The Blackhawks' Streak

I decided I wasn't going to comment on the streak until it was over.

- - -

Prior to last Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks had played 24 games.

14 of those games were decided in regulation. Chicago won all 14.
4 of those games were decided in the 5 minute overtime period. Chicago won all 4.
6 of those games were decided in a shootout. Chicago won 3 of those 6.

So it was a 24 game streak in which they earned a point in every game. Which is very impressive.
But it's even more impressive when you realize they didn't even lose a game in overtime, just shootouts.

- - -

To review, here are two ways of awarding standings points.

Current NHL 2-point plan
Reg Win/OT Win/SO Win = 2 points
OT Loss/SO Loss = 1 point
Reg Loss = 0 points

Hoagie Central's NHL 3-point plan
Reg Win/OT Win = 3 points
SO Win = 2 points
SO Loss = 1 point
Reg Loss/OT Loss = 0 points



I'm going to look at some top teams and see how they fair under both plans. 

- - - 

Currently, Montreal has earned 38 points in 26 games. That's a points percentage of .731
Under the 3-point plan they would have earned 52 points in 26 games. That's a points percentage of .666

Currently, Anaheim has earned 39 points in 24 games. That's a points percentage of .813

Under the 3-point plan they would have earned 53 points in 24 games. That's a points percentage of .736

Clearly, the NHL's current plan inflates records so that almost every team seems like they're above .500. 

What about the Blackhawks through 24?

They had earned 45 in 24 games. For a crazy percentage of .938
Under the 3-point plan they would have earned 63 points in 24 games. That's a points percentage of .875. 

That's crazy good and doesn't have quite the same drop off as other top teams when you take away loser points. 

Illinois: National Championships?

I had an Illinois pen that listed various athletic accomplishments, including number of Final Fours and National Championships.

But did Illinois really win a National Championship in football or basketball?

The Fighting Illini wiki page boasts the following claims:

Basketball
National Champions: 1915 (awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1935)

Football
National Champions: 1914, 1919, 1923, 1927, and 1951

- - -

Fantastic. Six national titles in our history. But really?

- - -

Basketball

Well, the NIT and NCAA tournaments weren't established until 1938, 1939. So any championships prior to that must be awarded by a committee. And the most official to do that is the Helms Athletic Foundation. And apparently for the 1915 season, Illinois is the only school to claim a championship.

So far, so good.

Let's go deeper.

This is what college basketball looked like in 1915:

155 schools. That were somehow able to win 1206 games while only lose 774 games. Obviously they were a lot of games against non-Division 1 schools.

Illinois went 16-0. Texas was 14-0. Denver was 8-0. Kansas was 16-1.

This is what our conference looked like:

It's hard to know if Helms thoroughly considered the quality of competition in each conference to determine that Illinois was the best team. Or maybe they just went by they had the most wins among undefeated teams. But Kansas and Texas aren't contesting this one. So I guess this goes in the books as a title for Illinois.

Football

In football, Illinois is claiming 5 national titles. The trouble is that all 5 are also claimed by other schools. Let's go year by year and sort it out. Following each school is the organization that named them national champs.

The NCAA recognizes Parke Davis as the only selector to have primarily used research in his selections. Bafflingly, he sometimes picked two champions in the same year.

1914
Army: 9-0. Helms, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation, Parke Davis
Texas: 8-0. Billingsley
Illinois: 7-0. Parke Davis

It's pretty clear that Army had the most selections.

1919
Harvard: 9-0-1. Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation, Parke Davis
Illinois: 6-1. Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Parke Davis
Notre Dame: 9-0. National Championship Foundation, Parke Davis
Texas A&M: 10-0. National Championship Foundation

Although they had four selectors, they were the only team with a loss. Harvard gets this one. This Parke Davis guy is infuriating...three teams are your champions?

1923
Illinois: 8-0. Boand, Football Research, Helms, National Championship Foundation, Parke Davis
California: 9-0-1. Houlgate
Michigan: 8-0. Billingsley, National Championship Foundation
Cornell: 8-0. Sagarin.

Going by the consensus of the selectors, the 1923 championship belongs to Illinois, led by Red Grange. Here is a quite detailed breakdown of this mythical championship, where the author picks Cornell slightly over Illinois. But that's just like his opinion, man.

1927
Illinois: 7-0-1. Billingsley, Dickinson, Helms, National Championship Foundation, Parke Davis
Georgia: 9-1. Boand, Poling
Notre Dame: 7-1-1. Houlgate
Yale: 7-1. Football Research
Texas A&M: 8-0-1. Sagarin.

