A New Reason To Hate

Thanks to a Denver defeat on Thursday, the rest of the regular season just became a hell of a lot more interesting for Chiefs Kingdom. KC is again technically tied with the Broncos atop the AFC West, but they'll need to win out and witness another Denver loss to claim that sexy #2 seed. That makes this afternoon's game in Oakland far more relevant than most Raider Haters imagined it would be entering the week. After a borderline-pitiful trouncing of the Redskins, KC should be coming into The Pit or The Black Zone or whatever with plenty of confidence on the offensive side of the ball. Don't tell me what they call it. I don't care.

This Chiefs offense has finally started to find their rhythm in the last few games. Regardless of what many will say about a lethargic effort from Washington last week, KC has been playing their best offense of the year, ever since that exciting but ultimately infuriating loss to San Diego. It's no surprise that Jamaal Charles' best rushing performance of the year coincided with the Chiefs' highest scoring game. Thanks to some relentless early-game scoring, the Redskins' chance of winning dropped below 1% in less than 20 minutes of game-time (according to the game's Win Probability graph.)

The defense obviously did their part, holding a listless Redskins offense to 10 points and 257 yards and sacking RGIII five times. Last week's game and this weeks game, alike should serve as confidence boosters for the Chiefs D, as well as further proof that they can succeed without Justin Houston – against subpar opponents, at least. The real test will come when Houston is healthy and facing off against Andrew Luck and the Colts, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, there is still plenty of friendly, good-hearted competition to be had with those highly-respected and well-renowned Oakland Raiders.

With another loss last week, Oakland guaranteed themselves another losing season and a full decade of being losers. The Raiders haven't recorded a winning season since 2002, which is a stat that makes any jokes about them just seem cheap at this point. That's not like kicking a man while he's down, it's like kicking a crippled, syphilitic old woman after she falls down the stairs. So, I refuse to stoop to that level. No talk about their embarrassing QB situation, not from me. No mentioning their loss earlier this season against the same team KC just dominated last week, no sir or madam. I'm better than that.

Here are my five predictions for today's game.

1- Most KC fans are confident in their defense by this point, especially when Houston returns, so it seems clear that the offense's improvement will largely determine their chance of success in the playoffs. Only 8 teams give up more points per game than Oakland, which means this game shouldn't be much of a test. Nonetheless, the Chiefs need to avoid playing down to their competition and dominate this game. Expect KC to extend their 3-game streak of scoring 30+ points.

2- Not to be outdone by Knile Davis' franchise record-tying return, Quintin Demps brought one back in Washington to give KC the most touchdowns from kickoff and punt returns of anyone in the league. While they may not get a chance to return another one this afternoon (if the Raiders are smart), they should still dominate on special teams. Look for KC to average at least 8 more yards per return than Oakland.

3- The surprisingly decent Matt McGloin will get his fifth start today. Expect him to complete at least 58% of his passes, but also expect a KC defender, maybe Marcus Cooper, to bait him into an interception.

4- While McGloin has been mildly successful, Oakland's offensive line still struggles to keep him safe in the pocket. The Raider's O-Line has allowed the 5th-most sacks in the NFL. Expect Tamba to get at least one of at least 5 sacks on the Raider rookie QB today.

5- It would only make sense, in a frustratingly poetic kind of way, for the Chiefs to lose today. Regardless of their record and overall hopelessness, the Raiders are going to want this game bad. Beating their playoff-bound rivals in Oakland is probably the last thing the Raiders have to play for this season. However, that Thursday loss from Denver should be enough to keep KC playing hard and staying focused against inferior competition. Chiefs win, 30-17, and hope for that #2 seed stays alive for at least another week.

Doug LaCerte runs this blog and writes for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @DLaC67, send him your distasteful Raiders jokes on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.

3 Important Lists For Preseason Week 3

Here we go, Chiefs fans. The wait is kinda over. Today we can forget about training camp, team-building exercises and boring preseason press conferences. There's plenty to talk about and catch up on here, but for now we're keeping it (comparatively) simple. Today, we're talking about preseason Week 3- the first week of football that truly feels like football.

Week 3 of the preseason marks the official moment when actual play is important enough that yelling at TV screens becomes socially appropriate for the next five months or so. To celebrate that important milestone, I have 3 lists of 3 for Week 3. My goal today is to curb enthusiasm, temper negativity and point out important things for fans to keep their eyes on today, all with one oddly-structured welcome-back post.

3 Things to Watch For In Week 3

1- Dave Toub's effect on the special teams play. This post from Mellinger, and the hilarious accompanying video, showcases the positive change being made so far, but many fans will surely continue to underrate this aspect of the game. Probably for life. And it's a shame, considering we have some exciting tools to plug into a proven system that's already shown its ability to change a game completely. No one knows for sure if Devin Hester's success was a byproduct of his own talents or the Dave Toub system. Obviously, it must be a mixture of the two, but who's to say that Dexter McCluster doesn't have all the traits to be the next big deal on special teams? After witnessing the majority of an up-and-down, historically streaky baseball season, the length of the NFL season feels almost unjustly short to me. Every one of those 16 games is huge, and that makes every kick return for a touchdown either a devastating blow or an unequivocal advantage.

