Achilles tear takes Chiefs' Siler out of linebacker competition

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Brandon Siler tore an Achilles' tendon during practice this week and is the latest to join a growing list of NFL players to sustain the season-ending injury.

Siler's agent, David Canter, confirmed the injury in a text message to The Associated Press on Wednesday. He did not know which Achilles was hurt, but said Siler already had surgery to repair it.

"We're both beside ourselves upset," Canter said.

Siler was competing for the middle linebacker spot alongside Derrick Johnson after signing with the Chiefs as a free agent. Siler had looked good throughout fall camp after picking up 44 tackles, one sack and one interception in 12 games with the San Diego Chargers last season.

"I don't really know what happened," said Demorrio Williams, who has been competing with Siler for playing time. "I just saw him land on the ground."

The Chiefs' policy is to not discuss injuries, although they're quickly stacking up.

First-round draft pick Jonathan Baldwin hurt his right thumb in a reported locker room altercation with running back Thomas Jones. Fellow wide receiver Steve Breaston also has missed some practice time, along with offensive linemen Jared Gaither, Ryan O'Callaghan and Darryl Harris, cornerback Brandon Flowers and linebackers Gabe Miller and Eric Bakhtiari.

The Chiefs should be able to withstand the loss of Siler, who could also have contributed to special teams. Jovan Belcher has made 131 tackles while playing significant snaps the past two seasons, and Williams and Cory Greenwood are in the mix.

"I think we have good depth," Johnson said. "It's always tough to lose a linebacker, and it's hard. It's hard. But this is a violent sport."

Siler's injury is the first significant one for the Chiefs, though hardly the first round the league, where some believe the NFL lockout has contributed to more season-ending injuries.

Detroit's second-round draft pick, running back Mikel Leshoure, tore an Achilles tendon earlier in fall camp. Browns punter Reggie Hodges sustained the same injury after he took a snap in the end zone, took one step and dropped like a sack of flour. Philadelphia defensive end Victor Abiamiri and Bengals linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy are among the other players to tear their Achilles.

The lockout wiped out organized team activities and the ability for players to use team facilities during the summer months, which some argue resulted in players arriving at camp out of shape.

Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, a member of the players' executive committee, has said he is personally monitoring some of the reported injuries from other training camps. He's also asked trainers to keep him updated on missed practices to determine whether the lockout had any effect.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.

View the original article here

Report: Chiefs' Vrabel retiring to join OSU's football program

Veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel has decided not to return to the Kansas City Chiefs this season, choosing to retire after 14 NFL campaigns to accept a role with Ohio State's football program, Sports Radio 810 WHB tweeted Friday.

The radio station's tweet provided no further details, but profootballtalk.com reported Friday that there is a "very good chance" Vrabel will call it quits and that "an announcement could made as early as this coming Monday," according to a source.

The New England Patriots shipped Vrabel and quarterback Matt Cassel to the Chiefs in February 2009 in return for the No. 34 overall pick in that April's draft.

Vrabel, 35, was part of three Super Bowl-winning teams in his eight years with the Patriots from 2001 to 2008. 

Over the past two seasons with the Chiefs, Vrabel started 30 games and logged 73 total tackles, with two sacks and three forced fumbles. He spent his first four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers after they drafted him in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.

Vrabel, one of 10 players named as a plaintiff in the Brady et al v. the National Football League et al antitrust lawsuit, has 704 tackles and 57 sacks in his career, along with 11 sacks and 17 forced fumbles.

Vrabel was arrested and charged with theft at the Belterra Casino Resort in Florence, Ind., in April. He was released from jail after posting $600 cash bond later Monday morning. He released a statement through his agent after the incident.

"It was an unfortunate misunderstanding, and I take full responsibility for the miscommunication," Vrabel said. "I feel comfortable that after talking with the appropriate parties, we will resolve this matter."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Chiefs' Pope honored by family of boy he saved from drowning

Chris Whitaker / Americus Times-Recorder (Special to NFL.com)Chiefs TE Leonard Pope (left) shares a Sunday fist-bump with Bryson Ross, a 6-year-old he saved from drowning.