It would seem that Illinois does indeed have the best claim to this title as well. This guy's analysis basically says that Illinois wasn't even in the top five. However, I think it's only fair to go by consensus.  Interestingly, in 1914 and 1919, this guy says that Illinois deserved at least a co-title.

1951
Georgia Tech: 11-0-1. Berryman, Boand
Illinois: 9-0-1. Boand
Maryland: 10-0. DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, National Championship Foundation, Sagarin
Michigan State: 9-0. Billingsley, Helms, Poling
Tennessee: 10-1. AP, Litkenhous, UPI, Williamson

Tennessee lost to Maryland in the Sugar Bowl, 13-28. So this is Maryland's, fair and square.

I'm actually surprised that Illinois has legitimate football title claims. If I were in charge of Illinois' record books, I'd list the titles as such:

Basketball
National Champions: 1915 (awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1935)

Football
National Champions: 1923, 1927

Playoff Records: Active Coaches

After thinking about Andy Reid's playoff record, and both Harbaughs, it got me thinking, what are the playoff records for the active coaches.

As always, Hoagie Central takes you deeper.

Bill Belichick 18-7 (.720)
Tom Coughlin 12-7 (.632)
Andy Reid 10-9 (.526)
John Harbaugh 8-4 (.667) *pending Super Bowl 47
Mike Shanahan 8-6 (.571)
Mike McCarthy 6-4 (.600)
John Fox 6-5 (.545)
Sean Payton 5-3 (.625)
Mike Tomlin 5-3 (.625)
Jeff Fisher 5-6 (.455)
Rex Ryan 4-2 (.667)
not active but for fun: Norv Turner 4-4 (.500)
Jim Harbaugh 3-1 (.750) *pending Super Bowl 47
Pete Carroll 3-4 (.429)
Gary Kubiak 2-2 (.500)
Mike Smith 1-4 (.200)
Chuck Pagano 0-1 (.000)
Jim Schwartz 0-1 (.000)
Leslie Frazier 0-1 (.000)
Marvin Lewis 0-4 (.000)

19 coaches with playoff experience, 13 without

I debated whether to sort it by percentage or wins...and that was sort of at the heart of this research. Because it's related to the nature of the playoffs. Specifically that if you win, you get another chance. But if you lose you don't. And furthermore, 11 out of 12 teams/coaches will accrue a playoff loss.

Let's pause for an illustration.

In the playoffs, there are 11 games, therefore 11 wins and 11 losses. But for example sake, if we assume that higher seeds win, we get:

1 team goes 3-0
1 team goes 2-1
6 teams go 1-1
4 teams go 0-1

In other words, only 2 out of 10 teams will have a net winning postseason record in any year.

And yet 12 of our active coaches have winning playoff records, Kubiak is .500, and leaving 6 with losing records.

Back to the question of what's more important, number of wins or percentage?

Wins show consistency.
Percentage shows performance.

So let's re-order...

Jim Harbaugh 3-1 (.750) *pending Super Bowl 47
Bill Belichick 18-7 (.720)
John Harbaugh 8-4 (.667) *pending Super Bowl 47
Rex Ryan 4-2 (.667)
Tom Coughlin 12-7 (.632)
Sean Payton 5-3 (.625)
Mike Tomlin 5-3 (.625)
Mike McCarthy 6-4 (.600)
Mike Shanahan 8-6 (.571)
John Fox 6-5 (.545)
Andy Reid 10-9 (.526)
Gary Kubiak 2-2 (.500)
not active but for fun: Norv Turner 4-4 (.500)

Jeff Fisher 5-6 (.455)

Pete Carroll 3-4 (.429)
Mike Smith 1-4 (.200)
Chuck Pagano 0-1 (.000)
Jim Schwartz 0-1 (.000)
Leslie Frazier 0-1 (.000)
Marvin Lewis 0-4 (.000)


The significant differences? Jim Harbaugh skyrockets to the top. Andy Reid falls from 3rd to 11th. Which is a better explainer of why Philadelphia let him go. And yes, those Harbaugh boys look pretty good.

a thanksgiving birthday

My birthday is November 22. Which means that it occasionally lands on Thanksgiving. Because Thanksgiving is a variable holiday, it's more interesting then having a birthday of December 24. In that case you know every year that Christmas Eve is your birthday. And it sucks.

