Week 15 AFC West Roundup
By Justin Smith
Kansas City Chiefs
2nd Place – AFC West
Record: 10-4
Last Game: lost to Tennessee Titans (8-6) 19-17 at home
Next Game: home to Denver Broncos (8-6) Sun, Dec 25, 8:30 pm EST
When the Chiefs beat the Raiders to take over first in the AFC West, it was a bit of a precarious lead.
Precarious because it wasn’t separated by anything other than a tie-breaker — both teams had the same record. That meant the Chiefs would have to match the Raiders win for win to capture the division.
On Sunday, they couldn’t do that. Not even the first week in.
After squandering an early lead by gaining a whopping 38 yards in the third quarter, the Chiefs watched as a player they cut three years ago trotted out in impossible conditions to attempt a kick.
Ryan Succop would say after the game that he “cried like a baby” after this kick because of the degree of difficulty, the love he has for his current teammates, and the sweetness of sticking it to his former team.
But he was candid about the kick. He didn’t believe he could make it.
In fact his first attempt from 53 yards in -8 wind chill fell short. Well short. Which usually happens when it’s that cold and you’re basically kicking a frozen rock.
But the Walrus called a timeout to “ice” Succop. How you can “ice” someone in -8 degree weather is beyond me. It didn’t work. Kick good. Raiders in first place. Chiefs sickened by their second loss in their last three at home.
The Chiefs should be mildly concerned. They couldn’t move the ball on Sunday, and when they did, they turned it over twice. That’s five turnovers in their past two games, which is very uncharacteristic.
They got the ball to Tyreek Hill once on Sunday. Once. He scored a 68-yard touchdown. Once.
Come on man!
Justin Houston had no stats. None. Derrick Johnson is injured. Consequently DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry ran all over the Chiefs for 147 yards on 27 carries (5.4 YPC). Their linebackers can’t stop the run right now.
And they have the Broncos coming in to Arrowhead this weekend, followed by a close-out battle in San Diego against the Chargers. Win both, the Raiders must also win out to win the division. Lose one, and the Raiders are in control.
Not to mention that Miami, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, and/or Houston all have a chance to finish with 10 wins. The Chiefs win one more, they clinch a playoff spot. But they lose this weekend and things get very interesting in the AFC playoff picture.