The Kansas City Chiefs (1-7) will have a great opportunity to get their second win of the year against the Oakland Raiders (2-6) on Sunday.  They will be without Larry Johnson, who was dismissed from the team.  That means Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles will most likely share carries.  Smith may even be the starter even though last week was his first action of the season.  The Raiders are giving up 161 rushing yards per game though, so both Smith and Charles could have big days.  Matt Cassel had a good game last week against the Jaguars, going for two touchdowns and 262 yards on 23/39 passes.  If Cassel has a similar game the Chiefs should win.

The Chiefs’ defense doesn’t need to worry too much about the Raiders’ passing game, and they should look to get some turnovers off of JaMarcus Russell.  Russell has been terrible for the Raiders this year and has thrown 9 interceptions, compared to only 2 touchdowns.  He has a huge arm though, so the Chiefs need to make sure they don’t get beat and they should be fine in their pass defense.  Darren McFadden is expected to return for the Raiders in this one, so he gives the Raiders’ backfield a more explosive option.  I’m not sure how many carries they will give him though, so the Chiefs should be ready for Justin Fargas and Michael Bush.  The Chiefs have the better offense, so I am going to go with them in this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Kansas City Chiefs 24, Oakland Raiders 20

The Chiefs have had problems at WR all season long.  They promoted 24-year old Lance Long from the practice squad a couple of weeks ago and he is stepping up.  Long caught 8 passes for 74 yards (9.3 avg) last week against the Jaguars last week.  In his two games on the active roster for the Chiefs, Long has caught 10 passes for 86 yards (8.6 avg).  Long is a little small at 5’11″, 186 pounds so he will have a hard time ever starting for the Chiefs but there is no reason to think that he couldn’t develop into a decent #3 or #4 WR in the near future as long as he continues to play well.

The Chiefs have released running back Larry Johnson.  The Chiefs felt the circus around him was not warranted based on his production so far this season.  Johnson played in 7 games for the Chiefs this season and he carried the ball 132 for 358 yards (2.7 ypc) and he also caught 12 passes for 76 yards (6.3 avg).  Johnson finishes as the #2 rusher in Kansas City Chiefs history behind only Priest Holmes (6,071 yards rushing).  Johnson played in 75 games in his career with the Chiefs and he carried the ball 1,375 times for 5,996 yards (4.4 ypc) with 55 TD runs.  He also caught 151 passes for 1,369 yards (9.1 avg) with 6 TD grabs for the Chiefs.  Larry Johnson was a outstanding football player for the Chiefs but he will still likely have a hard time finding a new job.

Jamaal Charles will likely be the main ball carrier for the Chiefs the rest of the year.  The 22-year old Charles has played in 6 games this season for the Chiefs and he has carried the ball 23 times for 116 yards (5.0 ypc).  He has also caught 14 passes for 120 yards (8.6 avg) so far this season.  In his two years with the Chiefs, Charles has played in 22 games in which he has carried the ball 90 times for 473 yards (5.3 ypc) and he has also caught 41 passes for 392 yards (9.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Charles has a nice upside and he should be able to do a good job for the Chiefs.  Kolby Smith will also have a bigger role in the running game for the Chiefs the rest of the year.  He played in his first game of the year last week for the Chiefs rushing for 17 yards on 4 carries (4.3 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 4 yards.  Smith has now played in 24 games in his three years with the Chiefs and he has carried the ball 151 times for 524 yards (3.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  Smith has also caught 33 passes for 204 yards (6.2 avg) in his career so far.  Charles & Smith should be able to give the Chiefs a decent running game the rest of the year.

The Chiefs fought hard today but it just wasn’t enough in the end.  Matt Cassel was solid for the Chiefs in this game as he completed 23 of 39 passes for 262 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Jamaal Charles didn’t get much of an opportunity to show what he can do in this game as he carried the ball 6 times for 36 yards (6.0 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 19 yards (6.3 avg).  Little used WR Lance Long had the best game of his NFL career today as he caught 8 passes for 74 yards (9.3 avg).  Dwyane Bowe pitched in with 4 catches for 74 yards (18.5 avg) in this game.  Chris Chambers had quite a debut for the Chiefs in this game with 3 catches for 70 yards (23.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Chiefs finished up with 301 total yards on offense (60 rushing, 241 passing) in this game despite only having possession of the football for 23:47.

