Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe may one day be a big-time player in the NFL.To get to that level, though, he’ll have to consistently make the big play, especially with the game on the line. more >>
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. | Damon Huard has shown time and again that he’s at his best when the Chiefs have nowhere else to turn. He proved it again Sunday in New England when he replaced the injured Brodie Croyle. The sluggish Chiefs offense then came to life, though their rally fell 5 yards short in a season-opening 17-10 loss to the Patriots. more >>
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. | Football is, at heart, a cold-blooded game. It’s easy to forget that because in the NFL, vicious hits are set to music and shoulders ripped from sockets are merely “separated” (leaving open a possibility for a reconciliation), and pain is reduced to those harmless-sounding words, ”questionable,” “doubtful” and “probable.” In this heartless game, you need a quarterback who can get back up. That’s just a fact. It isn’t fair to blame the quarterback for suffering nasty injuries. It isn’t politically correct. But football isn’t a PC game. Sunday afternoon, the Chiefs were at the New England 5-yard line at the end with a chance to score a touchdown and tie the game, a chance to shock everyone, a chance to stick it in the faces of all those critics who called them the pits, a chance to laugh at all those people who bet the unbeatable New England Patriots to win by more than 15 points. more >>
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. | In a battle of postgame cluelessness, the judges gave the title to The Artist Formerly Known as King Carl over “star” receiver Dwayne Bowe in a split decision. I, of course, agree with the judges. more >>
The Tennessee Titans are just as stingy on defense as they were a year ago. Just ask Jacksonville and David Garrard. The Titans sacked Garrard seven times and Cortland Finnegan intercepted him twice in beating the Jaguars 17-10 Sunday in the season opener between the AFC's two wild cards in 2007. more >>
Jake Delhomme came back with a jolt that the San Diego Chargers won't soon forget. Delhomme threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dante Rosario as time expired to lift the Carolina Panthers to a shocking 26-24 win over the Chargers on Sunday. It was a heart-stopping capper to a game that swung wildly with a big defensive play by each team in the second half. more >>
Gary Kubiak did what football fans always beg coaches to do: He went for it in a key short-yardage situation. The problem was the Houston Texans didn't get it - and, just like that, their chances of beating the Pittsburgh Steelers all but evaporated. The Texans lost a gamble, a challenge and, likely, their opener in the first five minutes of the season. Willie Parker ran for 138 yards and three touchdowns during a 38-17 Steelers victory Sunday that was effectively over early in the second quarter. more >>
Tom Brady screamed. The fans went quiet. The seemingly indestructible star of the New England Patriots lay on the ground, clutching his left knee. The NFL's reigning MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion was done for the day - at least. "He was in a lot of pain. When you hear a scream, you know that," Kansas City safety Bernard Pollard said after hitting Brady on the left leg midway through the first quarter. more >>
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. | Bernard Pollard said it wasn’t a dirty hit. Randy Moss said it was. Either way, Pollard’s hit sent New England quarterback Tom Brady to the sideline Sunday because of a left knee injury, and the Patriots are uncertain how long their record-breaking passer will be out. more >>
•KEY PLAYS: The Chiefs made their first rookie mistake early. Brandon Flowers was penalized for running into New England punter Chris Hanson on the opening possession. The Chiefs got the ball back two plays later when Patrick Surtain stripped the ball from Wes Welker and Jarrad Page recovered. … The Chiefs went three plays and punted. … The Chiefs knocked Tom Brady from the game and came up with another takeaway on the next New England possession. … The Chiefs then went on an efficient drive into New England territory. Brodie Croyle threw to Tony Gonzalez between two defenders for 8 yards on third and 5. Jamaal Charles dropped a pass in the flat on third down, ending the drive, but the Chiefs downed their punt at the 2. Matt Cassel came in at quarterback for the Patriots. The Chiefs had the Patriots pinned on third and 11 at the 1, but Moss beat Surtain deep for a 51-yard gain on the last play of the period. •PATRIOTS: Moss 10 pass from Cassel (Stephen Gostkowski kick); 10 plays, 98 yards, 4:51 drive time, 11:45 remaining. more >>
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. | He didn’t have much to smile about, but Branden Albert smiled anyway. It was the first NFL game for Albert, the Chiefs’ rookie left tackle. He didn’t allow a sack and didn’t even need a break. Albert thought he played well, even though he missed all but about 10 days of the preseason because of a sprained foot. He just wished New England hadn’t beaten Kansas City on Sunday. That would have made his NFL debut even better. more >>
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. | Jamaal Charles showed in training camp and the preseason an unusual rookie knack of being a skilled pass protector, so the Chiefs felt comfortable using him as their third-down running back. They paid the price for the decision with the loss of quarterback Brodie Croyle. Charles blocked the wrong pass rusher during the third quarter of Sunday’s 17-10 loss to New England, leaving blitzing linebacker Adalius Thomas to put the hit on Croyle that separated his shoulder. more >>
Lance Briggs returned a fumble for a touchdown, helping the Chicago Bears take a 22-13 lead over the Indianapolis Colts after three quarters Sunday night in the first regular-season game played at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts finally got in the end zone early in the third quarter when Peyton Manning's 6-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne cut Chicago's lead to 15-13. Manning looked more like himself, going 5-for-6 for 40 yards on the possession after struggling in the first half. more >>
Tom Brady went from the disappointment of a Super Bowl loss to the devastation of an injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season. After missing the entire preseason with an unspecified foot injury, Brady left Sunday's season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter after being hit on the left leg by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. Coach Bill Belichick provided no information on the injury, but Pollard had a diagnosis of his own. more >>
The only trouble Adam "Pacman" Jones got into was a pass interference call. The Dallas cornerback started Sunday in place of the injured Terence Newman and helped the Cowboys to an easy 28-10 win over the Cleveland Browns. more >>
