Kansas City Chiefs 2013 Page

[Rudy22G]

Week 5 recap & Season Review heading into Bye Week:

Rudy and THE CHIEFS play their second Monday Night Football game in just as many weeks, this time playing their third road game in a row, at Jacksonville.

"This game was just sloppy, for both teams. I know we expected to play better, but we'll take an ugly road win anyway we can."

Chiefs win their third road game in a row coming out victorious in a grind em out 19-14 win. Both teams struggled offensively through the air with Gabbert completing 24-44 passes for 252 yards and 2 INTS. For Kansas City, Jay Cutler was injured in the second quarter, and was held out the rest of the game. Cutler was 4-10 for 60 yards before letting Jason Campbell take over for the rest of the contest. Campbell came in and showed no motivation after being benched by Rudy just three weeks ago. Campbell completed 3-7 passsing for 48 yards and an INT. Jamaal Charles was theee bright spot in the game with 132 yards on 11 attempts with a touchdown. He was the only offensive player that seemed to show up, including both teams. Charles has his 3rd 100 yard rushing game of the season and added for his third TD of the year.

Defensively teams continue to throw to Brandon Flowers, and he continues to make them pay. Flowers intercepted another pass at the goaline and returned it for 47 yards. Flowers also chipped in with 7 tackles, showing he can do more than just defend passes.

Jacksonville was just 2-11 on third down, and the battle of field position and special teams was won by KC. Kicker Ryan Succop was 4-4 on FGs, including 2 that were made from 56 yards. "It's nice to know you can have your worst offensive performance of the year and still come out with a road win. Last year we were 2-6 total on the road, so already we've improved in that area." stated Rudy

Chiefs (4-1) have a bye week in week 6.
Week 7 KC travels to Pittsburgh.

Injuries: Star Cornerback Brandon Carr was injured in the contest and is expected to miss the next 10 weeks. Javier Arenas was also injured but is expected to start for Carr in the game against Pittsburgh. Jay Cutler is day to day, but seems ok with assuming his role at starting QB after the bye week.

Season Notes:

Jay Cutler since joining Kansas City:
28-42; 573 Yards; 6 Touchdowns; 0 INTS

Jamaal Charles:
506 yards (top 5 in the league) 3 TD's; 72 Attempts

Dwayne Bowe:
431 yards; 6 Touchdowns; 19 Receptions

Derrick Johnson:
26 Tackles (top 5 in the league); 1 QB Tackle; 5 INTS (Top 5); 2 Pass Def; 2 FF

Justin Houston:
20 Tackles; 7 Tackles for loss; 3 QB Tackles; 5 Pass Def; FF, Safety

Tamba Hali:
7 QB tackles; FF

Brandon Flowers:
14 Tackles; 6 INTs (league leader); 3 Pass Def

Ryan Succop:
12-12 FG's; 3-3 (50+)

Most Disappointing player:
Eric Berry: 9 Tackles, INT, FF

"This may be more about teams staying away from Eric Berry, rather than reflecting his true play on the field. Afterall, this is only through 5 games." - ESPN blogger Bill Williamson.

Chiefs Blog

[Rudy22G]

Week 7 recap:

Rudy and THE CHIEFS, played their 4th road game in a row, this time traveling to (1-4) Pittsburgh. "I don't even know where to start- this game was poorly played by our offense. We were lucky to get out of there with a win...but of course, on the road, we'll take it."

Those were the opening statements of Rudy's press conference after the game. Not the exact words you'd expect from a coach that just won a game 37-10.

Jay Cutler and the Chiefs offense could not get anything going through the air. The rain was coming down, and the winds stayed at 10mph throughout all four quarters. It was ugly conditions, that combined with constant pressure from Pittsburgh's defense had Cutler out of sync.

Pittsburgh was knocking down Cutler all afternoon.

Cutler finished with 6-18 passing. Sacked 4 times. 1 TD, I INT. By far his worst outing as a Chief.