Weeks after he rescued 6-year-old Bryson Ross from drowning in a swimming pool, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Leonard Pope was honored Sunday in a private ceremony held by the boy's family and friends in Americus, Ga., the Albany Herald reported.

Anne Moore, the boy's mother, thanked Pope for his June 11 heroics.

"He appeared out of no place. He was not there at first," Anne recalled. "I never saw him running up. I only saw him dive in, so I felt that he stepped in right on time, and it was just in the nick of time."

Moore has known Pope since he was a young child. Incredibly, Pope was the only person who actually knew how to swim at the pool party.

Sunday marked the first time Pope had seen Moore or Bryson since the incident. Moore awarded Bryson with a plaque, but the Chiefs player deflected attention to praise the boy he saved.

"He's the star," Pope said of Bryson. "Everyone's been telling that I'm the star throughout the story, but I said he's the star. I really want Bryson to look at it as a chance for him to learn how to swim. He can tell his friends, and hopefully the message gets to young kids to be able to learn how to swim at an early age."

Pope is a native of the area, having starred as a teenager at Americus High School. He played collegiately at Georgia before joining the Arizona Cardinals in 2006. He has spent the last two seasons with the Chiefs.

View the original article here

Raiders finish with 6-0 division record, but rival Chiefs advance to play Ravens

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- If this turns out to be Tom Cable's last year as Oakland's head coach, at least he'll know he made history.

After beating Kansas City 31-10 Sunday in their regular-season finale, the 2010 Raiders became the only team since the 1970 merger to go unbeaten in their division and still not make the playoffs. The short-handed Raiders (8-8) wrapped up a division record of 6-0, while the Chiefs (10-6) went 2-4 in the division and will host the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday at 1 p.m. EST as AFC West champions.

The Chiefs are the No. 4 seed, the Raiders are through for the year.

"We are disappointed because we are not going to the playoffs, but at the same time we stuck to the goal and stuck to the plan as we have done very week, and we got our eighth win," said Cable, whose job status with the Raiders has been the subject of speculation. "I'm very happy about that."

Michael Bush rushed for 137 yards and Jason Campbell threw a TD pass for the Raiders, who beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium for the fourth year in a row and ruined their perfect home record.

Running back Darren McFadden and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Richard Seymour were inactive because of injuries, but the Raiders dominated from start to finish, intercepting two of Matt Cassel's passes and getting seven sacks. The interceptions both led directly to Oakland's last two scores. Jacoby Ford scored on a 10-yard reverse after Michael Huff's interception, and Stanford Routt returned a pick 22 yards for the Raiders' final TD when Cassel was hurried while throwing from his end zone.

The Chiefs were still digesting their lopsided loss several hours later when Indianapolis beat Tennessee 23-20 and determined their seed and first-round opponent.

The Chiefs' worst home game of the season came on the heels of news that offensive coordinator Charlie Weis is returning to college coaching to become Florida's offensive coordinator. Weis, in one year with the Chiefs, has been given much credit for developing Cassel into a top-flight quarterback and turning Jamaal Charles into a Pro Bowl running back.

"Charlie Weis is moving on. He's going to go to the University of Florida as a coordinator," said Chiefs coach Todd Haley. "This is a bittersweet thing for me as the head coach. Charlie was obviously someone I was excited about having in here. That being said, Charlie is a family guy and he's got a family situation, where he can go to Florida and be with his son, who is going to get into coaching. This is a great situation for Charlie and I respect it 100 percent."

Weis was not made available to the media.

The Raiders posted their best record since 2002 amid talk that Cable may be out; the team went to 17-27 since he became head coach four games into the 2008 season. It was the first time since '02, when Oakland went to the Super Bowl, that it didn't lose at least 11 games.

The Raiders had 344 total yards to Kansas City's 201 and held the top-rated rushing offense to 115 yards on the ground.

Asked if he thinks he's coming back, Cable did answer directly.

"We're not losers anymore. We're 8 and 8," he said. "That's not what we wanted. We wanted to be a playoff team. We came here to get the sixth win, which means we went 6-0 in the division and most importantly, we are done with that losing. We are not losers anymore."

