Chiefs Fall To Chargers, 37-20

In our preview for today’s Chiefs-Chargers game, we noted that it was essential that Kansas City win the turnover battle to have a chance against a good San Diego team. It is only fitting that the Chiefs turned the ball over six times in route to a 37-20 loss to the Chargers that was never close. The loss drops the team’s record to 1-3 on the season.

Last week, Kansas City was able to overcome a slow start to pull off a thrilling comeback win over the Saints. Today was a different story, as the Chiefs once again started slow but never really threatened to make it a game. San Diego scored the first 20 points of the game, capitalizing on three Matt Cassel first half interceptions. The first quarter was so bad for the Chiefs that the team found itself down 17-0 after only running five offensive plays. After Jamaal Charles scored on an eye-popping 37 yard run, the team cut the score to 20-6 (Kansas City botched the PAT). Cassel threw a pick six only a few minutes later, and the fat lady was warming up at halftime.

The Chief showed a little life early in the second half, scoring a touchdown to make it a two score game. However, the offense went three-and-out on the team’s next two possessions, and Shaun Draughn fumbled on the next to essentially end the game.

Kansas City was won only three of its last 11 home games, a startling statistic for a team that prides itself on its home field advantage. Home or away, this team simply has no shot to win when it turns the ball over. The Chiefs once again ran the ball effectively today; it just found itself in a hole because the Chargers routinely had a short field. Kansas City has been outscored 41-6 in the first quarter this season, terrible news for a run-oriented team.

Things don’t get any easier for the Chiefs, as they host the Baltimore Ravens next week. Unless the team pulls off a big upset, it looks like this will be another losing season in Kansas City.

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Concerts - KC All Stars @ Crossroads Kansas City

Concerts - The KC All Stars @ the Crossroads

We've seen some great concerts this year, but The KC All Stars at The Crossroads Thursday night was one of the best by far. Local Kansas City dance band "The KC All Stars", winners of KMBC-TV's "Best Band in Kansas City" showed exactly why they deserved that title. One of the final huge outdoor concerts of the season, this one delivered big time. In an incredibly upbeat and energetic split set format, which is a KC All Stars staple, the band brought the audience to their feet and they stayed up and dancing for the entire show. When the concert started and the band hit the stage, the horns set the tone by blasting out the Stevie Wonder classic "Sir Duke (You Can Feel It All Over)" complete with dance steps and a blistering guitar solo by Kansas City's funkiest guitarist John Bridgewater, who teased the gawking crowd by playing the final scales behind his back - another KC All Stars staple.

Then out came their incredible female vocalist, who won the National competition "Harrah's Lucky Break", going all the way to Los Angeles and taking home the trophy, returned to Kansas City to join the hottest band on the scene and perform stellar Kansas City concerts. This girl ripped out "Rude Boy" by Rihanna like she wrote the song herself and turned the concert on it's ear (no pun intended). The horns jumped off the stage and came out into the audience, playing in step (both are KU Marching Band Alumni) and circling the crowd all the way around the amphitheater before returning to the stage to kick off "Dynamite" by Tiao Cruz and then a modernized medley of Michael Jackson hits.

Rocking the crowd to the point of exhaustion, the band certainly made everyone in attendance lose at least 5 pounds. As in most of their Kansas City concerts, for the grand finale they grabbed a stage full of people out of the audience and brought them up to join in the fun. Under clear and perfect skies, the weather cooperated and it was a wonderful "farewell" to the summer, and a perfect start to the fall. We're pretty sure that most everyone who attended is still recuperating today, but it's back to work for The KC All Stars who will start the machine up again tomorrow night on the ROOF of the downtown Kansas City Library (private event).

Kansas City Concerts, The KC All Stars at The Crossroads, review by KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Kansas City Chiefs - San Diego Chargers Preview

The Chiefs had a disastrous start to their 2012 season, losing its first two games in convincing fashion. Last week, Kansas City was able to save its season and turn things around in a thrilling overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints. If the Chiefs want to keep their momentum going and pull to .500 on the season, they will need to take down a familiar foe: the San Diego Chargers.

The first two weeks were a complete opposite for the Chargers, who cruised out to a 2-0 record. However, last week the team got absolutely shut down by the Atlanta Falcons, losing at home 27-3. Atlanta looks like one of the best teams in the league this year, but it was a disheartening effort for Chargers fans who thought the team’s early season struggles were a thing of the past. The biggest cause for concern with the Chargers is turnovers – Phillip Rivers threw two interceptions against Atlanta and has three this season. Rivers threw a whopping 20 picks last year, and has three so far this season. After taking good care of the football throughout his career, Rivers has been shaky lately, and the Chiefs’ secondary should have some chances to make a play. San Diego also has running back Ryan Mathews back from injury, although he lost a fumble last week and has a bad reputation of coughing up the football. The Chiefs should have a good chance to force some turnovers on Sunday, which could be the biggest factor in the game.