Kansas City's defense showed why they are ranked in the top 5 in the SFL. Derrick Johnson, Eric Berry and Jalil Brown all had FF, and all were recovered by the Chiefs. KC also forced 4 INTs from Big Ben, and two of them went to the house. You guessed it, Brandon Flowers got his 7th int of the year and this one reached pay dirt. Justin Houston, the young linebacker for KC, also had his first career pick-6.

Pittsburgh's defense very rarely let KC just march down the field, most of KC's points came on a short field after turnovers. Rudy was forced to punt 7 times, and was only 2-11 on third down, really 2-8 as the Chiefs were melting clock in the second half, but still terrible none the less. Tamba Hali did his part racking up 3 quarterback tackles bringing his season total to 10, which is good for 4th in the league.

Other notes:
Brandon Carr's replacement J. Arenas also had an INT with a couple of pass deflections.

Jamaal Charles was consistant with 13 attempts, 57 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rudy limited his touches in the second half with the big lead. Jacobs came in and carried for 39 yards on 7 attempts.

"Defense can't go in slumps. Defense- is the reason why we won that game." Turnover battle KC:1 Pitt: 7

Kansas City (5-1) travels to Cleveland to play their 5th road game in a row in week 8.

Chiefs Blog

[Rudy22G]

Week 8 recap:

Rudy and THE CHIEFS, played in their third Monday Night Football game of the year. This time, meeting up with the Cleveland Browns (3-3) and coming out with the 26-0 win. Rudy did not take the Browns lightly, even though last year the score was 31-0 in Kansas City.

"The league has noticed that Cleveland has been stepping it up this year. They are one of the most improved teams in the league, so we knew they were going to try and defend their home turf and make up for last year's game." said Rudy

Kansas City's defense is on a tear right now. Cleveland finished the game going 1-9 on third down and forcing three interceptions. Eric Berry had a direct impact on the game, while only having one tackle, he came away with a forced fumble and an INT. Javier Arenas collected his second INT since taking over for the injured corner Brandon Carr. Derrick Johnson finished with 6 solo tackles and an INT.

"Cleveland has shown a lot of improvement this year, they have some talent at wide receiver position and we wanted to make a statement that we'll be fine, even without Carr." said Rudy

Offensively the Chiefs looked better, Jay Cutler was 11-17 for 213 yards with two interceptions and two touchdowns. "We could tell right away they weren't going to let Bowe do the damage. They brought up a safety to bottle up Charles and Baldwin did a great job of making plays." stated Cutler. Baldwin finished the game with 4 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Jamaal Charles was held in check, as he finished the game with 68 yards on 20 carries (season high).

Chiefs (6-1) finish out their six game road streak next week as they play the Carolina Panters (4-3).

Preview:

Kansas City has one of the best defenses in the league, and Carolina ranks 8th in the SFL in passing.

"We are excited about the Panthers. They have a new coach and he seems to be directing that franchise in the right direction. We know they have a pretty tough defense themselves, so this should be a close one. Carolina is still in the hunt for the NFC south, so we know they'll be fired up." said Rudy

Chiefs Blog

[Rudy22G]

Week 9 recap:

Rudy and THE CHIEFS finished off their 6 game road streak with a trip to Carolina. Carolina (4-3) edged out the victory 19-13.

The headline here was made in the last three minutes:

With three minutes left the go in the game, Kansas City was down 16-13, driving down the field with the rushing attack of Charles, Jacobs and McClain. KC was ready to score the game winning Touchdown. After a 5 yard run by Charles to get the ball down the 5 yard line Rudy called on McClain to punch it in.

"McClain has been a pretty solid runner as a FB throughout his career, especailly on the goaline. We had no doubts on the staff that that was the correct call." said Rudy

McClain got past the first line of defense, making a cut to get the endzone. "I thought he was in, but I guess not." He then was hit-sticked...hard (pause) and fumbled the ball into the endzone where the Carolina Panthers recovered for the touchback. "That hurt, I mean obviouisly it hurt..3 minutes left in the game, could have scored the go ahead touchdown and send the number 1 ranked defense back out on the field for a stop."

