27-year old Matt Cassel was supposed to be the QB to lead the way to a much improved Chiefs’ offense in 2009 but it didn’t work out that way.  Cassel played in 15 games for the Chiefs this season and he completed 271 of 493 passes (55%) for 2,924 yards with 16 TD passes and 16 INTs (69.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 50 times for 189 yards (3.8 ypc) this year.  Cassel has now played in 45 games in his NFL career and he has completed 620 of 1,048 passes (59.2%) for 6,870 yards with 39 TD passes and 29 INTs (79.6 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 135 times for 487 yards (3.6 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career to date.  Hopefully Charlie Weis can get Cassel back on track.

26-year old Brodie Croyle played the best football of his career this year when given the chance to play.  Croyle played in 3 games for the Chiefs last season and he completed 23 of 40 passes (57.5%) for 230 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (90.6 QB Rating).  Croyle has now played in 16 games in his NFL career and he has completed 173 of 300 passes (57.7%) for 1,631 yards with 8 TD passes and 8 INTs (70.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 10 times for 15 yards (1.5 ypc) in his career.  It will be interesting to see if Croyle gets a chance to compete with Matt Cassel for the starting job when next training camp opens.

25-year old Matt Gutierrez is the clipboard holding #3 QB of the Chiefs.  He played in 1 game for the Chiefs last season and he completed his only pass attempt for 3 yards.  Gutierrez has now played in 6 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2 of 2 passes (100%) for 18 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs (104.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 5 times for -13 yards (-2.6 ypc) in his career.  Gutierrez will likely have a hard time making the Chiefs next year.

Fomer Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis is going to be the Kansas City Chiefs’ new offensive coordinator.  The terms of the deal have not been set, but according to team sources Weis has accepted the job.  Weis had a disappointing tenure at Notre Dame going 35-27 in five seasons, but he has had a lot more success as a coordinator in the NFL.  He won three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots and his offensive system works much better in the pro game.  Head coach Todd Haley took over the play-calling duties on offense early this year after firing Chan Gailey, but he did not want to make that move permanent.  Haley and Weis have coached together before and have both stated they are friends who have a lot of respect for each other as coaches.  The Chiefs were 4-12 this year and they struggled to score enough points, so this was a good move by the Chiefs since Weis is known for having a great offensive mind.  Their defense was pretty bad too, and rumors are now coming out that defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast may be replaced by former Cleveland Browns coach Romeo Crennel.  Hopefully these new additions will help the Chiefs take a step forward next season.

The Kansas City Chiefs (4-12) had their best game of the year and easily beat the Denver Broncos (8-8) to wrap up their 2009 season.  With this win the Chiefs spoiled the Broncos playoff hopes, and Jamaal Charles was the big reason why.  Charles rushed for 259 yards on 25 carries, which is a new Chiefs record.  He also rushed for 2 touchdowns, while Matt Cassel went 13/24 for 207 yards and 1 interception.  The Chiefs only had a 3 point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but strong defense and a big run by Charles helped the Chiefs outscore the Broncos 17-0 in the final quarter.

The Chiefs’ defense really came to play in this game, especially linebacker Derrick Johnson.  Johnson had not one, but two big interception returns for a touchdown.  The first was in the third quarter, when he intercepted Kyle Orton and returned it 45-yards for a touchdown.  The second one came in the 4th quarter, intercepting Orton again and returning 60 yards to help seal the win.  This was a nice way to end not only their season, but spoiling the Broncos season as well.

The Kansas City Chiefs (3-12) playoff chances went out the window a few month ago, but they can spoil the Denver Broncos (8-7) season if they win.  The Broncos playoff hopes are still alive, but if the Chiefs win then the Broncos are out.  It will be a big challenge though, especially since the Broncos are playing for the playoff lives.  The Chiefs’ defense will really need to bring it, and they will need a much better performance than what they have done most of this season.  If they give up their average of 380 yards, then the Broncos will likely blow them out.  They Broncos average 118 rushing yards per contest, and the Chiefs give up 161 yards on the ground, so they need to be prepared for the Broncos running the ball early and often.  The Broncos best offensive player Brandon Marshall has been benched though, so the Broncos’ passing game is not as big of a threat giving them even more reason to run the ball.

The Chiefs really need to take care of the ball on offense, as turnovers have hurt them all season long.  The Chiefs have lost five in a row, and a big reason why is quarterback Matt Cassel and his 9 interceptions in those games.  Jamaal Charles has been carrying more than his load for the Chiefs’ running game in the past three games, with 299 yards in the past three games.  The Broncos give up 116 rushing yards per game, so Charles should continue to have success.  If only the Chiefs can get a big day passing then they may win, but with the Broncos fighting to get into the playoffs I don’t think the Chiefs have much chance.

PREDICTION:  Kansas City Chiefs 10, Denver Broncos 28