Charles, who trailed Houston's Arian Foster by 56 yards for the NFL rushing lead, had 87 yards on 14 carries, including a 47-yard burst that was KC's offensive highlight. He finished the regular season with 1,467 yards and came within a whisker of catching Jim Brown's NFL record of 6.40 yards per carry. He finished at 6.38.

"I wasn't even paying attention that I wasn't in the record books. I wasn't even worried about it," said Charles. "I was just going out there and just running the ball like I do every week. My goal is to go out and win. I'm disappointed we lost, but we've got to bounce back. We've got another week going. The Raiders don't."

The Chiefs' pass protection, good most of the season, began breaking down in the second quarter. Cassel was flagged for intentional grounding and then sacked for an 11-yard loss on the next play by Jarvis Moss.

Campbell got the Raiders going with a 9-yard completion to Zach Miller. On third-and-10 from the Oakland 46, Campbell dumped off to Bush and he turned it into a 16-yard gain. With 7 seconds left in the half, Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 39-yard field goal for a 10-3 lead.

Campbell, after sitting out a series when he apparently hurt his right knee, scrambled 21 yards during a 14-play, 91-yard drive. He hit Jacoby Ford for a 35-yard gain to the 6 and Chaz Schilens was wide open in the end zone for the touchdown pass that gave the Raiders a 7-3 lead.

The Chiefs managed a meager 72 yards in the first half to Oakland's 192, but Charles broke free for a 47-yard run to the 8. From the 5, Charles went in almost untouched for a 10-10 tie the Raiders erased on their next possession.

Aided by a 15-yard face mask penalty against Jovan Belcher, the Raiders moved 75 yards in nine plays. Bush went over the right side of the defense virtually untouched for a 27-yard touchdown, the first TD rushing the Chiefs allowed at home all season.

Notes: Kamerion Wimbley had three of Oakland's seven sacks. ... KC's Tamba Hali had 2.5 sacks, the ninth multisack game of his career. ... Former coach Marty Schottenheimer was inducted into the Chiefs' Hall of Fame at halftime. ... Huff has four career interceptions against Kansas City.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

View the original article here

Chiefs clinch AFC West title with win over Titans, Chargers loss

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- With Kansas City's greatest one-year turnaround came great reward.

Three hours after racing past Tennessee 34-14 Sunday, the Chiefs became AFC West champions when Cincinnati upended four-time defending champion San Diego.

Kansas City did what it needed to do and dominated Tennessee. Later, the Chiefs got a gift when Cincinnati upended San Diego, handing them the AFC West title. Take a look at the playoff picture. More ...

» More: NFL.com blogs

The Chargers' loss gave Kansas City (10-5) its first division title since Dick Vermeil's 2003 Chiefs went 13-3. Kansas City's 10 wins in Todd Haley's second season as coach are six better than last year's 4-12 mark and match the total of the past three miserable seasons combined.

Minutes after beating the Titans, the Chiefs knew their playoff goal was oh, so close, and were in no mood to celebrate their historic turnaround.

"It just means we were just that bad last year," guard Brian Waters said. "Our goal is to get to the next part of the season."

They are there, although everyone around Arrowhead Stadium has been trying to avoid even saying the word "playoffs" all week. There was obvious pride in winning 10 games; in the Chiefs' first 50 years, five wins had been the biggest one-year improvement.

"It's a huge accomplishment," said quarterback Matt Cassel, who threw three touchdown passes in the first half against the Titans.

"It's a huge turnaround for us, being 4-12 and going through the year we did last year. I know there's a ton of adversity and all those things were very difficult to handle at times. But to be here with 10 wins on our season and one win away from a division championship -- I mean, it's remarkable to say the least."

Cassel connected with Jamaal Charles for touchdowns on Kansas City's first two possessions and Eric Berry returned an interception 54 yards for another score as the Chiefs raced to a 31-7 halftime lead. Cassel hit 12 of his first 13 passes.

The Titans (6-9) spent much of the game dropping passes, missing arm tackles and piling up penalties while losing for the seventh time in eight games.

