chiefs after week 2

I was hoping to get to write a Game Balls post, but that will have to wait. Until November. Since the Chiefs are going to be 0-7. And the Lions will get a win first. But that Burger Bet is going to get might interesting in December.

Anyways, I'm sure you didn't watch the Chiefs-Raiders. So if you saw the final (13-10) some of these numbers might surprise you:

Chiefs First Downs 25
Raiders First Downs 11

Chiefs Yards 409
Raiders Yards 166

Cassel 24/39
Russell 7/24

So how come the Chiefs looked so good and lost 13-10?

Key Plays:

On 3rd and 9 from the 13, the Chiefs get an 8 yard pass and have to settle for a chip shot. Only 2 games in, and about the 5th time I've seen receivers catch the ball one yard short of the marker.

With Flowers back at CB, pass defense is much improved. On a Raiders 3rd down, he breaks up a play. But KC is called for illegal hands on the other side of a play. That penalty extends the drive so OAK gets a 48-yard field goal.

4th and 1 from OAK-27. 44 seconds left in the first half and KC has 1 timeout. Haley calls for LJ up the middle, he gets it, clock running. A few incompletes later, Bowe catches a ball at the OAK-9 with 14 seconds left. Chiefs use their last timeout. THEN WHAT HAPPENS? 1-yard pass to the flat, tackled in bounds, half over. Even if Haley calls a play with that route, Cassel has to not throw the ball there. I know your 9 yards away and a touchdown seems tempting, but in a 3-3 game, with points at a premium, if you're not kicking with 14 seconds left and no timeouts, you have to STRESS that you can't throw it short of the endzone.

Raiders take a 6-3 lead on a 54-yard field goal after a Cassel pick. Oakland kicking got them points without being able to move the ball.

Bowe scores with 2:30 to go, KC up 10-6. The Chiefs sack Russell which would bring up 2nd and 18. THEN WHAT HAPPENS? A stupid Chief dives on Russell on the ground. 15-yard penalty. Chiefs fans thought it was a bad call. It was one of those where you see it, and your mind starts thinking "please no flag, please no flag" and then you see the flag. I can't say it was a bad call.

Later in the drive, JaMarcus completes his 6th pass of the day on 3rd and 15. Leads to a touchdown. Game over.

- - -

The Chiefs looked like the better team. Russell looked like a Arena League caliber-QB. And yet the Chiefs are 0-2, and I believe have 2 wins in their last 27 games. That's Lions bad.