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The Kansas City Chiefs shocked everyone last Sunday, probably themselves included if you could get them off the record.
Trailing 24-6 in the third quarter against a desperate New Orleans Saints team in the Superdome, Romeo Crennel's team rallied with 21 unanswered points to improbably grab their first win of the season.
It didn't hurt that Jamaal Charles decided to absolutely dominate the affair, gaining as many yards as New Orleans for the afternoon with 288.
Last week, I was extremely critical of the team, saying that they're gutless and have no internal expectations. Well, I'm not ready to back off of that yet. Certainly they showed plenty of character in the latter stages of last Sunday's contest, but to show that something is actually changing the Chiefs need to beat the San Diego Chargers.
Kansas City is a better team on paper despite having a deficiency at quarterback. While Philip Rivers is a much more explosive player than Matt Cassel, Rivers hasn't been all that great since the beginning of the 2011 campaign. Outside of the signal-callers, the two rosters aren't even a comparison.
The largest advantage for the Chiefs is along their pass rush vs. the Chargers' offensive line.
San Diego is starting an undrafted rookie free agent in Michael Harris at left tackle while Jeromey Clary holds down the right side. Neither one is capable of stopping Justin Houston and Tamba Hali by themselves, forcing Norv Turner to either leave a tight end/running back in to block or risk multiple sacks from both.
Factoring in that the game is also in Arrowhead, Kansas City should be able to overcome a San Diego team that frankly isn't that powerful anymore. The Chiefs on the other hand have a bevy of playmakers on both sides of the ball and with a win, would move into a tie for first place in the AFC West.
All of the reasons above show why Kansas City needs to make last week's win stick. The Chiefs aren't playing the Baltimore Ravens or New England Patriots here. They're playing a team inside the division who many people picked to finish third in the division.
Personally, I need to see this team play consistently week in and week out. Anybody can have a good couple of quarters, which they did in Louisiana. However, the very good and great teams (which this team has the capabilities to become on paper) string together solid performances for a period of time.
Nobody is suggesting the Chiefs need to win seven straight or something of that nature to prove they have some heart, but one dramatic win means nothing if it's followed by a loss at home.
I want to believe something seriously changed last weekend down in the Big Easy, but we've been down this road before. After defeating the Chargers in wild fashion last year, the Chiefs promptly were blown out by the winless Miami Dolphins at home.
Last week was such an incredible win for so many different reasons. Kansas City needs to make it count by winning again.
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