Dwayne Bowe had six catches for 153 yards, including a career-long 75-yard touchdown as the Chiefs remained unbeaten in seven home games.

The Chiefs had 327 of their 458 total yards and all but three of their points while rolling up a 31-7 halftime lead.

"The game got out of reach early," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "You've got to execute to near-perfection when you get down like we were and we just didn't do that."

A couple of times in the ragged second half, it seemed fights were about to break out. By the end of the third quarter, each team had three unnecessary roughness penalties.

"It's just two physical teams going at it," Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers said. "Wasn't nobody going to back down. So when you get two teams like that, stuff like that is going to happen."

The Titans, one of the league's most penalized teams, were flagged nine times for 74 yards, while the Chiefs uncharacteristically drew seven penalties for 84.

Chris Johnson, the fourth-leading rusher in the NFL, had only 58 yards on 14 carries for the Titans.

"It's always disappointing when you're not able to run the ball. Anytime you get down like we were, there's not much you can do," he said. "They were stacking the box. But that's not why I didn't have a big day. It's the number of touches that I had. When you go down by that many points, it's going to be hard to have a big day."

In his second game since undergoing an emergency appendectomy on Dec. 8, Cassel was 24 for 34 for 314 yards and three TDs. He was not intercepted.

Kerry Collins, nearing the end of his 16th season, hit a career milestone that gave him little satisfaction. On his 53-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt in the second quarter, he became the 12th quarterback to go over 40,000 yards passing. He also connected with Jared Cook on a 22-yard touchdown pass and was 14 for 37 for 235 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted twice.

"There will be time for me to think about it and I understand it's an accomplishment," he said. "But the emotions are so bitter over today and the way the season has gone, it's just hard to feel good about it." Cassel was 4 for 4 on Kansas City's first possession, capping it with a screen pass to Charles that went 14 yards. After a Titans punt, Cassel was 6 for 7 in a 10-play, 61-yard drive. On second down from the 5, he tossed a perfectly timed fade pass to Charles in the corner of the zone for a 14-0 lead.

On Kansas City's next possession, Ryan Succop made a 35-yard field goal. He also kicked a 42-yarder in the third.

Bowe, whose hot-and-cold season has included a two-game stretch where he had only one catch, got behind the secondary on a third-and-19 play from the Kansas City 25. Hauling in Cassel's pass near the 50, he quickly changed direction and sprinted into the end zone for the 75-yard touchdown play.

With 22 seconds left in the half, Berry stepped in front of a receiver and weaved 54 yards into the end zone. The rookie safety broke two feeble attempts at arm tackles and avoided two more attempts before diving into the end zone for his first NFL touchdown and a 31-7 lead.

"That was awesome," he said. "The D-line got great pressure and I just came up with the ball. I think the pressure from the D-line forced the throw. Right after they got the pressure, they turned around and started blocking."

Notes: In the first quarter, Marc Mariani broke the Titans' franchise record for kickoff return yards of 1,317 set by Bobby Jancik in 1963. ... It was the seventh time this season a Chiefs opponent failed to score in the first quarter. ... Bowe and Charles are the Chiefs' third WR-RB combo to go over 1,000 yards receiving-running in a season. ... The announced crowd of 65,606 was the smallest of the year at Arrowhead. ... Thomas Jones fumbled in the fourth quarter, ending his streak of touches without a fumble at 862.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

View the original article here

Chiefs' Cassel has appendectomy; no word on Sunday status

Quarterback Matt Cassel, a key reason the Kansas City Chiefs have emerged as contenders and lead the AFC West late in the season, underwent an appendectomy Wednesday.

The Chiefs said the procedure was a success, and they expect Cassel to return to work this week. They didn't say he would be ready to play Sunday when the Chiefs (8-4) travel to San Diego for a showdown with the Chargers (6-6), who trail Kansas City by two games in the division.

Brodie Croyle, who is 0-9 as an NFL starter and hasn't appeared in a game all year, took most of the practice snaps Wednesday. The Chiefs also signed quarterback Tyler Palko to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.

Coach Todd Haley, who insisted on saying during his news conference only that Cassel had "an illness," declined to speculate on whether or not his quarterback will be ready for Sunday's game.

