After 5-0 start, Chiefs stunned to be sitting at 6-5 now
KANSAS CITY, MO. » Tyreek Hill thought everything was back to normal after a midseason swoon when the second-year wide receiver saw the Chiefs dancing and prancing through practice this week.
Alex Smith thought the same thing the way his team responded to an ugly loss to the Giants.
They were both wrong.
Now, the same Chiefs team that beat the Patriots and Eagles on the way to a 5-0 start, and that just six weeks ago was considered a Super Bowl contender, has dropped five of its past six games.
And with the Los Angeles Chargers getting hot, the Chiefs’ lead in the AFC West has been trimmed to dreadfully one game.
Seahawks rule Kam Chancellor out for the rest of the season
RENTON, WASH. » Kam Chancellor is done for this season. Whether the standout strong safety for the Seattle Seahawks plays again is unknown.
Coach Pete Carroll said Monday that Chancellor would miss the rest of the season due to the neck injury he suffered earlier this month, but would not speculate about Chancellor’s future.
All Carroll would say for now is that Chancellor does not need surgery and any decision on his future is up to the player.
It’s a similar situation for veteran defensive end Cliff Avril, who will undergo “disc-related” surgery Tuesday for a neck injury. Avril has been out since early October.
Carroll declined to get into specifics about Avril’s surgery but noted it is a procedure players have come back from in the past.
Tomlin fine with hyping up Steelers’ showdown with Patriots
PITTSBURGH » Sitting across from a Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster, Mike Tomlin decided to do longtime friend Tony Dungy a solid.
Asked about his team’s potential during a taped segment before the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted Green Bay on Sunday, Tomlin said aloud what’s long been whispered in his locker room.
Dungy asked for an answer in “non-coach-speak.” Tomlin, who can be as fluent in “coach-speak” as any of his peers, obliged.
Yes, Tomlin considers the Steelers talented enough to win the Super Bowl.
Yes, he’s well aware Pittsburgh’s Dec. 17 showdown with longtime nemesis New England could produce “fireworks,” in what he believes could be a preview of another playoff clash in January.
“We got a good football team,” Tomlin said after Pittsburgh edged the undermanned Packers 31-28 to improve to 9-2.
Raiders wait to hear status of WRs Crabtree, Cooper
ALAMEDA » The Oakland Raiders survived almost an entire game without starting wide receivers Michael Crabtree
Whether they will be without the two big-play threats for at least another week remains to be seen.
The NFL is reviewing Michael Crabtree’s role in a fight with Denver cornerback Aqib Talib in Oakland’s 21-14 victory on Sunday to determine whether a suspension is warranted. A decision is expected by Tuesday.
Cooper is in the concussion protocol after taking a hard hit from safety Darian Stewart and is also nursing an injured ankle from the play. His status for the game Sunday between Oakland (5-6) and the New York Giants remains unknown.
The Raiders came out on top Sunday thanks to some key contributions from the backup receivers. Johnny and Amari Cooper. Holton had a 47-yard catch on a deep throw to set up Oakland’s third touchdown and Cordarrelle Patterson had a 54-yard, catch-andrun on a late third down that allowed Oakland to run out the clock.
“They came up with some big plays in the game,” coach Jack Del Rio said Monday. “Johnny got deep again, did a nice job throughout the day . ... Cordarrelle came up with some big moments in the game. All in all, it was a solid, solid job of filling in and executing with your two main guys out.”
Del Rio is hopeful Crabtree will avoid any suspension despite the role in the big fight early in the first quarter that was a spill-over from some bad blood after Talib ripped Crabtree’s chain from his neck during the season finale last year.