Arrowhead Addict
FanSided

Chiefs New Year’s wish: Health and a date with the Texans

By Steve Edwardo

Oct 18, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Jaye Howard (96) lines up against the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Jaye Howard (96) lines up against the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 2
Next
Dec 6, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Tyvon Branch (27) celebrates with teammates after a touchdown after an interception during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Oakland Raiders 34-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Tyvon Branch (27) celebrates with teammates after a touchdown after an interception during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Oakland Raiders 34-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Tomorrow is the last day of the regular season and it’s pretty unbelievable that the Kansas City Chiefs, after a 1-5 start and losing Jamaal Charles to an ACL injury, won’t be among the teams that will be hitting the golf course next week.  Instead they will have at least one more game this year and are considered by some to be a sleeper team to make it to the Super Bowl.

Alex Smith is arguably the second-best quarterback in the AFC playoffs and has consistently been more aggressive in his throws the last few weeks, giving the offense a bit of much-needed unpredictability. The defense has continued to play very well despite missing multiple starters and is still considered one of, if not the best defense in a conference that is stacked with them due to their ability to create turnovers.

Even more surprising is that they still have a chance to capture the division.  With a win against the Oakland Raiders and a Denver Broncos loss to the San Diego Chargers, the Chiefs would win their first AFC West title since 2010 when Matt Cassel was the starting quarterback. They would enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed and get to welcome their opponent to the always-raucous Arrowhead Stadium, which only gets more difficult to play in as the days get colder.  Chiefs games at home are always great, but a home playoff game? That’s even better.

While I would love to see the Chiefs win the West and have January football in Arrowhead, I hope Andy Reid and his staff aren’t going in with an “all hands on deck” mentality just to beat the Raiders.  The team announced yesterday that Justin Houston practiced for the first time since hyperextending his knee in Week 12. Husain Abdullah also practiced for the first time this week after missing the last three games with a concussion. Tamba Hali hasn’t practiced since having surgery on this thumb last week but is listed as questionable (along with Houston and Abdullah) on the injury report for Sunday.

These are your two best outside linebackers and an important member of the secondary, why wouldn’t I want them on the field getting snaps before the playoffs? It’s simple: the risk far outweighs the reward.

Next: Don't make any major mistakes...

Home/Kansas City Chiefs News