"Again, he'll be on the injury report as illness today," Haley said. "And we'll just take it from there as we do all injuries."

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger underwent an appendectomy four days before the 2006 season opener. He returned to play in a Week 2 game -- 15 days after the surgery -- and his passer ratings in that and the following contest -- 38.7 and 30.7 -- were among the six worst of his career.

While the Chiefs didn't release any details of Cassel's operation, the American College of Surgeons website advises patients who have had a minimally invasive appendectomy not to "lift or participate in strenuous activity for three to five days" after the procedure.

Cassel helped present area high school star Bubba Starling an award Tuesday morning, then appeared at another event Tuesday night. The Chiefs didn't say if Cassel underwent emergency surgery, which might suggest a more invasive procedure.

In his second season as the Chiefs' full-time starter, Cassel has thrived under the tutelage of Haley and first-year offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, connecting on 212 of 354 passes for 2,503 yards and 23 touchdowns. He has thrown an NFL-low four interceptions. His current streak of 158 passes without an interception is the third-longest active streak in the league.

Cassel was the AFC's Offensive Player of the Month in November, completing 90 of 144 passes for 1,111 yards and 12 TDs with only one interception.

Matt Cassel led many fantasy enthusiasts to the playoffs. But what happens if he can't play this week? Bucs QB
Josh Freeman is an excellent option. More ...

Croyle, a third-round draft pick out of Alabama in 2006, was projected as the Chiefs' foundation quarterback before Herman Edwards was fired as head coach after the 2008 season. Injury prone, Croyle immediately dropped to the second team when new general manager Scott Pioli traded for Cassel before the 2009 season. Croyle hasn't started since the 2009 season opener, when Cassel was hurt.

Croyle said this week will be no different than any other for him, other than the fact he'll take more practice reps.

"Just got to prepare like you always do," he said. "My number's called, got to be ready to go. You've got to be ready to go on any play."

Croyle has seen action in 16 regular-season games, completing 173 of 300 passes for 1,631 yards and eight touchdowns with eight interceptions.

The Chiefs also placed cornerback Jackie Bates (knee) on season-ending injured reserve and signed linebacker Micah Johnson to the practice squad.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Raiders beat Chiefs, enter bye week half-game behind KC in AFC West

OAKLAND, Calif. -- As the Oakland Raiders poured out onto the field to celebrate Sebastian Janikowski's overtime kick, the 13 penalties, three turnovers and long stretches of offensive ineptitude were merely a footnote.

The Raiders won their biggest game in nearly eight years and are once again a contender in the AFC West.

Watch all the action from Sunday all over again -- online and in HD. Save 50% with a Midseason Subscription! Learn More.

Jason Campbell threw a 47-yard pass to rookie Jacoby Ford in overtime to set up Janikowski's winning 33-yard field goal that capped Oakland's 23-20 victory over the division-leading Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

"It wasn't the way we draw it up but it was the way it was supposed to be," coach Tom Cable said. "We hung in there, fought, hung in there, fought, got a chance, made a couple of plays, made two kicks and now we're all happy. It's a great job by our team of really pulling together."

Campbell and Ford hooked up on a 29-yard pass in the closing seconds of regulation to set up Janikowski's tying 41-yard field goal. The Raiders (5-4) then won it in overtime for their most significant victory since winning the 2002 AFC championship. Oakland hasn't had a winning record at any time since being 2-1 in 2004 and not this late since '02.

By winning their third straight game for the first time since that season, Oakland heads into its bye week just a half-game behind Kansas City (5-3).

"This win was probably the win that does wonders for our season," Campbell said.

The Chiefs won the overtime toss but were unable to generate a first down. Campbell then hit Ford on a diving catch on the first play for Oakland. Ford, a fourth-round pick, caught six passes for 148 yards and returned the opening kick of the second half for a touchdown.

"It's something I've been wanting to do ever since I was little," Ford said. "I went out there, and it was a dream come true to be out there having fun making plays with those guys."

After a short run and a timeout by the Chiefs, Janikowski came on for the winning kick. As soon as it sailed through the uprights, the Raiders celebrated with the first sellout crowd in Oakland since last year's opener.