After the McClain fumble, the Panthers went three and out running the clock down to 1:50 left in the game.

Here's where it gets fun, on the punt, kick returner Javier Arenas had a nice return going. He made a couple cuts, was headed up the field for a nice gain to put the Chiefs in prime position to make a couple first downs and at least tie the game to send it to OT.

However, while Arenas was heading toward the sideline he fumbled. Inches away from going out of bounds, Carolina recovered the ball. The Panthers proceeded to kick a FG to make the score 19-13. After a 17 yard kick off return by Arenas, Jay Cutler threw a Hail Mary to Dwayne Bowe, but to no avail.

"Its sickening to lose a game like that, but it happens. We were up 13-9 with multiple opportunities to stretch the game out, but couldn't convert. Give credit where credit is due." said Rudy.

Chiefs had multiple, multiple, opportunities to make interceptions, but just couldn't hang on to the ball. Coming into the game KC was was +14 and CAR was -10 in T.O differential. Carolina won the battle 4:1.

Kansas City converted 16 first downs to Carolinas 11. Cam Newton passed for 170 yards on 14-25 and a TD. Jay Cutler was 10-22 for 174 yards and an INT. Jamaal Charles was solid with 24 carries and 83 yards. Brandon Jacobs did his part with 30 yards, 5 carries and a touchdown.

See if the Chiefs (6-2) bounce back as the go back to Arrowhead for the first time in 6 weeks but only to play LB and the Baltimore Ravens (6-1). The is going to be a battle, LB is noted as being the best player in the league. I know Arrowhead will be ready, I just hope we are.

Did you know?
Last time LB and Rudy (Raiders) met in was in the AFC Championship game in season one. LB jumped out to a 24-0 lead at half, Rudy made a charge in the second half but fell short with a loss 30-24. LB went on to win the SuperBowl.

Chiefs Blog

[Rudy22G]

Week 10 recap:

Rudy and The CHIEFS returned to Arrowhead Stadium in week 10 to host the 6-2 Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs played in their 4th Monday Night Football game of the year, as they hold off Baltimore 24-10.

"These were elite defenses battling for field position and turnovers. We had the crowd on our side, which really helped a lot. Felt good to go home and come out victorious against one of the best teams in the league. Definitely hard fought on both sides, our defense won the game for us." said Rudy

..And he's right. Derrick Johnson, the star MLB for KC had 3 int's. Eric Berry seems to waking up, picking off his second pass in just as many games. Berry's interception came in the endzone, on what seemed to be a productive drive for the Ravens.

"Berry's play was huge, we switched up the coverage a little bit to throw them off guard, had Eric sitting back there and Flacco threw it right to him. That was a big time play from a big time player." said Rudy.

Young OLB Javon Belcher was also a big time player in this game. He had 5 or 6 pass deflections, and numerous opportunities to take the rock the other way, but couldn't hang on. "He kept attacking me with the TE, so I took it personal and made sure he wasn't getting anything by me. Should have had some INT's, but oh well...I'm just glad we won." said Belcher.

Jamaal Charels carried for 55 yards on 16 attempts, and Jay Cutler only passed 10 times. However, Cutler was effective, completing 6 of those passes and three for touchdowns. "I knew we just had to take care of the ball, so I tried my best. They stacked the line for Charles and bottled him up pretty good, but that allowed 1-on-1's with Bowe and Baldwin, and we took advantage when we could." say Jay.

"We won that game because of big plays and T.O's. We didn't have very many good drives, and we didn't have many first downs. Our defense stepped up, we took care of the ball, and came out with the win.....they all count the same, no matter how you get em." said DJ

The Kansas City Chiefs (7-2) stay at home to face off against the NYJ (4-5) who have lost 4 in a row...and seemed to be playing for draft picks.

