posted 12-11-2005 07:33 PM         

AFC West
Team W L T PCT PF PA Home Road AFC NFC DIV Streak
Denver 10 3 0 .769 322 231 7-0 3-3 7-2 3-1 3-1 Won 1
San Diego 8 5 0 .615 378 252 4-3 4-2 6-3 2-2 3-1 Lost 1
Kansas City 8 5 0 .615 329 288 5-1 3-4 7-3 1-2 3-2 Lost 1
Oakland 4 9 0 .308 259 322 2-4 2-5 2-8 2-1 0-5 Lost 3

posted 12-12-2005 07:30 AM         

quote:

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Originally posted by Bob Miller:
If the Chiefs don't find some defense in the off season 2006 will also be another frustrating year.

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I'll disagree Bob. Cincy can't stop anyone,,,but they are still winning. The Cardinals [stink] have a pretty good defense, but can only beat the 49er's since they can't score touchdowns. And,,,they have the leading NFL scorer in their field goal kicker>>>> three points at a time doesn't result in victories. It's all about offense and scoring 6 points fast! BTW - you wouldn't want to exchange teams, would you? Cards to KC,,,Chiefs to Phx

posted 12-12-2005 08:43 AM         

I still disagree with you on the Defense issue.

A good team must be able to stop either the pass or the run effectively, so that they force the opposition into a one dimensional offense. When the Chiefs were really good in the mid 90's under Marty S. they led the lead in take-aways. In my view the take-away stat is one of the most critical for a defense because in my mind it does three positive things: It stops the opposition's offensive drive, it gives my offense another shot at a score and it frequently changes the momentum.

posted 12-13-2005 07:04 AM         

They never will meet during the regular season, yet they represent each other's sole primary competition.

From now on, the 2005 season comes down to the Broncos vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

Winner gets a coveted first-round bye and a second-round home playoff game as the best- chance-to-reach-the-Super Bowl second seed in the AFC postseason field.

Go ahead and twist the innumerable remaining playoff scenarios from rush hour to rush hour. Go through the "what about this" at breakfast and "let's say that" at dinner.

This is a two-team race for a No. 2 goal.

It's a goal neither side needs to talk about, which is fortunate because neither side will.

At his weekly news conference Monday, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was asked about the importance of a first-round playoff bye, which the AFC's No. 2 seed would bring.

"I don't know, and I'm not going to speculate on that because we're not close to that yet," Lewis said. "We're going to focus and really circle the wagons and get ready to play the Detroit Lions."

So long as Lewis understands no one from outside his wagon circle would dare waste precious minutes concentrating on the Lions, everyone should understand one another.

Here's the situation from the top: The Indianapolis Colts (13-0) are the AFC's No. 1 seed. The AFC's road to the Super Bowl goes through Indy.

Logic says the best route may be to delay taking the road through Indy until it absolutely can't be avoided. And the best way to get to Indy is to host a second-round playoff game. That's where the No. 2 seed comes in.

At the moment, the Broncos and Bengals share the AFC's second-best record at 10-3.

No one else is close. The Jacksonville Jaguars are 9-4 and have the softest remaining schedule. But even if the Jaguars beat San Francisco, Houston and Tennessee and finish 12-4, they are doomed to the No. 5 seed as nothing more than a wild-card team.

Why? Because they play in the same AFC South Division as the Colts, logistics and records be darned. And because the NFL insists on a system that awards those eight division titles.

So excluding the Jaguars from the race they are forbidden to join, that leaves Pittsburgh, San Diego and Kansas City with their 8-5 records as the next-closest No. 2-seed competitors. And considering they are two games back with only three to go, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Kansas City aren't very close at all.

So it's the Broncos and Bengals for No. 2. Second-place winner gets to spend the playoffs' first week healing and preparing for the second week. A mere one home playoff win by a No. 2 seed likely earns the chance to meet the Colts in the AFC title game.

For that right, the Broncos have the edge on the Bengals. A tiebreaker would come down to the best record within the AFC and as it stands, the Broncos are 7-2 and the Bengals are 7-3. If both teams win out, the Broncos would get the No. 2 seed.

"When you've played a while you realize scoreboard watching is not a good thing," Broncos safety John Lynch said. "You take care of your own business, and fortunately we've put ourselves in position where we can do that."

Coincidentally, the Broncos and Bengals have eerily similar remaining schedules.

Good luck getting the Broncos to talk about the Bengals or the Bengals to talk about the Broncos. About all both sides will address is that in general terms, their remaining regular-season games, unlike for the Colts, carry playoff significance.

"Every game is really, really important to us from here on out," Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said. "(Buffalo) is a tough place to play. We know it's going

to be as hard of a win as we've had all year, but we have to keep stacking them up."
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.

We're No. 2!
Because of a better AFC record, the Broncos hold the tiebreaker over the Bengals in the race for the No. 2 seed. Denver can clinch the West with a win Sunday and losses by Kansas City and San Diego. The Broncos can clinch a wild-card spot with a win or losses by the Steelers, Chargers and Chiefs.

BRONCOS (10-3)

at Buffalo (4-9): Should be balmy 26 degrees at kickoff Saturday with only a slight chance of snow.

vs. Oakland (4-9): No way Shana- han allows Silver and Black to stop first undefeated season at Invesco.

at San Diego (8-5): Chargers are the most-hyped 8-5 team in years.

BENGALS (10-3)

at Detroit (4-9): The Lions will figure out a way to lose.

vs. Buffalo (4-9): Bills are finishing up like the CU Buffaloes.

at Kansas City (8-5): Defense will be tested if Chiefs have playoffs at stake.

- Mike Klis

EYE ON THE BILLS
Broncos at Buffalo, 6:30 p.m. Saturday

For the record: The Bills are 4-9 and are in third place in the AFC East.

Last game: Buffalo was hammered 35-7 by visiting New England on Sunday in the snow. The Patriots scored the first 35 points of the game.

Streaking: The Bills fell out of the AFC wild-card race in November and have lost four consecutive games.

Who's hot: Wide receiver Lee Evans made four catches for 83 yards against the Patriots and is having a strong season.

Who's not: Wide receiver Eric Moulds. One of the Bills' top players, Moulds was suspended for the New England game after arguing with an assistant coach on the sideline the previous week. Moulds is expected to be back against the Broncos.

Key stat: The Bills haven't been a bad home team this year, despite the debacle against the Patriots. They are 4-3 at Ralph Wilson Stadium heading into Saturday's home finale. The Bills are 0-6 on the road.

FYI: The Bills are playing the final three games with possible changes looming. Both general manager Tom Donahoe and coach Mike Mularkey appear to be on the hot seat.

Injury update: Running back Willis McGahee had a head injury Sunday but returned and played some, gaining just 3 yards on eight carries. Defensive tackle Lauvale Sape has an ankle injury.

Coachspeak: "Obviously it was a poor performance. Disappointing. It seems like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong, all the way to the end. Based on the way the team worked all week, and even how the game started, it felt like what took place with the loss last week wouldn't be a factor, and maybe it was. We did not play well." - Mularkey, talking with reporters after the loss to New England

posted 12-13-2005 10:16 AM         

The one intangible he doesn't touch on is that the Broncos have been down this road before and know all about the playoffs (I'm not referring to Jake). The Bengals are pretty new at this.