Kansas City Chiefs - Carolina Panthers Preview

The Chiefs march towards the top overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft continues on Friday, when the team hosts the Carolina Panthers at home in Arrowhead Stadium. Kickoff for the game is 12:00 p.m.

While the Chiefs have had an absolute disaster of a season, Carolina’s hasn’t gone much better. The Panthers currently have a 3-8 record, held back by a poor offense that is only averaging 19 points per game. Quarterback Cam Newton has struggled this season after a very impressive rookie year, struggling with inconsistency and turnovers. Newton is also the team’s leading rusher, and the team’s entire offense rests on his shoulders. If the young QB struggles in this one and commits some turnovers, the Chiefs are going to have a very good shot to pick up their second win of the year.

While the Panthers’ offense has struggled this year, it has been nowhere near as bad as the Chiefs’ anemic attack that is averaging 10 points per game in its last seven contests. Kansas City has 32 turnovers this year and only 94 red zone points, and both stats rank last in the NFL. After Matt Cassel’s poor play this season – he threw for six touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions – Chiefs fans demanded to have him benched. Unfortunately, his replacement, Brady, Quinn, has not been any better. Quinn has yet throw a touchdown pass this year, and has four interceptions of his own. It appears that neither quarterback is the long term answer, and the odds of the Chiefs selecting a QB with their first round pick in the 2013 draft are increasing.

The lone bright spot for the Chiefs this season on offense has been Jamaal Charles, who has rushed for 928 yards and boasts a healthy 4.8 yards-per-carry average. It is a shame that one of Charles’ prime seasons was wasted this year, but the back should be one of the few offensive players on this current team that is a part of Kansas City’s long term plans.

Despite how terrible the Chiefs have played lately, this is a winnable game. The Panthers played well and picked up a win last week, yet they have been inconsistent all year. If Newton plays well and can put some points on the board, the Chiefs won’t have a chance. However, if the Panthers’ young QB commits some turnovers, this might be a low-scoring affair that comes down to the wire.

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Micah Moore's Defense: Bethany Deaton's Killer's Confession Was Fake, Death Was Suicide

Two weeks ago, a man charged with the killing of Bethany Deaton confessed to the murder, and also indicated that Deaton’s wife Tyler, an International House of Prayer Leader, ordered the killing. Now the defense of Micah Moore, the man accused of killing Deaton, is claiming that Bethany’s death was a suicide, and that Moore’s entire confession was made up.

Moore had initially told police that he and other members of the prayer group shared by the Deatons had sexually assaulted Bethany Deaton and were afraid that she would tell someone about their actions. Moore said that Tyler Deaton ordered to have his wife killed to keep the actions of his religious group a secret.

Moore’s lawyer is now recanting this confession, calling it bizarre, nonsensical and untrue. According to the defense, Moore was distraught after the suicide of his friend Bethany and the removal of Tyler as a religious leader from their community.

What makes this story interesting is that police initially ruled Bethany Deaton’s death as a suicide. Officers found her body in a minivan parked by a lake with a plastic trash bag over her head that was tied below her chin. A suicide note and an empty bottle of over-the-counter pain medication were found at the scene as well.

Later, Moore confessed that it was he who held the bag over Deaton’s head, and he held it there until her body shook. After killing Bethany, he then reported back to Tyler informing him that he had killed his wife.

According to court documents, the men who lived in the house owned by the Deatons began drugging and sexually assaulting Bethany Deaton, which led her to start seeing a therapist. It is also believed that the men in the house were engaging in sexual acts with Tyler Deaton, which Bethany was not aware of. One man has confessed that Tyler Deaton said after his wife’s death that he had a dream he killed his wife by suffocating her.

Did Bethany Deaton commit suicide after suffering through sexual abuse at the hands of her husband’s religious outfit, or was she killed by Micah Moore on the orders of her husband? This is the new focus of the story, and the main focus of this case now turns to Moore and the validity of his confession.

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Kansas City Swept Up In Powerball Fever

A Powerball ticket will be drawn tonight at 9:59 p.m., and Kansas City residents have been flocking to stores in hopes of grabbing a winning ticket. Currently, the Powerball jackpot sits at $500 million.