Also, because of leap years and crap, it's not as simple of a pattern as it might seem initially.

Here's my future, relative to turkey day.

2011: tuesday before
2012: on thanksgiving
2013: friday before
2014: saturday before
2015: sunday before
2016: tuesday before
2017: wednesday before
2018: on thanksgiving
2019: friday before
2020: sunday before
2021: monday before
2022: tuesday before
2023: wednesday before
2024: friday before
2025: saturday before
2026: sunday before
2027: monday before
2028: wednesday before
2029: on thanksgiving

- - -

But Hoagie Central takes you deeper. The pattern would be easy to predict, except that every four years my birthday skips a day of the week.

2011-2012: wednesday
2015-2016: monday
2019-2020: saturday
2023-2024: thursday
2027-2028: tuesday

And the skipped day is always two days minus (or five days ahead if you think that way) then the previous skipped day. So my birthday is on Thanksgiving every 6 years, except once every 28 years or so, it skips.

By the way, the last time my birthday was on Thanksgiving was 2007. I remember thinking that it sucked. That it didn't really feel like a birthday. But who knows. Maybe 2012 will be totally different.

I never really realized, but my birthday can't fall after Thanksgiving. But it falls anywhere from 6 days before to the day of.

hc takes you deeper

When you look at this:

5. Dave 860 (3-5)
6. Steven 833.5 (5-3)
7. Kirat 822.5 (5-3)

it could mean:

A. I got robbed on the scheduling and should be at least 5-3
B. My performances have been inconsistent and I would be 3-5 no matter what

But as you know...Hoagie Central takes you deeper.

- - -

If I would have played Steven's schedule, I would be 4-4
If I would have played Kirat's schedule, I would be 5-3

Let's go deeper.

If I would have played Mark's schedule, I would be 6-2
If I would have played Ted's schedule, I would be 6-2 on a four game winning streak.

That's the craziest part. I'm on a four game losing streak. But if Burnsy's random number generator comes up differently, my record goes from .375 to .750.

Chiefs Playoff Week: Regular Season Recap

Coming into this season, Vegas and most experts were certain that San Diego was destined to win the AFC West again. Football Outsiders projected the Chiefs to win, so there were some notions that the Chiefs or Raiders could be a sleeper pick, but the smart money was on the Chargers.

Before week 1, hosting San Diego at New Arrowhead on Monday Night, I knew that if the Chiefs had any hope of having a winning season or being in the conversation for a playoff spot, they needed to win this game. Every factor was shaping up in KC's advantage (SD is a slow starter, big crowd for new stadium and MNF, the only home game against division champs, weather, etc.)

The Chiefs came out had 3 big plays and won the game. After the game I wasn't convinced that this win would ignite a march to the playoffs. But that's exactly what it did.

They had another ugly win on the road over the Browns. And then after blowing out the 49ers they were the last undefeated team in the league. But could they translate 3-0 into a playoff spot?

As it turns out, San Diego finished at 9-7. Getting into the playoffs meant getting 10 wins. And that's exactly what happened. Which means that this season EVERY WIN MATTERED.

When the defense came up huge against Denver in December. When the Chiefs ran all over the Seahawks in Seattle. When Chiefs fans turned the Edward Jones Done into Arrowhead East. When I saw them blow out the Cardinals in person. When they crushed the Titans to clinch the division. But perhaps most importantly, when they won in overtime on Halloween over the Bills.

NFL Sound FX happened to be recording the Chiefs during that game, which I probably already posted, but is so good that here it is again.

If Todd Haley doesn't call that timeout in overtime, the Chargers are division champs.

- - -

A great year for the Chiefs. Set some franchise records. Here are the stats:

#1 in rushing yards
#5 in turnover differential
#11 in points allowed

Matt Cassel second only to Tom Brady in TD/INT with 27/7

When you look at running backs with 100 carries this year: Charles blew away the league in rushing. He averaged 6.38 yards a carry. The next highest was 5.60; only 5 others finished above 5.0. Notable names: Foster 4.94, Peterson 4.59, Jones-Drew 4.43, Johnson 4.32, Gore 4.20, Turner 4.10, Rice 3.97, Mendenhall 3.93, Best 3.25.

Charles does in two carries what Ray Rice does in three.

Tamba Hali was #2 in the NFL in sacks.

And then you've got Dwanye Bowe, #1 in receiving touchdowns. Set a franchise record with receiving touchdowns in 7 straight games.

