The Chiefs got thumped 37-10 last weekend by the Jets, but they will be a different team this weekend.  That is because Romeo Crennel in the new head coach and Kyle Orton is his new starting QB.  The Packers are rolling, but they will be without top WR Greg Jennings this weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chiefs have the ball:  Romeo Crennel has stated that he wants the offense to be more run oriented and that’s likely a smart move.  Jackie Battle, Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster will try to get the running game going against a Packers’ D that is allowing 106.0 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  The Packers are giving up 288.5 yards passing per game so far this year, so Kyle Orton should be able to make some plays down the field to Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston and Jonathan Baldwin.  He will have to be careful though as the Packers already have 27 interceptions so far this year.

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers are going to come out throwing the ball with all guns blazing.  The Chiefs should blitz more than usual in an attempt to screw up Aaron Rodgers’ timing.  Sure, he will be without WR Greg Jennings, but the Packers have a lot of other weapons in the passing game.  WR Jordy Nelson, TE Jermichael Finley, WR James Jones, WR Donald Driver and rookie WR Randall Cobb give the Packers a lot of weapons for the Chiefs’ secondary to deal with.  RB Ryan Grant gives the Packers a nice boost on ground support.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 31, CHIEFS 20

The first thing new head coach Romeo Crennel has done is bench 28-year old QB Tyler Palko.  Palko has played in six games for the Chiefs so far this year and he has completed 80 of 134 passes (59.7%) for 796 yards with 2 TD passes and 7 INTs (59.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 15 yards (3.0 ypc) so far this year.  Crennel is going to go with 29-year old Kyle Orton (health permitting) or rookie 24-year old Ricky Stanzi at QB against the Packers this Sunday.  Orton has played in 6 games so far this year for the Chiefs & Broncos and he has completed 91 of 156 (58.3%) passes for 979 yards with 8 TD passes and 7 INTs (75.2 QB Rating).  Orton has also carried the ball 5 times for 17 yards (3.4 ypc) so far this year.  Ricky Stanzi was a fifth round pick out of Iowa in last April’s NFL Draft.  He has yet to make his NFL debut.

The Chiefs have fired 44-year old head coach Todd Haley.  The Chiefs are 5-8 so far this year and they are only averaging 13.3 points per game while allowing 23.5 points per game.  Haley is supposed to be a good offensive coach, but the Chiefs have been pathetic this year, which likely made this decision really an easy one for Chiefs’ management.  Haley finishes his career with a 19-26 (42.2%) during the regular season in his three years in charge of the Chiefs.  He was also 0-1 in the playoffs.  64-year old Romeo Crennel will take over as the Chiefs’ interim head coach.  Crennel has a 24-40 (37.5%) record as a NFL head coach (four years with the Browns).

The Chiefs never had much of a chance yesterday as the Jets kicked their butts.  Tyler Palko completed 16 of 32 passes for 195 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 12 yards in this game.  Jackie Battle led the way on the ground for the Chiefs with 33 yards rushing on 10 carries (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 26 yards (13.0 avg).  Thomas Jones pitched in with 12 yards rushing on 5 carries (2.4 ypc).  WRs Dwayne Bowe (6 rec, 69 yards), Steve Breaston (4 rec, 44 yards) and Jerheme Urban (2 rec, 28 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Chiefs.  The Chiefs finished up with 65 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 32 passes (50%) for 156 yards as they had possession of the ball for only 22:18.

The defense did the best that they could as they were clearly overmatched.  LB Derrick Johnson led the way for the Chiefs yesterday with 12 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 fumble recovery.  DE Glenn Dorsey (9 tackles), DE Tyson Jackson (8 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and OLB Tamba Hali (7 tackles and 1 sack) also played solid football yesterday.  The Jets finished up with 159 yards rushing on 42 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 21 passes (61.9%) for 155 yards.  The Chiefs are now 5-8 on the year.

The Kansas City Chiefs broke a 4-game losing streak last weekend in beating the Bears 10-3 in Chicago.  The Chiefs have only given up 16 points the last two weeks and they are going to need another big time effort on that side of the ball to have any chance of an upset win over the Jets.  The Jets have won two games in a row and they really need this one to stay in the playoff race in the AFC.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are going to come out running the ball this Sunday.  Look for Dexter McCluster, Thomas Jones and Jackie Battle to handle the workload against the Jets’ D, which is allowing 112.9 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry so far this year.  The Chiefs want to be ballhogs, if possible this Sunday in New Jersey.  Tyler Palko will likely have time to throw the ball this Sunday, the problem is that his favorite WR Dwayne Bowe is going to he locked up against CB Darrelle Revis.  Opposing QBs only have a 69.0 Rating against the Jets this year, so Palko is going to have to protect the football this weekend.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Jets are getting back to be a run first team and I look for that to continue this weekend.  The Chiefs are going to have to try to stop Jets’ RB Shonn Greene and he’s a power back.  The front seven is going to have to tighten up the chinstraps this weekend.  The Chiefs are going to have to get after Jets’ QB Mark Sanchez, as he is prone to making mistakes when under a heavy pass rush.  The Jets do have solid receivers in Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress and TE Dustin Keller, so the Chiefs’ secondary is going to have to step up this weekend.

