Broncos at Chiefs - Week 13 - Record: 8-4

This was definitely one of those games in which an exactly equal amount of good things and bad things happened. A lot of very good things, and the same number of very bad things. The good things shout, "We're a true playoff contender with an actual chance to go far!" The bad shout, "We haven't a chance in the playoffs if we even get there!"

The best good thing is that we got a key, clutch, close win in December during a legitimate playoff push! ...BUTTT

We almost fell apart in the second half. We didn't even score a single point.

This means a very good thing was that our defense did the job! The D-line sacked Kyle Orton four or five times, forcing a key 4th quarter fumble after one of them. Branden Carr was spectacular out there, slapping away everything Orton did get off, resulting in a splendidly putrid 9 of 28 passing for the Broncos QB. What a difference from that last game in Denver when Orton torched us for 700 yards passing and 11 touchdowns (okay, it wasn't exactly that, but it was really bad)... BUTTT

Their running back, a not-even-close-to-Hall-of-Fame calibur Knowshon Moreno, went off on us for 175 total yards. So one week our pass defense is atrocious, another week it is our run defense. Sure our pass defense held this team to a very gratifying six points, the same team that put up 49 on us a few weeks ago. Think of what we could do if we put it all together.

A good thing was our continued expedient playcalling on offense. We had great success with those short West Coast offense dump-offs to our backs and tight ends, and the Charles-Jones machine was humming nicely yet again. (And I really should be saying the Charles-Jones-Cox machine because fullback Mike Cox is blocking like a maniac out there -- it is him springing them as much as it is the springees)  ...BUTTT

We didn't seem to do anything else with anyone not our backs. Fantasy league guys with Dwayne Bowe are as furious with him today as they have been ecstatic with him over the past several games. Today Bowe didn't just have an uncharacteristic zero touchdown catches, he had zero catches. Champ Bailey had him covered like a blanket on a sleeping baby, and the only pass Bowe caught was waved off because he was flagged for pass interference.

The most troubling bad thing about today's game was the penalties, and they were very costly and very much on the coaching staff. If it is a hold or clip it's on the player. We had our share of those today, don't get me wrong. A spiffy super-long run by McCluster was nullified by one.

BUTTT today we had a touchdown also nullified because of illegal motion or shift or something that happened more than once. The most blatantly telling aspect of this problem was the Barry Richardson meltdown on the sidelines, after he was called for a false start. This was unquestionably a product of his own immaturity and something which all Chiefs fans hope will be dealt with summarily by the coaches. Thing is a lot of that has to be the coaches looking at their own formations and other offense technicalities that have to be worked out or we'll be hammered by them in a crucial late season or playoff game. They happened far too frequently in today's game, helping make this one a nailbiter when it really shouldn't've been.

A good thing is that we're getting some of our key guys healthy again, and sometimes when you're playing well without them and they still get that undesired rest, they may actually play more rigorously in the late season because of that refreshment time. BUTTT

McCluster almost cost us the game when we gave him the ball and sent him through the line late, and he fumbled. We've turned the ball over only nine times this season, which is wonderfully wonderful. In fact we made up for it by getting a key fumble from them a bit later. So it is good we've got Dexter back with all his restored vigor, but it can also mean he and the rest of our returnees are rusty. Our banged up offensive line is also cause for concern because it seemed Cassel had to run around a lot more back there than usual.

The last good thing is that we still have a perfect record at the New Arrowhead, so that's very nice. Even nicer is that we have a two-game lead on the second place Chargers and Raiders with four left. BUTTT...

Errgh, the reality. We go on the road again for the next two. And next week we're in San Diego -- still solid and most likely really smarting from looking so bad against the Raiders today. I know I shouldn't be bringing this up, but remember the last time we were 8-4? It was 2005, right there poised to snatch a nice easy playoff spot, and then we refused to close in Dallas and refused to tackle in New York. Pittsburgh was 7-5 at the time and remember at the time thinking they were no threat. Well, they ran the table and won the Super Bowl, and we finished at a very respectable 10-6 although that playoff spot slipped from our grasp.

We've got to have a lot more good than bad in the last quarter of the season to keep that from happening again.
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