The talk all week was about the revival of a rivalry that was one of the sport's best for a decade starting in the 1960s. While the play was sloppy at times with five turnovers, 27 penalties and two blown fake punts, the intensity was top-notch.

The Raiders trailed 20-17 when they took over at their 25 with 2:06 to play. The big play came when Ford ripped a ball away from a defender for a 29-yard gain to the 22. Oakland rushed to the line and spiked the ball with 7 seconds left, setting the stage for Janikowski's tying field goal.

"Unfortunately, they took it down at the end of the game and we weren't able to produce in overtime," Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel said. "It's difficult to take when you make the mistakes that we did today and lose."

Kansas City had taken a 20-17 lead on a 20-yard pass from Cassel to Dwayne Bowe with 6:13 to play. That score was set up when Nick Miller muffed a punt and Kansas City's Verran Tucker recovered at the Raiders 30. It appeared as if Miller's knee might have been down before the ball came loose, but Cable had already used his two challenges so Kansas City kept the ball.

The Raiders had gained just 54 yards with their only score coming on Ford's 94-yard kickoff return to open the second half when they took over trailing 13-7 early in the third quarter.

The offense finally got going as Campbell hit Ford on a 16-yard pass and Darren McFadden followed with a 34-yard run. A 16-yard pass to McFadden moved the ball to the 2 and two plays later Campbell found tackle Khalif Barnes for a touchdown that gave Oakland a 14-13 lead.

The Raiders tacked on a 23-yard field goal by Janikowski after Campbell found Ford on a key third-down conversion for 37 yards.

After Rock Cartwright was stopped on Oakland's fake punt try, the Chiefs appeared to score on a slant from Cassel to Tony Moeaki on third-and-2 from the 6.

Cable challenged the call and won it when replays showed Moeaki's knee went down at the 1. Instead of giving the Chiefs a first down, the officials originally called it fourth and goal from the 1. After a holding call on Kansas City, the officials corrected the down and the Chiefs had first-and-goal at the 11.

Tucker made an acrobatic catch in the back of the end zone on the next play. Cable challenged that call and lost it, meaning Oakland was out of challenges with 14:31 left in the half.

NFL RedZone

Watching football on Sundays will be a whole new experience with NFL Network's new channel, NFL RedZone. Find out why.

The Chiefs added a field goal from Ryan Succop after McFadden lost a fumble to make it 10-0 and could have had an even bigger lead at the half but had a touchdown and field goal erased by penalties. Cassel also threw an interception in the end zone in the final minute of the half.

"You can't have minus plays and expect to win in this league, you can't turn the ball over in the red zone and expect to win, you're just not going to do it - it's going to come back to get you," coach Todd Haley said. "You leave points out there, it usually comes back to haunt you."

Notes: Kansas City had won seven straight in Oakland, tied for the longest active streak by a visiting team. ... Oakland S Tyvon Branch left with a concussion in the third quarter.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

View the original article here

Raiders likely without CB Asomugha, TE Miller against Chiefs

View the original article here

Chiefs grind out victory over Jaguars

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Derrick Johnson returned an interception for a score, and Matt Cassel threw two touchdown passes to Dwayne Bowe, leading the Chiefs to a 42-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

The Chiefs (4-2), with the most productive rushing attack in the NFL coming into the game, ran for 236 yards and three TDs while overcoming several penalties.

Jacksonville quarterback Todd Bouman, who hadn't thrown a touchdown pass in the regular season since 2005, was signed this week after David Garrard sustained a concussion and backup Trent Edwards hurt his thumb during Monday night's loss to the Tennessee Titans. Bouman, 38, hadn't won as a starter since 2001 and was out of football last season.

Still, the Jaguars (3-4) trailed by only one point late in the third quarter before Bouman made a mistake. Under pressure, he stepped up and threw an ill-advised pass to Johnson, who made a juggling interception and ran 15 yards for a touchdown that put Kansas City on top 28-20.

