To get you ready for Week 16, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is your Kansas City Chiefs/Detroit Lions preview.2007 Records:
Kansas City Chiefs: 4-10 (4th in AFC West)
Detroit Lions: 6-8 (3rd in NFC North)
Last Week:
Titans 26, Chiefs 17
Chargers 51, Lions 14
Why We Care: For the same reason we slow down to look at a car wreck or watch the Faces of Death videos -- our perverse addiction to gruesome things.
When the Chiefs have the ball: Here's how sorry of a state the Chiefs' offense is in -- I sat down at my desk to begin typing this, and I realized that I have no idea who their starting quarterback is this week. Is it Croyle? Huard? Does it even matter? Tony Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe have been fine receiving options this year, but they've been about it. Larry Johnson, Priest Holmes, or Kolby Smith, the team is still only averaging 3.3 yards per carry. That's what happens when two Hall of Famers on the line retire in the same year.
I mean, it's tough to slag a team and refer to them as the lesser team in a game against the Lions ... but ... it's hard to argue with just 14 points, 271 total yards, and 81 rushing yards per game. That's ... awful. The Lions do create turnovers on defense (and, for that matter, on offense), but they hemorrhage yards and points. Luckily for Detroit, I don't think the Chiefs know what those two things are.
When the Lions have the ball: This might finally be the game the Lions need to get their confidence back. Then again, maybe not. Compared to the offense, the Chiefs defense is downright great, but realistically they're just middle of the pack. Still, sacks should be in abundance -- the Lions are allowing almost four a game. Jared Allen might feast upon Jon Kitna's soul. It also doesn't help Detroit that the Chiefs have a good secondary. As we all know, the Lions only pass the ball.
The Edge: Um ... all of the edges here have been dulled off. It's nice to know that the respective teams care about the poor quality of play, as well. Matt Millen and the Fords are celebrating seven years of driving Lions fans catatonic. Herm Edwards wants Kansas City to just stop their crying already. And, you know, when you watch these teams play, you see how that care is translated onto the field.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-22-2007 @ 3:58PM
Jud Kastner said...
Nothing to comment about. A nothing game for now nothing teams that don't have anything to play for. Each of these teams had many opportunities but have squandered most of them away. As for the Lions - agonizing to watch and will not watch them the rest of the year- Nothing to watch.......
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12-24-2007 @ 5:40PM
sdshack said...
Herm is clueless. KC gets to the playoffs last year with Huard, but he is benched this year for Croyle. The only thing Croyle has proven during the 8 game losing streak is that he is best at running the PREVENT OFFENSE. I cannot wait for Herm to spin the game next week. Regardless if KC wins or loses, he will be sure to say what a power the Jets still are because of how he built them.
Herm letting the players do whatever they want at halftime is just his example of halftime adjustments and represents his best coaching and should not be a surprise to anyone. Here is a quote from the Chiefs Media Q&A session on 12/11/07: "You know what, you find out about what kind of coach you are when you have seasons like this, not when you are rolling and going into the playoffs. I have been on both ends of this. I have had a lot of playoff teams and it is not even hard to coach. You just blow the whistle and just let them go outside. You do not worry about it."
"Now, this is when you do your best coaching, in my opinion. Any coach will tell you that. This is when you have got to coach them, you got to keep them together, keep them playing and you got to make some tough decisions at the end of the year. But that is part of it. That is what we are going through this year."
I guess as Herm implements his PLAN and KC gets better and better, the players can just do more and more of whatever they want. The guy is a total fraud as a head coach. Do you think Belichick subscribes to that philosophy?
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12-29-2007 @ 1:24AM
Andy D said...
You fans at KCity are very lucky to have a great coach like Herm. We in New York miss him. He brought the Jets from up to all the way down--Bless you Kansas city fans=
By the way hERM ASKED FOR AN EXTENSION ON HIS CONTRACT AND A 40% RAISE FOR THE JOB HE HAS DONE THIS YEAR!!!LUCKY YOU KC FANS
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