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THE MORNING AFTER – CINCINNATI
December 28th – 6:23 AM

Two teams with two very different 2009 seasons lined up against each other yesterday at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati.

One squad notched their 10th win of the season and wrapped up a division title, while the other team fell for the fifth consecutive week and 12th time overall. This Sunday, however, it was hard to tell which team was which.

“I thought that the team really fought back off a disappointing game last week,” Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said. “We came on the road against a very good team, a team that is now a playoff team. We had every intention of keeping them out (of the playoffs) for right now and I thought we had a very good chance to do that until the final drive.”

WR Chad Ochocinco’s six-yard TD with just over two-minutes remaining was the difference in what was statistically (and realistically) a dead-even game. There were no 200-plus yard rushers or return men setting records this week against the Chiefs. There was just a solid overall effort with a loss determined by lack of execution in specific areas rather than glaring areas.

If you tried to come up with five or more reasons that the Chiefs should have been run out of the building on Sunday, it wouldn’t have been hard. A last-place team coming off a disheartening three-game home losing streak, playing on the road, against a team one victory away from locking up a division title. A team that allowed 792 yards rushing over the past three weeks against a team that ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing offense. A team playing with numerous, key injuries, against a host team with an electric and emotional crowd paying their respects to a fallen star.

Nearly every scenario written in the book of scenarios was working against the Chiefs on Sunday. Not a single one of them showed between the paint. If the Chiefs were just “playing for pride,” then price is certainly one heck of an intangible.

“I thought our guys came out and played their hearts out,” Haley said. “Up until that final drive I thought that we were in a very good position to win that game and even after we got the kickoff we looked like we had a chance to take it down the field on them. Unfortunately we turned it over for the third time which ultimately cost us.”

No, losses are not acceptable under any circumstances. There is no such thing as a moral victory in the NFL and the Chiefs came up short once again despite several legitimate opportunities to put away a top-notch opponent on the road. The Chiefs didn’t get it done and haven’t for five-straight weeks, but they didn’t take the easy route out of Cincinnati either. The Chiefs showed guts and heart, and those two elements are something you can build with.

“You can’t go and pat yourself on the back because we still lost,” DE Wallace Gilberry, who collected a key sack, said. “A win is more important that anything – any individual stats, team stats. The ‘W’ on the end is the most important thing and we didn’t get that.

“There are definitely some things we can do different that give us a better chance to win,” Gilberry continued. “We just have to figure out what they are and stick to them.”

Almost anything is better than what happened a week ago at Arrowhead. Exactly how a team can come off a performance like that against the Browns and then turn around on the road to take a playoff team to the brink is a head-scratcher. However it happened, the Chiefs were able to do some nice things on Sunday. Hopefully the team can parlay those positives into a victory that closes out the season in style.

This week is the Chiefs 2009 Super Bowl – a chance to gain the franchise’s first-ever victory at INVESCO Field and eliminate the Donkeys from playoff contention in the process. Two birds, one win. But first, let’s “Take 5” from yesterday’s 17-10 loss to the Bengals.

Trading Spaces
Is there any possible way that we can pair last week’s offense with this week’s defense? Perhaps the best offensive output of the season (minus the drops) would have paired nicely with the best defensive effort of the season. That couple is a marriage that could work in Kansas City.

Heck, go ahead and throw in the special teams effort from Pittsburgh while you’re at it. Too greedy?

Sunday’s game was a perfect example of the Chiefs not being able to put together a complete game. There have been plenty of solid offensive, defensive and special teams efforts this season. Unfortunately, the three rarely seem to appear on the same day.

Take the first half for example. The Chiefs defense held Cincinnati to 43 rushing yards, 19 passing yards and a 17% conversion percentage on third down. Kansas City won the time of possession battle and limited Cincinnati’s high-octane offense to just 24 total snaps. The result wouldn’t match the effort - a 3-3 halftime tie.

Twice the Chiefs got the football near midfield – once following S Jon McGraw’s interception return to the 50 and once following a Bengals punt from their own red zone. The results? Punt and pick.

Kansas City’s lone scoring drive of the first half actually came on one of the worst starting points of the half, with a limited amount of time to convert (own 19 yard-line with 1:38 to play in the half). Any sort of capitalization on the short fields would have given the Chiefs at least a lead, if not a two-score advantage. The way the defense played yesterday, that might have been enough.

