Chiefs Pantalones
09-22-2005, 10:48 AM
RAND: There's no better time to visit Denver
Sep 22, 2005, 5:26:38 AM by Jonathan Rand - FAQ
Much as the Chiefs would love to win Monday night in Denver, it’s not a must-win game for them. But it is a must-win game for the Broncos, not to mention and the rest of the AFC West. The Chiefs are threatening to make an early breakaway from the pack.
Thanks to some quirky scheduling and the results of the first two weekends, the AFC West race is coming into sharper focus than you’d expect this early in the season. Simply put, the Broncos need to beat the Chiefs to set their playoff sights above the wild-card level. The Chiefs have a terrific opportunity to leave the rest of the division in the dust.
The Chiefs, 2-0, lead the Broncos by a game and the Raiders and Chargers each by two games. A Chiefs’ loss at Denver would tie them with the Broncos for first place, but a win would leave the Chiefs at least two games ahead of everybody else.
The Chargers are a good bet to break the ice at home against the Giants. But it’s hard to like the chances of the Raiders to return from Philadelphia any better than 0-3. The 2004 Chiefs could tell you how deep a hole that would be.
The early stretch of the Chiefs’ schedule not long ago seemed like a curse but now seems like more of a blessing. Especially if they can win in Denver. Not only would they have a healthy lead, but they’ll already have played two of their three AFC West road games.
Even after the Chiefs get through their brutal first four games, which which conclude with a visit by the Eagles, they play two out of the next three games on the road. They visit San Diego on October 30, which means their division road games will be finished before Halloween. They come home the next week to play the Raiders, which means the Chiefs’ last eight games will include only two division games. Both will be at home.
The Chiefs will be tough to catch if they escape from Denver with a win. Because each division game involves a two-game swing, any team trying to catch the leader wants a head-to-head matchup, especially at home. In a perfect scheduling world, the final weeks would be packed with dramatic division games in a nip-and-tuck AFC West race.
The Chiefs’ schedule was set up that way last year, when five of the Chiefs’ last six games were against division opponents. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, they’d already played themselves out of the race by then.
This year, the Chiefs’ only late-season games in the division are at home — against the Broncos on December 4 and the Chargers on Christmas Eve. If those teams are still trying to catch the Chiefs by then, they’ll have to make up ground the hard way.
It’s tough to win AFC West games on the road and the Chiefs on Monday night will face their toughest road test of the season. For four straight years, the Chiefs have lost in Denver as their defense was shredded by the Broncos’ running attack. The Chiefs can expect the Broncos’ best shot and the crowd will be loud and crazy, especially on a Monday night.
Yet the Chiefs couldn’t pick a better point in their schedule to try for an upset in Denver. Though the Chiefs’ offense surely would benefit from having tackle Willie Roaf healthy, the key to the Chiefs’ chances will be whether they finally slow down the Broncos’ backs. The Chiefs’ defense has been playing at a high level, and it should get even higher with so many talented new players still blending in.
The Broncos, on the other hand, have yet to play impressively. They were clobbered in Miami and barely defeated the Chargers at home. But the Broncos may be less than awed after watching film of the Chiefs’ imperfect win at Oakland.
But you can bet that neither the Broncos nor Chiefs has played its best football yet. They’d better do so Monday night because the AFC West race starts —and could end – early this year.
There is still a lot of season left and we haven't played San Diego (German for- Whale's vagina), but it would put the rest of the AFC West in kind of a hole for the time being. And even if we don't win, we will still be in good shape.
Sep 22, 2005, 5:26:38 AM by Jonathan Rand - FAQ
Much as the Chiefs would love to win Monday night in Denver, it’s not a must-win game for them. But it is a must-win game for the Broncos, not to mention and the rest of the AFC West. The Chiefs are threatening to make an early breakaway from the pack.
Thanks to some quirky scheduling and the results of the first two weekends, the AFC West race is coming into sharper focus than you’d expect this early in the season. Simply put, the Broncos need to beat the Chiefs to set their playoff sights above the wild-card level. The Chiefs have a terrific opportunity to leave the rest of the division in the dust.
The Chiefs, 2-0, lead the Broncos by a game and the Raiders and Chargers each by two games. A Chiefs’ loss at Denver would tie them with the Broncos for first place, but a win would leave the Chiefs at least two games ahead of everybody else.
The Chargers are a good bet to break the ice at home against the Giants. But it’s hard to like the chances of the Raiders to return from Philadelphia any better than 0-3. The 2004 Chiefs could tell you how deep a hole that would be.
The early stretch of the Chiefs’ schedule not long ago seemed like a curse but now seems like more of a blessing. Especially if they can win in Denver. Not only would they have a healthy lead, but they’ll already have played two of their three AFC West road games.
Even after the Chiefs get through their brutal first four games, which which conclude with a visit by the Eagles, they play two out of the next three games on the road. They visit San Diego on October 30, which means their division road games will be finished before Halloween. They come home the next week to play the Raiders, which means the Chiefs’ last eight games will include only two division games. Both will be at home.
The Chiefs will be tough to catch if they escape from Denver with a win. Because each division game involves a two-game swing, any team trying to catch the leader wants a head-to-head matchup, especially at home. In a perfect scheduling world, the final weeks would be packed with dramatic division games in a nip-and-tuck AFC West race.
The Chiefs’ schedule was set up that way last year, when five of the Chiefs’ last six games were against division opponents. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, they’d already played themselves out of the race by then.
This year, the Chiefs’ only late-season games in the division are at home — against the Broncos on December 4 and the Chargers on Christmas Eve. If those teams are still trying to catch the Chiefs by then, they’ll have to make up ground the hard way.
It’s tough to win AFC West games on the road and the Chiefs on Monday night will face their toughest road test of the season. For four straight years, the Chiefs have lost in Denver as their defense was shredded by the Broncos’ running attack. The Chiefs can expect the Broncos’ best shot and the crowd will be loud and crazy, especially on a Monday night.
Yet the Chiefs couldn’t pick a better point in their schedule to try for an upset in Denver. Though the Chiefs’ offense surely would benefit from having tackle Willie Roaf healthy, the key to the Chiefs’ chances will be whether they finally slow down the Broncos’ backs. The Chiefs’ defense has been playing at a high level, and it should get even higher with so many talented new players still blending in.
The Broncos, on the other hand, have yet to play impressively. They were clobbered in Miami and barely defeated the Chargers at home. But the Broncos may be less than awed after watching film of the Chiefs’ imperfect win at Oakland.
But you can bet that neither the Broncos nor Chiefs has played its best football yet. They’d better do so Monday night because the AFC West race starts —and could end – early this year.
There is still a lot of season left and we haven't played San Diego (German for- Whale's vagina), but it would put the rest of the AFC West in kind of a hole for the time being. And even if we don't win, we will still be in good shape.