According to the Multi-State Lottery Association, there is a 60% chance a ticket will win today, and those odds may increase as last-minute buyers gobble up tickets. There hasn’t been a winner since October 6. Currently, the $500 million jackpot is the second highest in lottery history, behind only the $656 million Mega Millions jackpot in March.

Odds of winning this Powerball are currently one in 175 million. Still, that hasn’t stopped Kansas City residents from lining up outside of stores this morning in hopes of grabbing the winning ticket.

Sales for Powerball reached a record $3.96 billion this year, and are expected to reach nearly $5 billion next year. Half of the proceeds from the ticket sales go into the prize pool, and one-third of that goes into the jackpot. The remaining prize money then goes into several lower prizes, including the $1 million second prize. The other half of the ticket sale money is inserted into lottery operations in 42 states, Washington D.C. and the Virgin Islands. The money is also used for charitable efforts such as education.

Despite the dreams of winning shared by the thousands of Kansas City residents, there are many cautionary tales of lottery winners from the past. Many have squandered their new fortune by being overly greedy, while others say the new money led to divorce and the deterioration of their personal lives. These stories are well-publicized, but have no effect on the thousands who are hoping to buy a winning ticket and change their lives forever.

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Jessica Ridgeway's Killer Due In Court Today

Jessica Ridgeway’s killer, Austin Sigg, is due in court today in Colorado, where the ten-year-old was kidnapped and killed on her way to school. Sigg, 17, is being charged as an adult with murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, and other crimes.

Ridgeway, who has extensive family in the Kansas City area, disappeared on October 5th. Her remains were found five days later in a field at a local park. Sigg’s mother called the police to report her son, and authorities say that Sigg has confessed to the murder of Ridgeway and the attempted kidnapping of a 22-year-old woman several days earlier. It is unknown if he has commented on the sexual abuse charges made against him in Ridgeway’s killing.

Sigg’s conviction could become complicated due to his age. Since Sigg is 17, his lawyers could have asked a judge to move the case to juvenile court after the prosecution charged him as an adult. Sigg’s defense has not made that request, and attorneys on both sides have not been able to comment due ot a judge’s gag order.

Sigg faces the following charges: four counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping, one count of sexual assault and one count of robbery in Ridgeway’s kidnapping and killing. He also faces charges of attempted murder, attempted sexual assault and attempted second degree kidnapping in the attack of the runner. He is also being charged with six counts of crime and violence.

If Sigg is convicted as an adult, he would face up to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. If he is convicted as a juvenile, he will face a maximum of seven years on each conviction. It is possible that he could be ordered to serve his sentences consecutively, which could lead to him spending nearly his entire life in jail as well.

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Chiefs Lose To Broncos, Now Have Sole Possession Of NFL's Worst Record

The Chiefs put up a fight yesterday, but ultimately lost to the Denver Broncos, 17-9. The loss drops Kansas City’s record to 1-10 on the season.

The Chiefs were able to limit turnovers in this one, and the only time the team threw an interception was on the final play of the game on Brady Quinn’s Hail Mary attempt. Despite this, the offense could simply not get anything going all game. Quinn struggled all game, and the team committed several untimely penalties that stalled drives. The Chiefs have now not scored a touchdown since the first quarter of their overtime loss to Pittsburgh – a span of 11 quarters and 173 minutes.

Head coach Romeo Crennel’s conservative approach to games is also frustrating. Kansas City’s defense played well yesterday, preventing Peyton Manning from having a big game and coming up with a big interception in the first half. After Broncos kicker Matt Prater missed two makeable field goals, the Chiefs had a shot to win the game. Despite having only one win on the year, Crennel routinely opted to kick field goals and not go for it on fourth and short opportunities, despite being deep in Denver territory. Ryan Succop was able to hit two chip shot field goals that gave the Chiefs an early 6-0 lead, but when you are a losing team facing a hall-of-fame quarterback, you need to get aggressive and play to win. Even more mind-boggling was the head coach’s decision to punt late in the game with a fourth and six near midfield, with the team only down 14-9. Naturally, Kansas City didn’t get the ball back until there was nearly no time left on the clock. Crennel has had an overly conservative mindset all season long, and it cost his team yesterday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars picked up their second win of the season yesterday, knocking off the Tennessee Titans. This is good news for Chiefs fans, as Kansas City is now the NFL’s only one-win team and currently is in the driver’s seat to land the first overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft next year.

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