Off Topic » The Kansas City Chiefs could have taken this week off

KANSAS CITY Noah Fant Jersey , Mo. — assured of not only their third consecutive AFC West title but also the No. 1 seed in the playoffs before the Oakland Raiders came to town.Instead, they’ll have everything on the line Sunday.The Chiefs blew a fourth-quarter lead against the Chargers a couple weeks ago, and last week they lost a shootout in Seattle. They are now 0-2 with a chance to clinch the division, and they risk falling all the way to the No. 5 seed in the playoffs if they can’t defeat one of their longtime rivals.“Last time I checked we are in a pretty good position here,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I know it can become a woe-is-me thing and this is how it happens, it can be a negative. I feel like throughout the team, though, the guys understand where they’re at and what they need to do to fix it.100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta“The objective is to win games,” Reid said. “We have one game left here in the regular season.”Now, the Chiefs long ago locked up a spot in the postseason, so that won’t be an issue when they kick off against Oakland at the same time the Chargers are playing the Broncos. But what happens over the ensuing hours could potentially have massive playoff ramifications.If the Chiefs (11-4) win, they get a path through Arrowhead Stadium. If they lose and the Chargers win, Los Angeles vaults to the top of the AFC West and the No. 1 seed.If both teams lose, the Patriots or Texans would have a chance to snare the top spot, and Kansas City could conceivably go from having a bye to a wild-card matchup next weekend.“It’s a very small margin between winning and losing http://www.broncosauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dalton-risner-jersey ,” Reid said. “Very, very small. The pace can change quickly. So it’s important the attitude is right, and Kansas City has had a lot of ups and downs. Are players and coaches willing to make a change? We have an opportunity to do that.”The Raiders (4-11) would like nothing more than to play spoiler. They’ve lost seven of their last eight against the Chiefs, including a 40-33 shootout in Oakland earlier this season.But despite a season’s worth of turmoil with no end in sight — who knows where they will play next season? — the Raiders have quietly performed better. They beat the Steelers and Broncos in recent weeks and coach Jon Gruden believes his vast rebuilding job is making progress.“We’re trying to get some momentum for our offseason,” Gruden said. “This is our first year here. I know the expectations were high for some, but we’re laying the foundation for how we want to play.“All we can do is keep developing our team,” he said, “and fight like hell for 60 minutes.” As the Raiders and Chiefs prepare to meet, here are some key storylines:HEALTH CHECKThe Chiefs remain without wide receiver Sammy Watkins because of a sore foot, but they hope to get cornerback Kendall Fuller back from a broken hand. Their defense was shredded by the Seahawks when he decided at game time that he would be unable to go. “That’s a day-to-day thing,” Reid said, “but I think he feels a lot better.”HEALTH CHECK, PART 2Raiders left guard Kelechi Osemele returned last week against Denver and instantly upgraded the entire offense. He did not allow a pressure in 31 passing snaps and helped pave the way for Doug Martin to run for a season-best 107 yards. “It’s always good to be able to do that,” said Osemele, who’d been out with a knee injury. “It’s a great feeling, man.”CARLSON’S KICKSOne of the few bright spots for Oakland this season has been rookie kicker Daniel Carlson Drew Lock Jersey , who is perfect on extra points and 15 of 16 on field goals since signing in October. The fifth-round pick was cut by Minnesota after missing all three field goals in Week 2, but he could break Sebastian Janikowski’s franchise record for field-goal accuracy in a season set in 2012. “To me that’s something you enjoy later in life,” he said. “You enjoy it in the offseason a little.”STEPPING UPOakland’s rookie tackles Kolton Miller and Brandon Parker have taken plenty of heat as the offensive line has failed to protect Derek Carr much of the season. “I know Pro Football Focus has some statistics that aren’t always positive,” Gruden said, “but they played very good, and not just pass protecting but run blocking and handling the audibles. We have seen a lot of progress there.”SLOW STARTSOne common thread during the Chiefs’ late-season slide: slow starts by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who nonetheless remains a top candidate for league MVP. He was 1 of 7 out of the gates against Seattle, though he bounced back to have another solid game.