The Chiefs’ D did not play too well in this game.  Rookie DE Tyson Jackson led the way for the Chiefs with 7 tackles.  The Jaguars finished up with 426 total yards in this game (173 rushing, 253 passing).  The Chiefs are now 1-7 on the season.

The Chiefs have activated 24-year old RB Kolby Smith off the Physically Unable to Perform List.  He played in 7 games last season for the Chiefs and he has carried the ball 35 times for 100 yards (2.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Smith also caught 10 passes for 52 yards (5.2 avg) last season for the Chiefs.  Smith will likely be #3 in line for carries tomorrow behind Jamaal Charles and Dantrell Savage.  To make room on the roster for Smith the Chiefs have cut Bobby Engram.  Engram played in 5 games for the Chiefs this season and he caught 5 passes for 61 yards (12.2 avg).  If this is the end of Engram’s career it was a solid one.  Engram has played in 176 games in his NFL career and he has caught 650 passes for 7,751 yards (11.9 avg) with 35 TD grabs.

Ryan Succop was “Mr. Irrelevant” in the NFL Draft last April as the Chiefs picked him in the 7th round, #256 overall out of South Carolina.  He has stepped right into the job for the Chiefs and he has been very effective.  Succop has made 9 of 11 field goals this season and he has made all 10 of his extra points.  This was a excellent pick for the Chiefs who find a starter with the last pick of the NFL Draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs are well rested coming off their bye week.  But they weren’t with controversy last week as they suspended Larry Johnson for this game.  Too bad for him because the Chiefs will likely come out running this week against the Jaguars.  Jamaal Charles is a very talented running back and he should do some damage against the Jags’ D which is allowing 128.3 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry.  This also could be the week that Matt Cassel truly breaks out for the Chiefs.  He has been sacked 27 times already this season but the Jags only have 5 sacks this year.  Dwayne Bowe, Bobby Wade and the newly acquired Chris Chambers should all be really active in this game.

The Jaguars will likely come out running with Maurice Jones-Drew against a very soft Chiefs’ run D which is allowing 131.0 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  The Chiefs only have 9 sacks this season so David Garrard should have plenty of time to throw the ball.  Mike Sims-Walker, Torry Holt, Mike Thomas and Mercedes Lewis should all be effective against a Chiefs’ D that is allowing 252.1 yards passing per game.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 30, CHIEFS 27

The Chiefs have signed 27-year old cornerback Travis  Daniels.  Daniels played in 7 games last season for the Browns and he had 5 tackles.  Daniels has now played 4 years in the NFL covering 51 games in which he has made 130 tackles, defensed 20 passes and he has 3 interceptions.  This was a good move for the Chiefs who need all of the help they can get in the secondary.

The Chiefs have claimed 31-year old WR Chris Chambers off waivers from the Chargers.  He played in 7 games for the Chargers before his release and he caught 9 passes for 122 yards (13.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  In 9 years in his NFL career, Chambers has played in 131 games in which he has caught 482 passes for 6,827 yards (14.2 avg) with 53 TD grabs.  Chambers will initially likely serve as the #3 of #4 WR for the Chiefs but if he plays well he could move into the starting lineup at some point.  This was a good move for the Chiefs as they need to jumpstart the passing game at some point this season.

The Kansas City Chiefs have lost free safety Jarrad Page for the season due to a severe pulled calf muscle.  He played in 5 games (all starts) for the Chiefs this season and he made 19 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, defensed 2 passes and he forced 1 fumble.  This is a big loss for the Chiefs who will also be without Jon McGraw this week due to a undisclosed injury.  McGraw has played in 7 games (2 starts) for the Chiefs this season and he had made 13 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and he has 1 sack.   The injuries to Page and McGraw have left the Chiefs will only two active safeties on the roster.  That likely means that Mike Brown and DaJuan Morgan will be starting against the Jaguars this Sunday.  Mike Brown has played in 7 games (all starts) for the Chiefs this season and he has 43 tackles and 1 sack.  Morgan has played in 7 games (0 starts) and he has made 4 tackles this season.  If the Jaguars look to throw the ball this week they will likely find little trouble moving the ball against the Chiefs.