Chiefs Blog

[Rudy22G]

Week 11 & 12 recap, Preview Week 13:

Week 11

Rudy and THE CHIEFS, hosted the 4-5 NYJ in week 11. Kansas City came out with the 37-10 victory and move to 8-2 on the year.

Offensively for the Chiefs, this was a very "ho-hum" game. Cutler managed the game going 10-19 with 187 yards, added with a touchdown. The rushing attack of Jamaal Charles, Brandon Jacobs, and Dexter McCluster had 27 attempts, 82 yards, capped off with a 2 yard touchdown run by Jacobs.

Defense again was the main story in KC. The secondary picked off Sanchez five times throughout the game. Back up-to the Back up cornerback Travis Daniels, who only plays on Dime and Quarter formations had 2 ints in the game. Kendrick Lewis, who is part of the two headed monster with Eric Berry, also had 2 INTs. Brandon Flowers collecting his 8th pick of the year, and taking number 8 to pay dirt.

"Not a whole lot to say about this game. Our defense made some plays, which is what I tell you guys every week. We turn our focus to Oakland now." stated Rudy


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Week 12

Rudy and THE CHIEFS looked to continue the winning home stretch as they played their AFC WEST rival, the Oakland Raiders (3-7). Chiefs managed to come away with another victory 35-10.

This game got off to a awkward start for Rudy and the Chiefs. Midway through the second quarter, they found themselves down 10-0 and showed no signs of urgency as Oakland was moving the football up and down the field.

"Gotta give credit to Oakland, they came out with a plan, executed, and got the early lead." said Rudy.

Just like last year, when the game started out close at Arrowhead, the Chiefs turned it on. Again, not allowing Oakland to score in the second half. "We made some adjustments to Oakland's game plan, we went out there trying to make plays." said star CB Brandon Flowers. Flowers, who is nominee for Defensive player of the year, had one of the 4 INTs Dalton threw in the afternoon. Again, Flowers turned it into points. That's Flowers 3rd INT of the year where a touchdown was the end result. Flowers is now tied with teammate Derrick Johnson for second in the league in INTs with 9 total.

Defensively Javon Belcher (1), Travis Daniels (3), and Javier Arenas (4) also received gifts from the Oakland QB. "Its great to see the DB's step up. Everybody moved up a spot because of the injury to Brandon Carr, we are really proud of how everybody took it upon themselves to make plays. Travis Daniels has been a key player in our dime and quarter formations." said Rudy.

Dalton ended the game with 156 yards on 10-26 passing with 1 TD and 4 INTs. McFadden had a hard time getting anything going on the ground on racking up 47 yards on 15 carries, 8 yards being his longest run of the afternoon.

Offensively the Chiefs played fairly well. Cutler managed to get 283 yards on the day, with 2 Touchdowns. J. Charles had 58 yards on 19 attempts while collecting 2 Touchdowns himself.

Key stat:

Oakland 1-9 on third down - KC 9/15 on third down

Kansas City has allowed only 10 points in the last three games, all at home.

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Week 13 Preview:

Kansas City will travel to Mile High to square off against the surging Denver Broncos. "Hey, it's going to be an absolute war. Both teams are eerily similar, and both teams desperately want to win the division.......it's going to be fun to watch." said Rudy

Offense- Denver

Points/G (20th) 22.0
Total Yards/G (25th) 283.1
Pass Yards/G (32nd) 144.4
Rush Yards/G (3rd) 138.7
Time of Possession/G (19th) 20:02
Turnover Ratio (2nd) +22
First Downs/G (27th) 10.5
Third Down Pct (29th) 32.7
Red Zone Scoring Pct (9th) 87.1

Defense

Points/G (3rd) 15.6
Total Yards/G (11th) 309.8
Pass Yards/G (22nd) 267.2
Rush Yards/G (4th) 71.0
First Downs/G (15th) 15.1
Third Down Pct (14th) 41.1