“It’s all about the next play. The next play you always have an opportunity to do better,” Mahomes said. “As long as you go out there and execute the next play, that’s the best thing you can do.” DENVER (AP) — Von Miller went bonkers when Bradley Chubb fell to the Denver Broncos with the fifth pick in the NFL draft.Chubb not only takes pressure off Miller, who hasn’t been back to the playoffs since winning Super Bowl 50 MVP honors. He bolsters what was already a dynamic Denver pass rush that gives opponents fits and covers a whole lot of warts in the Broncos’ beleaguered secondary.Rather than grab another quarterback in the first round — his last one didn’t work out so well — general manager John Elway selected the North Carolina State edge rusher who was widely regarded as the best defender in the 2017 draft class.Now, the Broncos can send Miller, Chubb, Shane Ray and Shaq Barrett at quarterbacks from the outside while locking down the interior with a revitalized Derek Wolfe , a beefed-up DeMarcus Walker, a rejuvenated Adam Gotsis and free agent acquisition Clinton McDonald at defensive end.Then there’s nose tackles Shelby Harris and the Peko cousins http://www.broncosauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dre_mont-jones-jersey , Domata and Kyle, to provide inside push and help thwart the run.Of course, it will only matter if Denver’s refurbished offense buttressed by free agent QB Case Keenum, rookie receivers Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton and rookie running back Royce Freeman, starts scoring points like it did when Peyton Manning was hollering out, “Hurry, hurry!”In the two seasons since Manning retired, the Broncos haven’t played with a lead often enough to capitalize on their pass rush prowess or what had been a stellar secondary.Cornerback Chris Harris Jr., was pleased to finally face an offense in training camp that held its own.“Our offense is way better than they were last year,” Harris said. “I see them putting up points, at least 30 a game.… because we have Bill Musgrave, a great offensive coordinator. We used to hate going against him. We used to call him ‘Mad Scientist’ when he was in Oakland, so they have a great offense. It fits Case well. He has great weapons. I don’t see why they can’t average 30.”NO MORE NO FLY ZONE : A prolific offense will help a defense that went through a spate of injuries in the secondary, then lost a second member of the original “No Fly Zone” with the trade of cornerback Aqib Talib to the Rams this spring.The Broncos had their share of growing pains after safety T.J. Ward was waived last year. Now the original “No Fly Zone” is down to safety Darren Stewart and Harris, who said the chemistry with cornerback Bradley Roby was slow to develop this summer after never needing to consider it with Talib.“It was so easy that you never realized that you have to work for that with someone else,” Harris said. “Me and ‘Lib used to come out on the field — Bam! If he sees something T.J. Hockenson Jersey , I see it.”Asked when he thought that would come together with Roby, Harris said, “as soon as Roby gets it. It shouldn’t take long as long as he gets it. Once he gets it, we’ll be on the same page.”REFRESHED RECEIVERS : It didn’t take long for Emmanuel Sanders to get on the same page with Keenum. Finally healthy after an injury-marred 2017 season, Sanders was the star of training camp even as rookie Sutton, another SMU alum, was entertaining the crowds with daily highlight reel catches.Sanders said his enthusiasm isn’t just a byproduct of his return to health but of Keenum’s arrival. For the first time since 2015, Sanders worked exclusively with the starting QB and didn’t have to endure a prolonged quarterback competition that siphoned chemistry and rhythm from the offense once the regular season rolled around.He and Demaryius Thomas also were pushed by the rookies.“This is one of those wide receiver groups that can definitely carry this team,” Sanders said. “Elway has his pick of the litter in that room.”BOUNCE BACKS : The Broncos haven’t had back-to-back losing seasons since 1971-72 and several players need bounce-back seasons to keep that streak alive. So do the coaches.Elway contemplated firing Joseph following his 5-11 rookie season but decided to give him another chance, then provided him with a massive roster upgrade rather than going on another coaching search and starting over.Joseph realizes he won’t get another chance if things don’t change, however.“Winning football games is a must this year,” Joseph said. “We have to do that. That’s why they hired me.”