Bowe Takes Bow; Makes History

Through week 7, the Chiefs were

#1 in rushing yards/game
#6 in net points
#1 in sacks given up
#7 in defense points allowed/game
the Vegas favorite for winning the AFC West

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Through week 12, the Chiefs are

#1 in rushing yards/game
#9 in net points
#4 in sacks given up
#14 in points allowed
but #4 in points scored
are not the favorite for winning the division

For what's worth, the headline for that post was "Chiefs 4-2, Chargers 2-5." Now the Chiefs are 7-4, but the Chargers are 6-5. They could finish 11-5.

If the Chiefs lose at San Diego (likely) then even if they finished 11-5, or 10-6, they probably won't win the division. Every win counts, both for the division race and for wild-card spots.

Oh yeah, and the rushing yards...it's not close:


5-0 at home, Denver, Tennessee, Oakland remaining
2-4 on road, San Diego, St. Louis remaining


Chiefs finally get their second road win. And in style.

Rushing yards: 270 to 20.

That's not a misprint. Matt Cassel had more rushing yards on five scrambles than the entire Seahawks team.

Jones gets 20 attempts = 68 yards.
Charles gets 22 attempts = 173 yards and a key touchdown via stiff-arm.

So based on those stats, the running game must have been the difference...

Cassel 4 TDs and no INTS.
Bowe 13 for 170 and 3 TDs.

And yet the Seahawks were only down 4, with the ball at their own 38 with 7 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter. What turned out to be a blowout in the 4th, could have been a nailbiter. The Seahawks special teams bailed them out, blocking a KC field goal and then blocking a punt and returning it for the score.

The Chiefs D forced Seattle to be one-dimensional, and even thought they got burned for a deep play, KC had two interceptions and another that was overturned by replay.

- - -

Game balls were easy this week: same as last week.

#3: Jamaal Charles



Fantastic day, could have been #1 here, but people already know about him. What people don't know is that he's the best running back in the NFL this year. 2nd in yards to Arian Foster, but look closer.

Foster: 5.1 yards/carry
Charles: 6.3 yards/carry


#2: Matt Cassel



Best TD-to-INT ratios in the league? Vick with 13/1 and Brady with 23/4. Next best? Matt Cassel with 22/4.

By comparison, Rivers with MVP chatter is at 23/9.

#1: Dwayne Bowe


He's #1 in TDs, #5 in yards. So far this year, the best receivers have been White, Lloyd and Bowe in some order.

And the 7-game stretch that he's on (13 touchdown and still active) has only been matched by two players since the merger.

Jerry Rice: 16 touchdowns (strike-shortened 1987 season)
Sterling Sharpe: 13 touchdowns

This has been a special season for Bowe and the most enjoyable as a fan in a long time.