Kansas City Chiefs

Offense
Points/G (8th) 29.9
Total Yards/G (22nd) 307.0
Pass Yards/G (27th) 189.8
Rush Yards/G (8th) 117.2
Time of Possession/G (14th) 21:02
Turnover Ratio (1st) +25
First Downs/G (25th) 11.4
Third Down Pct (20th) 40.2
Red Zone Scoring Pct (11th) 84.8

Defense

Points/G (1st) 10.9
Total Yards/G (2nd) 260.4
Pass Yards/G (4th) 213.4
Rush Yards/G (3rd) 67.4
First Downs/G (7th) 12.6
Third Down Pct (3rd) 32.5

Chiefs Blog

[Rudy22G]

Recap of last two games:

Rudy struggles against players who blitz the whole game, and play with a defensive lineman.

Derrick Johnson is out for the season, along with Steve Breaston.

Two third string linebackers now start for KC, and it showed. GG Saints.

[Rudy22G]

Week 15 & 16 recap:

Week 15 vs SD...CPU controlled game. Enough said.

Week 16

Kansas City Chiefs had a rough stretch losing to the Broncos on the road, then falling to the Saints @ Arrowhead. The Chiefs bounced back nicely with 35-31 road win in Atlanta.

This game had a lot of discussion surrounding these two squads. One team, Atlanta, thrives on offense and creating turnovers, quick scores and suffocating their opponent with constant pressure of putting points on the board. On the other side, you have Kansas City. A team that plays a slower paced game, long drives, less possessions, field position winning games holding opponents to 12ppg, and relying on an avg offense with an elite defense.

Well, it went Atlanta's way. This game was a shootout. It was a Falcon's paced game, but Rudy and THE CHIEFS fought their way to the win. "I tell you what, it was like arena football compared to the way we usually play. Most of the time we control the pace, we control how teams adjust, and WE pressure the other team playing OUR way." said Rudy.

Jay Cutler and his WR's stood toe to toe with Ryan and his weapons, and it was fun to watch. Cutler completed 21/34 tossing for 380, 2 TD's and 4 INT's. While Matt Ryan was 17/43 throwing for 379 2 TD's and 3 INT's. It seemed like neither QB showed any regard when it came to INT's...like an "oh well" type attitude, like a young John Starks if you will. Just keep chuckin and eventually it'll go in.

Match ups of the day: Brandon Flowers did a hell of job on Roddy White, who finished with 4 catches for 63 yards, three of those completions coming against a zone coverage. Flower's also picked off Ryan, making his total 11 on the season. "He's definitely the best corner we've seen all year" said Q.

Brandon Carr and Julio Jones was an absolute war. Brandon Carr made his return to the field after being out 9 weeks with an injury. Carr had a fun test on his first game back, on the road against the best passing offense in the league. "There was definitely no warm-up games for me, just jumped right into it, and I loved the challenge." said Carr. Julio however, edged out Carr with 4 catches for 137 and a TD.

Not having Derrick Johnson continues to take it's toll on the Chiefs defense. "We had nobody to cover Tony G. Our best line backer is out, we don't have the personnel to match up with some of these great TE's." Kansas City was missing two starting linebackers in Johnson and Belcher. However, Belcher returns next week vs Denver.

Side Note:

Looks like the scouting report is out on the Kansas City Chiefs. "Blitz." Chiefs struggled against Denver and New Orleans, both teams blitzing heavily, and Atlanta did the exact same thing, (EXCEPT HE PLAYED WITH A LINEBACKER).

"We've made some adjustments, we showed we can win by scoring a lot of points, and also by slowing the game down. If teams want to continue to blitz, we'll be ready....In fact, I would like to send out a THANK YOU to Denver and New Orleans, for helping us make adjustments now, rather than in the playoffs." said Rudy.

The Chiefs (11-4) host the Denver Broncos next week for the division title. Rudy is looking for his second AFC West ring in three years. "Last year we "tied" with the Chargers for it, but this year we want to win it out right." said Rudy.

***Rudy won the AFC West in season one with the Oakland Raiders.

Which is why Kansas City hired him in the first place.

Chiefs Blog