Chargers at Chiefs - Week 8 - Record: 4-3

Awright! We got another Monday night game! We're earning some respect! Awright!!!

Not.

Please know that I was thrilled that we got a primetime affair. But I just happen to be cynical Missouri-style, which means my attitude carries with it a great deal of grit. We still don't get showcased nearly as much as the Packers or Steelers, Cowboys or Patriots. These teams get something like 57 primetime games a year.

"Oh but you're a small market team that hasn't won playoff stuff a lot..."

So what. I do know that we must showcase a fine team to get in a big show like MNF, so that's cool. I'm with you. But here's another thing that steams me. We do get our one Monday Night slot, yet the powers-that-be give it to us on...

Halloween.

Gimme a break and a half.

I'm frustrated because that's a night when I usually have serious family obligations. I do have small children. So yeah, because of travelling and events happening, I essentially was able to catch only two parts of the game.

The first was delightful to watch. Think it was around the end of the first quarter, start of the second. I caught our defense playing with a pretty decent measure of team speed. I mean contending-team-like team speed! Surprise! The line was really firing out after Philip Rivers! Our linebackers were really mixing things up! And our D-backfield was smothering receivers as they are splendidly prone to do! When we got the ball shortly thereafter, here were the plays I saw, in order:

1. Jackie Battle pounding forward for a couple.
2. Matt Cassel squirting out of the pocket and hustling close to a first down (and without doing that weinie slide thing).
3. Le'ron McClain catching a floater and hanging on even after getting illegally hammered by a San Diego defender.
4. Cassel holding on in the pocket then firing a deep strike to finally-out-there-playing well Jonathan Baldwin -- touchdown!

After participating in more family-oriented items, I returned to see that we were holding on to a 20-12 lead. Except that, aagh, sure enough Philip Rivers was there, yet again carving us up like Thanksgiving turkey (wait, that holiday is still down the way a bit).

But carving us up he was. Our D-linemen were breaking through but he was just zipping away from them. We must've had 57 D-backs in coverage and he still threaded the needle. Yeah, yeah, I had no hair left. They get the TD by an inch. They get the two-point conversion by an inch. I'm thinkin' yet again, they're going to break our hearts.

The despair turned deeper when we got nuthin', punted, and allowed Rivers to start carving away again. He got them all the way down to the KC 15 with mere seconds left -- enough time for one more play then the agonizing field goal.

One more play for good measure, which...

Rivers phumbled (the way a top mainstream news site wrote it) right into the Chiefs eager clutches.

OT, a Chargers three-and-out, a stout Chiefs drive, and a Succup FG made it a great Chiefs night. Except that ergh, we had to listen to it on the radio driving home, called by the pukiest sycophantic Chargers announcers. I was almost more glad we won to stick to those guys than just that we got the job done.

So we're now in first place because Todd Haley won't shave his beard. It had better do for the Chiefs what Brian Wilson's beard did for the San Francisco Giants last year, that's all I can say.
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