When: Sunday, Dec. 30
Time: 3:25 p.m., Central Time
Where: Sports Authority Field (Mile High 2.0), Denver, Colorado
TV Broadcast: CBS – Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts, commentators. DIRECTV: 716.
Radio Broadcast: Over 60 radio stations on the Chiefs Radio Network; Mitch Holthus, Len Dawson, Kendall Gammon, commentators, Chiefs Spanish Radio: La Gran D (1340 AM); Play-by-Play: Enrique Morales - Color Commentator: Oscar Monterroso - Sideline Reporter: Ricardo Soto
SIRIUS: 123 (KC), 85 (Den.). XM: 230 (Den.).
The Kansas City Chiefs (2-13) mercifully put the final nail in the coffin of the 2012 season Sunday afternoon against the Denver Broncos (12-3) and for most Chiefs fans, the only two things important about the game are: 1) will the Chiefs still have the #1 pick in the draft Sunday evening, and 2) will general manager Scott Pioli still have a job with the team in 2013.
Even the most optimistic Chiefs fan (if there are any left) knows that there is only about a 5% chance of the team pulling out a win Sunday in Denver. The Broncos have something to play for in playoff seeding and are led by a Hall of Fame quarterback playing at the peak of his game. Unless Peyton Manning pulls a muscle coming out of the locker room for pre-game warm-ups, this game is practically over before it begins.
Why? Last week, the 2012 Chiefs became the only team in NFL history – through approximately 15,000 games – to rush for more than 350 yards as a team and lose – and that was a HOME game. What makes anyone think they can take this dysfunctional act on the road and beat one of the best defenses in the league?
Are there more than three or four bad quarterbacks in the league other than Brady Quinn that couldn't muster a single touchdown drive behind a running game like that? Nope.
Other than Manning getting hurt, the Broncos are a lock. Sorry, Chiefs fans. Wish I could b.s. you with my usual “3 Ways KC Can Win”, but it would rank as one of the greatest upsets in franchise history if it were to happen. Las Vegas oddsmakers have made Denver a 16-point favorite, which even part-time gamblers will tell you is almost unheard-of in the NFL.
So that leaves Chiefs fans with the chore of wondering whether or not general manager Scott Pioli will return in 2013. When Chiefs owner, Clark Hunt, hired Pioli after the 2008 season, it was universally praised because Pioli had impeccable credentials around the NFL. For whatever reason, it hasn’t worked out in Kansas City and he needs to go.
Normally, it’s uncomfortable calling for a coach or administrator’s job but in this case, Pioli isn’t exactly on food stamps and should he be terminated by KC, he’ll have another high-paying job in the NFL within six months. We’re not talking about a father of four losing his $10/hr job at Target, so don’t cry for Pioli.
Romeo Crennel, the second-most popular 2-win coach in team history behind Herm Edwards, should be relieved of his duties as the head coach. In just over one season as the main man, Crennel has compiled a laundry list of “WTF?!?” decisions that demonstrate his shortcomings as a head coach. Not exactly Hank Stram, Marty Schottenheimer, or Dick Vermeil.
But just like Pioli, if Crennel wants it, he’ll have a job in the league. At age 65, he may opt to retire, but he could be an effective defensive coordinator in the league for another decade. Heck, you wouldn’t hear too many Chiefs fans complain if he stuck around here as the D-coordinator under a new head coach, though that would be highly unlikely.
So it remains to be seen if Hunt will allow Pioli to hang around to hire his THIRD head coach in four years, or if he’ll find two new men to run his once-relevant NFL team. KC fans have been speaking loud and clear for months about who they think should NOT be running the football operations any more, but will Hunt come to the same conclusion?
Prediction: Denver - 38, Chiefs – 10.
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Finally, on a much more serious note, here are two links for anyone that needs help with domestic violence and/or sexual assault. The first link is the Kansas Coalition against sexual & domestic violence and the second link is the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence. Or, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline, 1-800-656-4673.
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