28-year old RB Jackie Battle didn’t do much in his first four years with the Chiefs.  In Battle’s first four years with the Chiefs, he played in 24 games in which he carried the ball 41 times for 118 yards (2.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 5 passes for 8 yards (1.6 avg) in his first 24 games with the Chiefs.  This year though, Battle is making the most of his opportunity as he has stepped up.  Battle has played in 11 games for the Chiefs so far this year and he has carried the ball 104 times for 456 yards (4.4 ypc) with 1 TD carry.  He has also caught 6 passes for 35 yards (5.8 avg) so far this season.  Battle probably saved his career in Kansas City with his performance so far this year.

The Chiefs have waived 25-year old OT Jared Gaither.  Gaither played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Chiefs this year.  He has now played in 43 games (28 starts) in his first five years in the NFL.  This will hurt the depth of the Chiefs’ O-Line a bit, but Gaither wasn’t playing too well this year for them.

The Kansas City Chiefs wasted an outstanding effort from their defense tonight.  Tyler Palko was pathetic once again tonight as he completed 18 of 28 passes for 167 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs.  Thomas Jones led the way on the ground for the Chiefs tonight with 37 yards rushing on 13 carries (2.8 ypc).  Dexter McCluster pitched in with 28 yards rushing on 9 carries (3.1 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 11 yards (5.5 avg).  Jackie Battle didn’t have a good night with 9 carries for 20 yards (2.2 ypc) in this game.  WRs Dwayne Bowe (7 rec, 69 yards) and Steve Breaston (4 rec, 44 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Chiefs tonight.  The Chiefs finished up with 90 yards rushing on 34 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 28 passes (64.3%) for 162 yards as they had possession of the ball for 26:30.

The defense was outstanding tonight for the Chiefs.  LB Derrick Johnson (9 tackles), CB Brandon Carr (5 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and LB Jovan Belcher (5 tackles) led the way on D for the Chiefs tonight.  CBs Javier Arenas (fumble recovery) and Travis Daniels (interception) also had big plays tonight for the Chiefs.  The Steelers finished up with 108 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 31 passes (67.7%) for 182 yards in this game.  The Chiefs are now 4-7 on the season.

The Chiefs have lost three games in a row by a combined score of 82-16!  They will be starting Tyler Palko at QB and that could be trouble.  The Steelers had a bye last week, giving them two weeks to get ready for the Chiefs.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs can’t trust Tyler Palko throwing the ball against the Steelers.  With that in mind, look for them to be very run heavy in this game.  The Chiefs will likely spread the carries to Jackie Battle, Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster against a Steelers’ D that is allowing 4.2 yards per carry this year.  The Steelers are going to try to stop the Chiefs’ running game and force Tyler Palko to pass the ball.  Palko will have to get rid of the ball quickly, while also being careful and that’s a hard combination to pull off.  Palko will try to get the ball to WRs Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston and Jonathan Baldwin a lot in this game.

When the Steelers have the ball:  Ben Roethlisberger has a broken right thumb, so the Steelers are likely to run the ball a lot more than usual.  The front seven is going to have to step up to deal with Rashard Mendenhall as he is a very tough runner.  The Chiefs will need more than Tamba Hali to get after Ben Roethlisberger in this game, because they could force him into mistakes because of his thumb.  The Chiefs will have a hard time with the Steelers’ speed at WR in Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 30, CHIEFS 6

The Chiefs have claimed 29-year old QB Kyle Orton off waivers from the Broncos.  Orton played in five games for the Broncos this year and he has completed 91 of 155 passes (58.7%) for 979 yards with 8 TD passes and 7 INTs (75.7 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 5 times for 17 yards (3.4 ypc) so far this year.  Orton has now played in 67 games (66 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 1,225 of 2,107 passes (58.1%) for 13,753 yards with 79 TD passes and 55 INTs (79.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 104 times for 278 yards (2.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  Orton is 33-33 (50%) as a starting QB in the NFL.  Orton is light years better than Tyler Palko and he should be thrown right into the starting lineup against the Steelers this Sunday Night.  Orton will get his shot at revenge on the Denver Broncos for cutting him on January 1st at Denver.