- - -

But Hoagie Central takes you deeper.

I graphed the Chiefs performance. But what does this tell us? Let's go deeper.

Aha! I added average lines for both the Chiefs and the Chiefs opponents. So using this data, I can apply a rudimentary grade for the offense and defense, to see if they performed above average or below average.

Week 1: Offense -1, Defense +1 = Win
Week 2: Offense -1, Defense +1 = Win
Week 3: Offense +1, Defense +1 = Win
Week 4: bye
Week 5: Offense -1, Defense 0 = Loss
Week 6: Offense +1, Defense -1 = Loss
Week 7: Offense +1, Defense 0 = Win
Week 8: Offense -1, Defense +1 = Win
Week 9: Offense -1, Defense -1 = Loss
Week 10: Offense +1, Defense -1 = Loss
Week 11: Offense +1, Defense +1 = Win
Week 12: Offense +1, Defense -1 = Win
Week 13: Offense -1, Defense +1 = Win
Week 14: Offense -1, Defense -1 = Loss
Week 15: Offense +1, Defense +1 = Win
Week 16: Offense +1, Defense +1 = Win
Week 17: Offense -1, Defense -1 = Loss

A lot of ways to dive into this data.

The offense had 8 games above average, 8 games below, as you might expect.
The defense had 8 games above average, 2 average games, and 6 below.

When the offense plays above average: 6-2
When the offense plays below average: 4-4

When the defense plays above average: 8-0
When the defense plays below average: 1-5

- - -

Let's go deeper.

Obviously if both play above average: 4-0
Obviously if both play below average: 0-3
Also obvious, when defense was average: 1-0 with above average offense, 0-1 with below average defense.

What's not so obvious. There were seven games that features a above/below split.

When defense carried the Chiefs: 4-0
When offense carried the Chiefs 1-2

- - -

So what does this mean? The Chiefs win when they hold teams to 20 or less. That might seem like an obvious statement. But the statement "the Chiefs win when they score more than 24" might seem equally obvious, but it's not true.

- - -

I thought about handing out some game balls, but this was a team success. Haley has the team playing with heart. Weis got Cassel avoiding picks and utilizing Charles without running him into the ground. Romeo turned around a defense. The offensive line is better. We've got three stud skill position players on offense. Moeaki and McCluster had big plays. And between Derrick Johnson, Hali, Flowers, Berry, the defense is full of talent. I can't single anyone out this year. It was a season that exceeded all expectations, was tremendously fun to watch, and damn exciting to see a new Champion of the AFC West.

Yes, yes, I want to see a playoff win. That is the next goal for the team. But a division title was the first one. And if the season ends on Sunday, it was still a success.

- - -

Let's just hope it doesn't. Go CHIEFS!

Chiefs Open 2010 By Taking Down The Division Champs (Game Ball Edition)

Last night was a big game for a lot of reasons.

First game in the newly renovated Arrowhead.
First MNF in 4 years, first time ever opening the season on MNF in Chiefs' history.
The one home game you get against the division champ Chargers.

I thought that if the Chiefs couldn't win last night, in a perfect storm (excited home crowd, Chargers start slowly and missing key players) that there's no way they could keep up with teams like the Chargers throughout the season. This was a litmus test, no doubt about it.

Coming into the game, I thought that Kansas City had a decent chance to win. But I thought it would take a good performance on offense, great performance on defense, and getting a big play on special teams or a turnover, and a lucky break or two.

I didn't think there was a way to beat the Chargers by getting a poor performance on offense.

Here's what we know:
The Chargers are a better team than the Chiefs.
The Chiefs' offense didn't do anything to deserve a win.

So how'd they do it?

They had 3 big plays, and got touchdowns out of all 3.

1. Down 0-7, Charles ZOOMS behind the left guard for 56 yards, spinning the safety around in the open field.
2. Tied 7-7, Derrick Johnson RIPS the ball away from Mathews, giving Kansas City the ball at the SD 12.
3. Up 14-7, McCluster catches a punt on his own 6 and BREAKS it all the way. (longest in KC history, breaking Dante's 93-yard record vs Denver)

Sure, but Hoagie Central takes you deeper.

Sproles had 5 punt returns with an average of 6 yards on the return.
Arenas had 2 punt returns with an average of 30 yards, McCluster 3 returns, average of 33 yards.

