Chiefs feeling better now
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By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
The healing powers of a single victory are not unfamiliar to the Chiefs. They salvaged last season from the scrap heap, for example, with an early October blowout win over San Francisco that after a slow start put them on the path to a playoff berth.
They might be seeing that phenomenon yet again after Sunday’s 30-16 win over the Chargers in San Diego. This one wasn’t a blowout — the Chiefs didn’t take their first lead until the fourth quarter — but it might have the same effect.
At this time last week, Herm Edwards was considered by many fans to be unfit to build or run a program; Mike Solari was thought to be incompetent as an offensive play caller; and Damon Huard was seemingly hanging on to his job by a thread.
After the Chiefs, a double-digit underdog, beat the Chargers, everything is good. The 2-2 Chiefs are tied for first place with Denver and Oakland in the AFC West and will presumably get some peace this week as they prepare for Sunday’s game against 2-1 Jacksonville at Arrowhead Stadium.
“That’s what’s great about fans, because they wear their emotions on their sleeves,” Edwards said. “They’re so involved in the game, and they want their team to win. And it doesn’t matter what city it is, it really doesn’t. You understand that as a player; you understand that as a coach.
“This win, obviously, our fans are more excited about than the Minnesota win. But to me, they all go in the same column. They go in the ‘W’ column.”
The recuperative powers extend to the Chiefs themselves. They bickered among themselves during the previous week’s game against the Vikings. Though they squeaked by with a victory then, they emerged with nothing like the top-of-the-world feeling they have after beating the Chargers.
“This was a big step,” offensive tackle Damion McIntosh said. “What you really want to do early in the season is get some momentum going. Now we’ve got some real momentum going. We needed to take this step. We’re tied for first place again, right in the middle of the rat race, where we want to be.”
Although the Chargers are having plenty of problems of their own, they’re still the defending division champions. The Chiefs hadn’t won in San Diego since 2003, which was the last time they won the AFC West title.
“It’s good for us, good for our confidence,” tight end Tony Gonzalez said. “We shouldn’t take it lightly. They’re a good football team.”
The Chiefs weren’t pleased in the spring when they learned that their schedule sent them on the road for three of four games at the beginning of the season and at the end. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Chiefs survived the opening portion of their schedule without lagging behind their division competitors.
“Obviously, we wish we were in better shape than we are now,” Edwards said. “But we are what we are.”
But the payoff for all that traveling comes starting now. The Chiefs will play six of their next eight games at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won’t face a serious Super Bowl contender until their Nov. 18 game against the Colts in Indianapolis.
“If you’re going to make a run at anything, you’re going to have to make your run there,” Edwards said. “You’d like to be in a situation where you’re kind of getting some momentum. All of a sudden, you’ve won two and you feel a lot better about yourself. We’ve still got a long way to go. But hey, we’re playing at home, and that always helps. It doesn’t guarantee a victory, but it helps that you’re playing at home.”
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