Conversely, the Bengals game-winning scoring drive would come on their worst starting point of the day. The Chiefs offense put together a drive that started on their own 20 and ended with the best punt-and-cover combos of the day as WR Quinten Lawrence raced from his gunner position to down P Dustin Colquitt’s boot just inside the Bengals two.

Three third down conversions and seven minutes later the Bengals had driven 98 yards for the game’s final score.

Unfortunately, the Chiefs have rarely been able to get all three phases of the football game clicking that the same time this year. A complete game eluded the Chiefs once more on Sunday.

Non-Traditional Help
Two unlikely candidates turned in a pair of big plays on Sunday. RB Tim Castille registered the first touchdown of his 20-game NFL career, while rookie TE Jake O’Connell deflected a Bengals punt in the second half. Castille had caught just seven career passes (three this year) heading into the game and O’Connell has been inactive 12 times this season.

The big plays occurred on back-to-back possessions and ultimately led to the game being tied at 10 in the final quarter of play. Castille’s reception, which came on a play-fake out of the wishbone set, is arguably the best catch-and-throw combo turned in by the Chiefs this season.

“I didn’t know if they’d bite on the play-action on a third-and-10,” Castille said. “Matt just gave me a chance in the end zone and it ended up working out.”

Castille’s diving catch between three closing defenders was highlight reel material and the degree of difficulty is immeasurable for a player with 18 career touches over three NFL seasons. The catch was also Castille’s first of any kind as a professional - not a bad place to start.

“That was a great call on the sideline,” Cassel said. “We’d been getting some split coverage down there and that play was designed to hit him up the middle. He was the primary read and he did a great job of beating the mike (linebacker) and I just tried to give him an opportunity to hold on to the ball with three guys converging on him.”

As Castille fell with the ball, he was able to avoid a direct shot from defenders. Even if he had taken one of those knockout blows, it might have required all three closing defender to jar the football loose.

“When I got my hands on that I was just thinking ‘don’t let that thing go,’” Castille remarked. “I don’t get many opportunities, so when I do I try and make the most of them. That’s coach’s motto and it was running through the back of my head.”

Just like WR Chris Chambers a week ago, Castille bounced back nicely following a game in which he committed a costly error. Chambers had a critical drop vs. Buffalo and bounced back to lead the team in received vs. Cleveland, while Castille fumbled a week ago and came up with a big TD grab on Sunday.

“Tim made a play that hurt us last week and we’ve talked about a lot of guys bouncing back and making plays,” Haley said. “I thought the kid went in there and made a heck of a play for a touchdown on third-and-long.”

The throw was also one of the finer throws by Cassel this season as well. Just a bit more or less in any direction could have resulted in a Cincy takeaway. The throw had to be perfect, and it was.

Special Teams Not So Special
It’s been a rough two weeks for the Chiefs special teams units. Despite O’Connell’s deflection, there was still plenty more left to be desired from a specialist perspective.

Obviously, LS Thomas Gafford’s errant snap was the main culprit. A typically steady performer, Gafford’s snap flew over Colquitt’s head by some 20-yards and led to three Cincinnati points. The defense bailed out the error by holding tough despite Cincinnati beginning on the Kansas City seven yard-line.

“It was a windy day, but I’ve played in windy days before,” Gafford said. “I’m not going to make any excuses. It was a bad play and it was on me. I’ve got to do better and I will do better.”

Two weeks ago the Chiefs scored on special teams by recovering a Cleveland snap in the end zone, but the once top-10 coverage units also allowed Joshua Cribbs to take two returns to the house. This week, it was another big play for the Chiefs special teamers, but there was another biggie that went against as well. The special teams have been a solid foundation for this team all season, but each unit of the special teams is beginning to show cracks as the season winds down.

***Overlooked on the play was Colquitt’s decision to kick the rolling football towards the sideline rather than the back of the end zone. Fighting the natural urge to simply kick the football forward to take the safety forced Cincinnati to snap before points. Three points is more than two, but the Bengals had the potential to turn one error into nine points had Colquitt taken the route most punters choose.***

Flowers Gets Iron Man Vote
CB Brandon Flowers is one tough football player.