Chargers yards: 389. Chiefs yards: 197. But Chiefs had 0 turnovers, Chargers 1. Chiefs had only 3 penalties, Chargers 5. Red Zone: Chiefs 1/1, Chargers 1/2. Cassel sacked once, Rivers twice.

Chiefs a miserable 1/11 on 3rd down, but Chargers only 4/15, and only 1/3 on 4th down.

Okay, but Hoagie Central takes you deeper.

The Chargers had 13 possessions. How did they only get 14 points?

Punt - KC 20
Touchdown - Gates
Punt - SD 32
Punt - KC 41
Fumble - SD 12
Punt - KC 33
Punt - return TD
Punt - KC 29
Punt - KC 20
Punt - KC 20
Touchdown - Nanee
Turnover on downs
Turnover on downs

The Chargers scored on 2/13.
The Chiefs defense & special teams scored/set up scores on 2 of the Chargers 13 possessions.
11 times the Chiefs forced the Chargers to fumble, punt, or late in the game held on 4th down. And look at that field position. The defense & special teams fueled the offense, and they still sputtered with 3 and outs. But it was enough.

But enough stats. Let's hand out some goddamn game balls.

Honorable Mention: The Crowd at New Arrowhead

The announcers wouldn't shut up about how electric it was inside the stadium. Which is all fine and dandy. But when it's so loud that the Chargers get 3 delay of game penalties, and burn an early timeout, that's when the crowd is helping you win football games.

Honorable Mention: The Rain

I can't believe the announcers didn't mention how the weather impacted the game. At kickoff it was dry and the Chargers took an early 7-0 lead. The rain started coming down and Charles gets past falling defenders. The defense rips the ball out, and McCluster races by slipping defenders. Credit to the equipment manager, the Chiefs weren't falling nearly as much as San Diego. It also hindered the passing attack of the Chargers, and while it might explain Cassel's throws, it didn't hurt our running attack. It dried up in the 4th, and the Chargers get another touchdown. But then I did a rain dance in Burnsy's apartment and on the final play of the game, the rain was back and the open receiver slipped. KC +21 when wet, SD +14 when dry.

#3: Jamaal Charles


You had 11 carries, the same as Thomas Jones who got the start. But you made the most of yours. We needed a spark on offense and you made it happen.

#2: The Rookie Class, especially McCluster


Arenas had two great punt returns and played solid defense. McCluster had the big return TD and some crucial screen passes. Moeaki caught some key passes including the TD set up by the Mathews fumble. The one player that looked like a rookie at times, was the #1 pick Berry. But Gates does that to everyone. He held his own for the most part. For what it's worth, McCluster had the winning points, in the 2nd quarter.

#1: Romeo's Defense, especially Derrick Johnson

The forced fumble was crucial, but overall the defense won the game. Two huge fourth down stands, more sacks than we allowed, hardly any penalties, only one big play given up. I'll take a team built around a solid defense any day.


- - -

You know, as good as this looks...


...last night wasn't about a win that ignites a march to the playoffs.

Last night was good enough on it's own. A better, more established team came into our house on national TV and we played well enough for 60 minutes, offense, defense, special teams, coaching, to send 70,000 in red and gold home with a smile on their face.

sweet deal

Sounds too good to be true. Better check the fine print.


How about that. In every Denny's in the US, except for one in Baker, CA. What kind of jackass is running that Denny's that won't participate, forcing them to call it out on the homepage?

As always, Hoagie Central takes you deeper.

Reviewers have noted they have a sign on the front door that says "cocktails served here" and this particular Denny's has been described as the "WORST DENNY'S I HAVE EVER BEEN TOO."

Stay classy 350 Baker Blvd., Baker, CA.

more nfl

For the first time since the new division alignment, in a conference championship we'll have two division opponents. The two last teams standing in the AFC, are from the AFC North.

The last time this happened was when there were only 3 divisions, making it more likely to happen. The 1999 Jaguars lost to the Titans (after the Titans had beaten the Bills two weeks earlier via Music City Miracle) in the AFC Championship. From wiki: The Jaguars finished the 1999 season 15–3, with all three of their losses coming against the Titans. Not surprisingly, this was the only time in NFL history that a 3-loss team met all of its losses at the hands of only one team.

But also looming, is an All-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. In fact, I think that's exactly what's going to happen. Simmons mentions this possibility at 22:15 in today's 1/12 B.S. Report, and says "obviously that's never happened before."

It's unclear to whether he's referring to All-Pennsylvania never happening before, or both teams from one state. But of course, Hoagie Central takes you deeper.

