Pivotal stretch looms for Chiefs' Edwards
November 25, 2008 12:30 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
I was thinking a few weeks ago that Herman Edwards was in the midst of saving his job in Kansas City because his young Chiefs were competing so hard.
Today, though, I am thinking Edwards has to get his team competing again if he wants to oversee the next step in the Chiefs' rebuilding phase. After taking a few steps forward despite the fact they didn't win, the Chiefs have taken steps backward again, especially on defense.
Kansas City has allowed 84 points in the past two games against New Orleans and Buffalo. The Bills scored 54 points on Sunday. It was a team record for points allowed.
Is this progress?
Making it worse is that Edwards is a defensive-minded coach. He needs to find a way to get that unit better. Sure, the team is green and it has plenty of injuries, but coaches who are 1-10 and just allowed a team record for points might not be overly safe.
These last two games were major steps backward for Kansas City. The Chiefs blew leads in three straight games. They played hard and competed. It appeared that Edwards was making progress. It appeared he was doing enough to keep his job.
Now, though, Edwards will likely have to win a couple games and getting that competitive feeling back in Kansas City to keep his job. The Chiefs play at Oakland on Sunday and then its next winnable game is the season finale at Cincinnati.
I get the feeling that Chiefs ownership wants to keep Edwards. But with the team having difficulty selling out games and with the team's horrendous record, positive steps will likely have to be made in the final five weeks to ensure Edwards will return.
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