2- AJ Jenkin's ability, or lack thereof, to become a factor quickly. This goes for anybody else trying to gain a prominent role in this offense. Wanna guess who has the most catches on the roster? That would be rookie running back Knile Davis, with 7 receptions for 49 yards. To really get excited about this offense, fans need to see guys like Donnie Avery (1 catch for 6 yards this preseason) and AJ Jenkins (never caught an NFL pass) to step up. Especially after losing some heigth with the Baldwin/Jenkins trade, Reid will look to counter this lack of size with a small army of shorter-than-average skill players. Those little guys will make a big difference in Kansas City's 2013 playoff hopes.

3- The secondary's effectiveness in containing another quality QB. Roethlisberger comes into tonight's game with a 3-1 career record against the Chiefs. In those games, he's completed 70.9% of his 110 pass attempts. Limiting Big Ben to a lower percentage would be a welcome sign of improvement for this new and, hopefully, improved secondary. The only other starting QB with significant playing time against this Chiefs defense is Drew Brees. He completed 7 of 10 for 65 yards, but it took the impressive accuracy that you'd expect from Brees and few else to make the Chiefs' secondary look small.

3 Things to Remember When the Chiefs Look Great

1- It's the preseason. Everything is still vanilla on either side of the ball, and within that context athleticism rules the day. Don't be overly-wooed by good play from returning Chiefs. Let's not forget that last year's team posted the worst record in franchise history with the same 5 Pro Bowlers that will take the field today. Tight coverage from Brandon Flowers and jaw-dropping plays from Jamaal Charles are nothing new to Kansas City, and by themselves they won't save the Chiefs from another disappointing season. I know Derrick Johnson is great, I know Tamba's a beast, and I dedicated a whole post to the unheralded greatness of Dustin Colquitt. If KC wants to change their losing ways, fans need to see productivity from someone new. I'm looking at you, Alex Smith.

2- Keep in mind when this offense looks impressive and efficient that it's still limited. Don't let anything fool you into thinking Alex Smith has an arm capable of spreading the field. He just doesn't. This is going to bring consternation from the fan-base, and probably some mostly-undeserved flack to Andy Reid's hairy ear-holes. The third WR spot is also a topic of legitimate concern. The team website's unofficial depth chart lists Junior Hemingway and AJ Jenkins as starters at the 3^rd WR position. These two have a combined total of exactly zero catches in the NFL.

3- Think Sean Smith looks great? He does, until he gets burnt, which happens frequently. His ball-hawking often resulted in big gains for the opposing team during his years with Miami. In four seasons, his gambling yielded only 5 picks in 63 games, which averages out to 0.079 interceptions per game, or 0.98 per season. I know it's early to be skeptical, but getting snickered at by Dolphins fans is a bad omen. I though I could skip my preseason ritual of stocking up on blood pressure medication, especially when Javier Arenas left town (one last dig on that guy, check.) I just hope this new, talented-but-dangerous cornerback doesn't send me running back to the drugstore in jittery rage this year.

3 Things to Remember When The Chiefs Look Awful

1- It's the preseason. The success of the 2013 Chiefs will depend greatly on the effectiveness of a completely new coaching regime. Everything, as I've mentioned, is still vanilla, and if KC finds themselves in the playoff hunt this year, it will be because better coaching created a better product on the field. This aforementioned vanilla-ness (vanillality?) limits the potency of a good coaching staff. Andy Reid will win games this year with X's and O's, but preseason week 3 is largely referred to as the season's dress rehearsal. Winning the chess match is how Andy Reid makes a living, but in this game, all his chess pieces are stuck in the same, predictable spots.

Oh hey, do me a favor and try saying “vanillality” out loud. You can thank me later.

2- Even if the Chiefs lose every preseason game, isn't that better than using preseason as a glorified 2-hour workout? I know it's been a while, but damn. Seriously. How awful was that? More to my point, how awful was that coaching staff in general? Remember Todd Haley sabotaging his own team with 4 consecutive starts by Tyler “The Tricycle” Palko? Yep, he's gone (and he's actually on the other sideline, coaching the Steelers offense.) Speaking of past woes....

3- Just remember last year, and compare the hope we have now to the disgust we had just months ago. Remember Scott Pioli's big, sweaty head? Gone. Remember Romeo Crennel's complete lack of explanation or understanding as to why his team was so dreadfully bad? Never would I imagine that I'd be so happy to substitute “lovable black Santa Claus” with “man who oh-so-closely resembles a walrus.” Remember Matt Cassel? I don't have a smart comment for that one, I just want you to close your eyes and think deeply about Matt Cassel starting at quarterback for your favorite team.

Yeah. The queasiness you're feeling proves my point better than words ever could. There's so much to look forward to, and not only because we can embrace not sucking. We have reasons to believe this is the foundation for a playoff team, if not this year, then soon. If I haven't murdered the word “hope” through overusing it on this blog, I'm sure that I'll finish the job this season. Welcome back, and thanks for reading.