Super Bowl XXV on January 27, 1991 featured the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills.

Super Bowl XXIX on January 29, 1995 featured the San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers. Since the Giants play in New Jersey, this could technically be called the first.

Is Week 5 Make or Break?

Editor's Note: One of things that I pride myself on, is that there is analysis here that you can't get anywhere else. Sure, the MMBNJ is similar to TMQ and MJD's Smorgasboard. And my picks are a take on the Sports Guy's and my sportsbook is a rip-off of KSK. But no one else is doing this sort of thing.

I had a theory: that after week 5, your record might indicate whether you will make the playoffs. Let's crunch the numbers for last year. The numbers show how many teams finished with that record in that category.

2007 Playoff Teams:
5-0: 3
4-1: 3
3-2: 5
2-3: 1
1-4: 0
0-5: 0

2007 Non-Playoff Teams:
5-0: 0
4-1: 0
3-2: 5
2-3: 8
1-4: 5
0-5: 2

So what does this tell us? After you've played five games, if you've won at least 4, you're making the playoffs. If you're one of the 16 teams with a losing record, you better have Tomlinson on your team. Surprisingly, having a 3-2 record still means your playoff odds are 50%, at least in 2007.

But since Hoagie Central takes you deeper, let's look at 2006 as well.

2006 Playoff Teams:
5-0: 2
4-1: 6
3-2: 2
2-3: 2
1-4: 0
0-5: 0

2006 Non-Playoff Teams:
5-0: 0
4-1: 2
3-2: 5
2-3: 4
1-4: 6
0-5: 3

So what's the final word? If you're 1-4 or worse: no shot. Really, odds are you need to be 3-2, preferably 4-1. In 06, both the Chiefs and Jets were 2-3 and snuck into the playoffs, but they really didn't belong there.

Click here for January 2009 update on the results.

Road to the Super Bowl?

I was thinking about how the Chiefs' best year this decade was 2003, and that like this year, their out of conference games were against the NFC North. I was wondering if that might have helped their 03 season. Here's a look at who the Super Bowl teams have been lined up against, going back only til 2002 when the divisions were realigned.


2006
Colts faced NFC East
Bears faced AFC East

2005
Steelers faced NFC South
Seahawks faced AFC South

2004
Patriots faced NFC West
Eagles faced AFC North

2003
Patriots faced NFC East
Panthers faced AFC South

2002
Raiders faced NFC West
Bucs faced AFC North

Results
AFC South 2
AFC North 2
NFC West 2
NFC East 2
AFC East 1
NFC South 1
AFC West 0
NFC North 0

Trends
Well, no division has consistently paved the way as a doormat to the Super Bowl. The AFC West and NFC North are the only divisions to not have a Conference winner go through their schedule.

Predictions
Ironically, this trend would not bode well for any teams in the AFC West or NFC North, since these divisions are playing against each other this year. Bad news for the Chargers or Packers.

If you were looking for a scheduling edge between the Pats and Colts, the Pats are facing the NFC East (2) while the Colts play the NFC South (1).

As always, Hoagie Central takes you deeper.

even more chiefs balls

Great win over the Bengals, right? Hoagie Central takes you deeper...

You might think LJ gets a game ball for his 119 plus a TD performance but no.

He had 3 long runs of 20, 22, and 34, but that 34 yarder was worthless as he fumbled it on the 1 through the endzone. In the second half he had 15 carries and only 13 yards. Sure you can blame the line, but fumble on the 1 and you're lucky that the Chiefs still won.

#3: Damon Huard


He outplayed Carson Palmer, mostly because he was facing a weaker defense. But still, 25/35 and no picks. Plus he had two touchdowns and when they needed him. Herm gets an honrable mention for putting in the right quarterback.


#2: Tony Gonzalez


Sure he set the record for most touchdowns by a tight end, but it was more than that. It was extending drives, it was being the go to guy, getting over a 100 yards, and two touchdowns that would be the difference.


#1: Jared Allen and the rest of the Defense


27 points is good, but might not be enough to beat a team with that kind of offensive firepower. But after giving up the lead on a 4-play Bengal drive, the defense turned it on. They had 4 sacks and 3 forced turnovers including 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble from Jared Allen, who was in Palmer's face all day. That's why the Chiefs' won.

Although it scares me a lot that they can't run to protect the lead and the defense played soft in the 4th quarter, forgetting how they got the lead. If there would have been a 5th quarter, the Chiefs would have lost.