View the original article here

No unbeatens remain as Vinatieri, Colts halt Chiefs' streak

INDIANAPOLIS -- Peyton Manning didn't have a touchdown pass or throw for 300 yards, so along comes backup running back Mike Hart to rescue the Indianapolis Colts and hand the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season.

With Manning missing receivers all day, Hart found an inside crease in the Chiefs defense, crashed through three players for 11 yards and the game's only touchdown with 4:02 left to give the Colts a 19-9 victory Sunday.

The result leaves the NFL without an undefeated team just five weeks into the season.

There's no need to fret about missing any games. You can watch every contest again with Game Rewind. Get more information here.

"It's moments like this that you don't get all the time and when they pop, you try to take advantage of it," Hart said. "It's fun."

The 5-foot-9 Hart got his chance when Joseph Addai went down midway through the third quarter with what appeared to be a right shoulder injury.

Hart carried 11 times for 50 yards, both career-highs.

"Mike did a great job," Manning said after going 26-of-44 for 244 yards and one interception. "He had an interesting week practice wise. He got injured during the week and didn't know quite what was going to happen. Next thing you know, he comes out and does a heck of a job for us. That's why you've got to have depth. Everybody's got to be ready at any time."

Indy (3-2) needed a victory to get back into a first-place tie in the AFC South and was facing the hottest team in football.

Kansas City (3-1), with four straight wins dating to last season, was the NFL's last unbeaten team and brought a defense that hadn't allowed more than 14 points in a game all season -- until Hart's run.

With Manning having a rare off day, the Colts featured a more balanced attack. The problem was Indy had deactivated backup running back Donald Brown, and when Addai was hurt, the Colts had to turn to Hart.

The Chiefs thought they had done enough defensively to thwart Manning & Co. with an assortment of nickel and dime packages that had the quarterback out of sync and flustered.

On a normal day, that might have been good enough to beat the Colts.

But Kansas City didn't get into the end zone, and for the first time since 1970, the NFL has no 4-0 teams. Denver, Detroit and the Los Angeles Rams all went 3-0 in '70 before losing.

"We're a team trying to transition into becoming a good team. We're not there," coach Todd Haley said. "If we had won this game, I'd be saying the same thing. Good is much bigger than four games. Good is measured a little differently, but we are transitioning and we are making progress."

Jamaal Charles carried 16 times for 87 yards. Matt Cassel was 16-of-29 for 156 yards, and the Chiefs had to settle for three field goals, losing their chance at a miracle comeback when Ryan Succop missed a 51-yard attempt with 1:17 to go.

The difference: Kansas City's failed gambles and Hart.

Haley opened the game with an onside kick that didn't go the necessary 10 yards. Nine plays later, Adam Vinatieri hit a 20-yard field goal.

On the next series, Cassel threw for a first down on fourth-and-2 from the Indy 8. When the ball was incomplete, Manning marched the Colts into position for a 24-yard field goal that made it 6-0.

"Going back to 2000, teams that have opened with an onside kick have had a plus-60 percent win percentage whether they got it or not and we knew that we would have to steal a possession in this game a couple of different ways," Haley explained. "When they work, you're good, when they don't, you're not good."

Then it was essentially a stalemate.

Succop hit a 45-yard field goal with 2 seconds left in the first half to make it 6-3. Vinatieri opened the second half with a 47-yarder and Succop countered with field goals of 35 and 43 yards to tie the score at 9.

Vinatieri finally broke the tie with a 42-yarder with 14:40 left to give Indy a 12-9 lead, and then the Colts put the ball in Hart's hands -- who sealed it with his big run.

"Once I got the ball, the o-line, they took care of the front seven," Hart said. "I had two safeties back there and I was on the 3 to 4 yard line and it was my job to get in from there."

Notes: Indy has now won 10 of the last 11 games in this series, dating to 1990. ... The Colts had led the AFC South for 113 of 136 weeks before this season, but Sunday marked the first time they've been atop the division in 2010. ... Backup tackle Barry Richardson started in place of injured right tackle Ryan O'Callaghan, so when Branden Albert hurt his left elbow in the first half, the Chiefs moved left guard Brian Waters to tackle. ... The Chiefs have given up zero points off turnovers this season.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

View the original article here