The second-year lockdown corner has been playing hurt for weeks, taking practice time off in between games, yet rarely missing a snap. He had the daunting task of manning up against Cincinnati’s Chad Ochocinco yesterday and finished the day by holding the Bengals playmaker to just four catches for 31 yards. Again, he did this injured.

Flowers’ toughness surfaced in the fourth quarter when he lay on the turf rolling in intense pain following a broken tackle by Ochocinco. Flowers’ injured shoulder had been pressing Ochocinco at the line of scrimmage and thrusting into ball carriers for 45+ minutes. Finally, the awkward fall had done the trick.

His tweaked shoulder kept him on the ground for a few minutes, but eventually Flowers made his way to the sideline and received treatment. That wasn’t very long though. The very next Bengals series he was back in the game, manning-up once again across from Ochocinco. Cincinnati tested Flowers deep on a pair of throws upon his return, but two shots was all it took to scrap that plan.

“The shoulder is kind of weak and I just got it stretched out a little too much,” Flowers said. “I re-injured it a little bit, but I’ll get treatment and will be back next week.”

It wasn’t until Ochocinco’s final touch of the game that he got the best of Flowers. Even then, Ochocinco had to wait for a situation that didn’t allow Flowers to use press coverage against him.

“We were in an all-out blitz,” Flowers said of what would wind up being Cincinnati’s game-winning touchdown. “They got into a stack, so I couldn’t go up and press. (Ochocinco) broke his route out real good and made a play on the ball.

“He’s a great receiver and I enjoy playing against receivers like that,” Flowers continued. “He one of the best in the game, if not the best. You just try to get better and better every time you play guys like that.”

Flowers showed great heart battling injury as well as one of the league’s premier players. Ochocinco finally got his at a critical point late in the game, but you couldn’t ask for much more than what Flowers did on Sunday.

Other Cincinnati Notes and Musings
• K Ryan Succop became the best rookie kicker in club history on Sunday. His 30-yard chip shot to end the first half was his 22nd connection of the season, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud as the most ever by a Chiefs rookie. Stenerud originally set the mark of 21 in 1967.

• The Chiefs roster has been ever-changing this season whether it is due to injury or trying to find upgrades. As evidence of that, over 25% (12 of 45) of the players dressed for the Chiefs yesterday were not on the Opening Day roster at Baltimore on September 13th.

• Happy Birthday Jamaal! RB Jamaal Charles finished 23rd birthday on Sunday with a third-consecutive 100-yard rushing performance. His 102 yards brought his season rushing total to 861 yards, meaning he’s now 139 yards away from becoming the Chiefs first 1,000-yard rusher since 2006. The feat would be incredible considering Charles has been the feature back for roughly just half a season. Denver entered Sunday ranked 22nd in the NFL against the run.

• WR Dwayne Bowe nearly pulled down a double-digit day in receptions. He finished Sunday with nine catches, although they were a very quiet nine catches with just 61 yards between them (6.8 yards per catch). The performance makes Bowe a shoe-in to lead the team in receptions for the first time of his career. Ironically, it will come during a season in which he produces the lowest receiving output of his three-year career.

• S Jon McGraw’s one-armed INT was a dandy. His hand has been constantly protected over recent weeks and was heavily wrapped on Sunday.

• S Mike Brown may have had his best day of the season in run support. He was credited with a team-high 13 tackles with many of them coming near the line of scrimmage running the ally.

• Talk about making defensive adjustments. After being run over the past three weeks, defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast was working in loads of personnel groupings that sometimes consisted of five-man fronts. The different looks helped keep Cincinnati off-balance offensively.

• Catch a nap in the first quarter of Sunday’s game? Couldn’t say that I could blame you if you did. All first quarter possessions ended with a punt, regardless of the team.

• Former Chiefs RB Larry Johnson was a non-factor on Sunday. As anticipated, Johnson received limited work behind starter Cedric Benson. LJ finished the day with just 11 yards on four carries. He did at least turn up the intensity of the game early in the second quarter with LB Demorrio Williams.

• Did Ochocinco ever throw that piñata into the crowd? He said he planned on filling a piñata with 2,000 one-dollar bills and was going to chuck it into the crowd after a score. Going further, did he jump the gun and throw the piñata before his first-half TD was overturned?