PREDICTION:  JETS 16, CHIEFS 6

The Chiefs need to get the ball in 23-year old RB Dexter McCluster’s hands more as he has the speed and moves to make a lot of big plays.  McCluster has played in 12 games for the Chiefs so far this year in which he has carried the ball 90 times for 425 yards (4.7 ypc) and he has caught 36 passes for 203 yards (5.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  McCluster has also returned 4 punts for 43 yards (10.8 avg) and 18 kickoffs for 421 yards (23.4 avg) so far this year.  So McCluster has touched the ball 148 times overall for the Chiefs so far this year and he has 1,092 total all-purpose yards.  He is averaging 91.0 all purpose yards per game so far this year and 7.4 yards per touch.

The defense was incredible for the Chiefs today and they are the reason they won this game over the Bears.  The Chiefs sacked Bears’ QBs 7 times today, as they were playing in the Bears’ backfield quite a lot in this game.  LB Derrick Johnson led the way for the Chiefs on D today with 8 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits.  Rookie OLB Justin Houston also had a huge impact on this game for the Chiefs.  Houston had 7 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 2 QB hits).  LB Jovan Belcher was also solid with 7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss for the Chiefs today.  Safety Jon McGraw, CB Javier Arenas and CB Brandon Carr each picked off one pass apiece in this game for the Chiefs.  The Bears finished up with 93 yards rushing on 24 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 24 passes (45.8%) for 88 yards in this game.

The offense just did enough to win today for the Chiefs.  Tyler Palko completed 17 of 30 passes for 157 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  His TD pass was on a Hail Mary on the last play of the second quarter to Dexter McCluster.  Palko got yanked in this game for one play as Kyle Orton dislocated his index finger on his first pass, which fell incomplete.  Dexter McCluster was the offensive star of this game for the Chiefs.  He carried the ball 9 times for 61 yards (6.8 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 46 yards (11.5 avg) with 1 TD grab in this game.  Thomas Jones (16 carries for 36 yards) and Jackie Battle (11 carries for 15 yards) didn’t do much against the Bears today.  WRs Dwayne Bowe (4 rec, 49 yards) and Steve Breaston (5 rec, 41 yards) led the way in the passing game today for the Chiefs.  The Chiefs finished up with 113 yards rushing on 37 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 31 passes (54.8%) for 139 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:42.  The Chiefs are now 5-7 on the year.

The Chiefs are fading fast as they have lost four games in a row by a combined score of 95-25!  But they did play hard on defense last week in their 13-9 loss to the Steelers.  The Bears lost a tough game 25-20 on the road against the Raiders last weekend, so they have to be happy to be coming home this Sunday where they are 5-1 on the year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are planning to start Tyler Palko in this game and that’s a huge mistake.  With that in mind, the Chiefs will likely try to keep the ball on the ground with Jackie Battle, Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster splitting carries.  The Bears are only giving up 98.6 yards rushing per game, but 4.7 yards per carry, so the Chiefs should have some success on the ground.  The Bears have 16 interceptions this year already, so Tyler Palko won’t likely be the QB long for the Chiefs in this game.  Kyle Orton would love to get revenge on the Bears for dealing him, so I look for him to eventually get into this game.  When Orton does play, he will be able to get the ball to Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston and Jonathan Baldwin.

When the Bears have the ball:  The Chiefs are going to have to go all out to stop Matt Forte and Marion Barber this Sunday.  That will be easier said than done as the Bears are averaging 121.8 yards rushing per game so far this year.  The Chiefs want to stop the Bears’ running game and put the pressure on QB Caleb Hanie.  Hanie had a rough time early on in his first NFL start last weekend in Oakland but he finished strongly.  The Chiefs hope that they can put enough pressure on Hanie (it’s unlikely to happen) to force him into making some mistakes with the football.  Hanie’s favorite target in the passing game in his first start was WR Johnny Knox and he’s really fast so whoever’s guarding him might need some help over the top.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 23, CHIEFS 17

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.