The Chiefs have waived 29-year old WR Keary Colbert.  Colbert played in 7 games for the Chiefs this year and he caught 9 passes for 89 yards (9.9 avg) without a TD catch.  He has now played in 73 games in his NFL career and he has caught 130 passes for 1,629 yards (12.5 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  This could be the end of Colbert’s NFL career and the Chiefs won’t miss him too much going forward.

28-year old lefty throwing QB Tyler Palko proved last Monday Night that he’s not quite ready for prime time.  He was getting his first NFL start against a Patriots team that has the worst defense in the NFL and he could only muster 3 points.  Palko has now played in 3 games for the Chiefs so far this year and he completed 30 of 45 passes (66.7%) for 283 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs (56.1 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 2 times for 2 yards (1.0 ypc) so far this year.  Tyler Palko has an extremely weak arm and according to my eyes, he doesn’t belong in the NFL, period!

The Chiefs played hard in this game but they were simply overmatched in all three phases of the game.  Tyler Palko is not an NFL caliber QB and it showed tonight as he completed 25 of 38 passes for 236 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs.  Thomas Jones led the way on the ground for the Chiefs in this game with 48 yards rushing on 8 carries (6.0 ypc).  Dexter McCluster (8 carries for 39 yards) and Jackie Battle (8 carries for 33 yards) also pitched in on the ground for the Chiefs in this game.  WRs Dwayne Bowe (7 rec, 87 yards) and Steve Breaston (6 rec, 73 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Chiefs.  The Chiefs finished up with 119 yards rushing on 26 carries (4.6 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 38 passes (65.8%) for 215 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:30.

The defense wasn’t too good for the Chiefs tonight.  LB Derrick Johnson led the way for the Chiefs in this game with 12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  Safety Donald Washington (8 tackles and 1 QB hit) and CB Javier Arenas (8 tackles) also pitched in on D for the Chiefs in this game.  The Patriots rushed for 157 yards on 35 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 27 passes (55.6%) for 223 yards.  The Chiefs also had a big blunder on special teams as Julian Edelman of the Patriots returned a punt 72 yards for a TD.  The Chiefs are now 4-6 on the year.

The Chiefs have lost two games in a row, in which they have been outscored 48-13!  The Patriots got back on the right track last weekend in thumping the Jets 37-16 on the road.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chiefs have the ball:  Sure, the Patriots are giving up 308.9 yards passing per game this year, but the Chiefs best chance to win would be by running the ball a lot in this game.  Jackie Battle, Dexter McCluster and Thomas Jones could share the ball and a heavy workload against a Patriots’ D that is allowing 103.1 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry so far this year.  Lefty throwing QB Tyler Palko will be making his first NFL start on Monday Night Football, so he’s going to be nervous….at least at the start of the game.  If the Chiefs get a good running game going, it will set up Tyler Palko for some play action passes down the field to WRs Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston and Jonathan Baldwin.

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Chiefs only have 9 sacks so far this year, so Tom Brady is likely going to have all day to throw the ball.  Wes Welker and Deion Branch will keep the Chiefs’ CBs occupied so that Brady can attack the Chiefs’ safeties down the field with TEs Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.  The Chiefs will have to stop the Patriots’ running game with their front seven and that isn’t going to be an easy task either.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 34, CHIEFS 13

25-year old cornerback Brandon Flowers is taking his game to the next level in 2011 for the Chiefs.  He has played in 9 games for the Chiefs so far this year and he has 41 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 15 passes defensed and 4 interceptions (one returned for a TD).  He has now played in 53 games in his first four years with the Chiefs and he has 240 tackles, 13 interceptions (3 returned for TDs), 65 passes defensed, 4 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries and 11 tackles for a loss.  One of these days opposing teams will quit challenging Flowers so much.