The Chiefs have been battling injuries all season, and this game will be no different. Dexter McCluster, Peyton Hillis and Kevin Boss all got hurt against the Saints, and Hillis and Boss both have missed practice this week (while McCluster has been very limited). The team also lost starting center Rodney Hudson, who broke a bone in his leg and was placed on injured reserve. Ryan Lilja will move from guard to center to replace Hudson, while rookie Jeff Allen will start at guard. Kansas City already had some key injuries on defense, and now will have to rely on several rookies and inexperienced players to contribute.

The last two meetings between these two teams were decided by a field goal, and this game has all the makings of another nail bitter. The Chiefs must take advantage of San Diego’s tendency to turn the ball over to pull this one out, and simply cannot afford to lose any more starters to injury.

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NFL Referee Lockout Is Over - Regular Officials Return This Weekend



Welcome back.

In the wake of the worst call you will ever see in sports and a team being unquestionably robbed of a win, the NFL and the NFL officials’ union started two days of intense negotiations. It appears that these negotiations have been a success, as an eight-year agreement has been reached between the two parties. The NFL referee lockout is now officially over, and the regular officials will return for this weekend’s games.

Several coaches, players and media analysts had strongly voiced their displeasure regarding the replacement officials throughout the season, although Monday night’s game between the Packers and Seahawks is likely what finally made the league cave in. The referees made a blatant wrong call at the end of the game while also missing the most obvious offensive pass interference call you will ever see. Even worse, the officials reviewed the play and still got it wrong. The public outcry after the game was absolutely shocking – current and former players, fans and the media all teed off on the league and the massive failure its replacement officials plan had become.

This tentative deal must be ratified by at least 51 percent of the union’s 121 members, who plan on meeting and voting tomorrow and Saturday in Dallas, TX. Officials were adamant about working out a pension and retirement plan, despite the fact that they are part-time employees of the league. The new tentative plan calls for a salary increase from a league average of $149,000 a year to $173,000 in 2013, with an additional increase to $205,000 by 2019.

Football fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief; however, it is unfortunate it took four games for the NFL to cave. While the regular officials are back, a team like Green Bay still has a loss on its record that shouldn’t be there. The league better hope the Packers go on a run and comfortably make the playoffs – if they finish one game out there will be another PR nightmare. Until then, we can all enjoy football with its proper officials, and hopefully erase the memories of watching failed Lingerie League refs try to officiate NFL games.

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Chiefs Injury Report - Three Players Hurt Against Saints

The Chiefs were able to pick up a huge win in New Orleans on Sunday, saving their season and cooling the frustrations of a heated fan base. However, the win came with a big price, as Kansas City lost several players due to injury during the New Orleans game.

Dexter McCluster, Peyton Hillis and Rodney Hudson all left Sunday’s game with an injury, and head coach Romeo Crennel indicated that at this point, he is unsure if any of the three will be able to play this Sunday. McCluster left the game in the second half with an elbow injury, Hillis has an injured ankle, and Hudson has injured his knee.

McCluster has been a pleasant surprise for the Chiefs this season, posting 13 receptions and often finding ways to move the chains with his quickness and speed. What hurts the Chiefs is they have no one who can replace McCluster’s role – Dwayne Bowe and Jonathan Baldwin are bigger, downfield threats and Steve Breaston is more of a possession receiver. Rookie Devon Wylie was supposed to be used in a similar role as McCluster; however he has been hurt most of this season and is not ready for playing time.

Hillis’ injury likely means more playing time for Shaun Draughn, as the team needs to limit the carries of Jamaal Charles. Charles had 39 touches against the Saints, far too many for an explosive back recovering from a serious knee injury. Hillis was signed to be a bruising, between the tackles runner who could give the Chiefs a change of pace from the dynamic Charles and take some of the work load off of him. Draughn had a solid preseason and has looked pretty good so far in a backup role this year.

Hudson, the team’s starting center, was replaced by Ryan Lilja. Lilja normally starts at guard, and was replaced by rookie Jeff Allen after assuming the center duties. To address depth concerns, the team signed offensive lineman Russ Hochstein this week.

This trio of hurt Chiefs join three others on the sideline – safety Kendrick Lewis, nose tackle Anthony Toribio and tight end Kevin Boss. It is still unclear if any of these players will be able to return for Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers.

Injuries are a part of the NFL, but the Chiefs’ already had some serious depth concerns before losing McCluster, Hillis and Draughn. Some young players are going to have to step up and fill the void if the Chiefs are to pull off another upset and beat the Chargers this weekend.

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