can happen quickly. Example A was provided Monday night when the 1-4 Bengals controlled the game from start to finish against the sloppy Broncos, who cruised into Cincinnati at 5-1.

Denver now leads second-place San Diego, 4-3, in the AFC West standings heading into Sunday's home game against the Falcons, whose defensive performance against the Chiefs must have Broncos coach Mike Shanahan drooling.

But even with Denver's loss to the Bengals, gaining ground in the AFC West isn't going to be easy for the Chiefs. The combined record of Kansas City's final 10 opponents is 34-34. Denver's final nine opponents are a combined 26-34. The Chiefs already had their open date. Denver's is coming up in two weeks.

The Chiefs must face the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots, who are 6-0. The Broncos play host to 1-6 Miami. The good news for the Chiefs is that they will get the Broncos at home Dec. 19 and get two shots at the Chargers.

In all, five of the last six games will be against the AFC West, meaning the Chiefs will have a chance to gain some serious ground in the division standings.

But that comes much later, said veteran defensive end Eric Hicks.

“I'm not even thinking about the Broncos or the standings yet,” Hicks said. “History has shown that a lot of these teams that are jumping out to fast starts are going to come back to the pack, and some of the teams that have started badly are going to get it rolling and make up ground. What we have to concentrate on is winning games. Period.”

Which is exactly what the Chiefs must do, starting Sunday. The problem is that when faced with a similar situation at Jacksonville two weeks ago, the Chiefs played with a lack of urgency and allowed a winnable game to slip out of their grasp.

“The win allows us to continue to dig ourselves out of the hole we dug ourselves,” Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said. “As I've told the squad, we've dug a hole deep enough for us all to get in. Jokingly the other day, I said we didn't do that just to prove that we could use a shovel. We've got to keep playing with the focus, effort and concentration that we played with last week.

“If we can do that, it's going to produce more wins. If we don't, especially against a team like Indianapolis, it won't produce more wins.”

DenverChief · 10-27-2004, 01:16 AM

that was like a "Duh!" article.....

milkman · 10-27-2004, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DenverChief

that was like a "Duh!" article.....

I agree, except for this one paragraph:

Which is exactly what the Chiefs must do, starting Sunday. The problem is that when faced with a similar situation at Jacksonville two weeks ago, the Chiefs played with a lack of urgency and allowed a winnable game to slip out of their grasp.

I really believe that the Chiefs lost some of the momentum they picked up from the Raven game because of the bye week.

10-27-2004, 01:09 AM
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $1902500	Carter: Hold the playoff talk http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10022747.htm Hold the playoff talk Outlook better, but Chiefs focusing on Colts By IVAN CARTER The Kansas City Star The weekend forecast isn't calling for snow, and the loser of Sunday's game between the Chiefs and Colts won't pack it up and call it a season. But the Chiefs know they must prepare like it's a playoff game all the same. The Chiefs cracked the playoff window back open with a 56-10 thumping of the Falcons on Sunday and received a little “Who Dey?” help from an unexpected source when the Bengals beat the AFC West-leading Broncos on Monday night. Still, at 2-4, the margin for error is as thin as the gap between George W. Bush and John Kerry in the presidential race, and the Chiefs know it. A loss Sunday would drop them to 2-5. That means the Chiefs would have to win at least seven of their last nine games just to finish 9-7 and have a shot at the playoffs. With a win Sunday, the Chiefs would be 3-4 and have some momentum heading into a pair of winnable road games at Tampa Bay and New Orleans. “We needed a win to get started, and we got that,” defensive tackle Ryan Sims said following Sunday's victory. “Now, we have to string some wins together. We can still do it. It's a long season, and to me, it all starts next week against Indy. We have to get that one before we can even think about the rest of the season.” Drawing early conclusions in the ever-shifting waters of the NFL is dangerous because changes can happen quickly. Example A was provided Monday night when the 1-4 Bengals controlled the game from start to finish against the sloppy Broncos, who cruised into Cincinnati at 5-1. Denver now leads second-place San Diego, 4-3, in the AFC West standings heading into Sunday's home game against the Falcons, whose defensive performance against the Chiefs must have Broncos coach Mike Shanahan drooling. But even with Denver's loss to the Bengals, gaining ground in the AFC West isn't going to be easy for the Chiefs. The combined record of Kansas City's final 10 opponents is 34-34. Denver's final nine opponents are a combined 26-34. The Chiefs already had their open date. Denver's is coming up in two weeks. The Chiefs must face the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots, who are 6-0. The Broncos play host to 1-6 Miami. The good news for the Chiefs is that they will get the Broncos at home Dec. 19 and get two shots at the Chargers. In all, five of the last six games will be against the AFC West, meaning the Chiefs will have a chance to gain some serious ground in the division standings. But that comes much later, said veteran defensive end Eric Hicks. “I'm not even thinking about the Broncos or the standings yet,” Hicks said. “History has shown that a lot of these teams that are jumping out to fast starts are going to come back to the pack, and some of the teams that have started badly are going to get it rolling and make up ground. What we have to concentrate on is winning games. Period.” Which is exactly what the Chiefs must do, starting Sunday. The problem is that when faced with a similar situation at Jacksonville two weeks ago, the Chiefs played with a lack of urgency and allowed a winnable game to slip out of their grasp. “The win allows us to continue to dig ourselves out of the hole we dug ourselves,” Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said. “As I've told the squad, we've dug a hole deep enough for us all to get in. Jokingly the other day, I said we didn't do that just to prove that we could use a shovel. We've got to keep playing with the focus, effort and concentration that we played with last week. “If we can do that, it's going to produce more wins. If we don't, especially against a team like Indianapolis, it won't produce more wins.”
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10-27-2004, 01:16 AM	#2
DenverChief MVP Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Rocky Ford Casino cash: $5869867	that was like a "Duh!" article.....
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