DOFENSE = SUCCESS

Tom Gannam/AP

Dofense. If given this word at a spelling bee, I would understand your unfamiliarity with it. It's because I made it up; but for the sake of this post just play along. After having the word sink in, and realizing that you don't know what it means, you would then ask the reader to define the word.

Dofense: when offense gains momentum from the play of the defense and the defense gains momentum from the play of the offense; also, when both offense and defense build off one another, usually resulting in victory for the more dofensive team.

This word might still seem weird to you and you would need more help. For those familiar with spelling bees, the next step is to ask the reader to use it in a sentence.

Dofense: Matt Cassel brings dofense to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Now the word seems a little bit clearer to you doesn't it?

Whatever you want to call it (try dofense though, I'm going to try to make it popular), Matt Cassel is the stabilizing force not just to the offense of the Chiefs but to the entire team. All the players feed off his energy and rally around his efforts. And this effort was special. Not because of Cassel's numbers (15-29, 184 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 68.8 qb rating), but because he played the way he did after an appendectomy last week and limited practice this week and lead the team to a 27-13 victory. He wasn't even declared active until an hour and a half before the game and wasn't declared the starter until game time.

Even during warm ups, he wasn't throwing to receivers like back-ups Brodie Croyle and Tyler Palko were. Before the game, he didn't look like he was feeling well enough to be playing and that maybe he was just going to be an emergency back-up. Why wasn't he throwing? “I didn’t know where my conditioning was because I wasn’t able to run throughout the course of the week. I was limited in what I could do in the gym and I wanted to make sure I conserved my energy.” Well, I guess it worked. 


When Cassel went out on to that field for the opening possession, I think everyone was holding their breath. Is he ready to play? How will he hold up when he gets hit? All those questions were answered. Cassel was a little rusty at first, made evidenced by his interception (which isn't entirely his fault, Moeaki and Bowe were in the same spot and actually ran into each other) and the Rams defense was stopping the Chiefs offense. Also, the Chiefs defense had given up two decent drives that resulted in two field goals. This game could have easily  got out of hand. 


Then, after a gutsy 4th down and 1 run up the middle by Jackie Battle, the tide of the game turned in the Chiefs favor and Kansas City never relinquished it. That fourth down call was the turning point of the game in my opinion. Both Jamaal Charles (126 yards, 11.5 average) and Thomas Jones (who became the 25th player in NFL history to reach the 10,000 yard career mark) came alive after that play, Dwayne Bowe got back into the offensive scheme (2 catches-53 yards), Chris Chambers looked like the legitimate number 2 receiver we paid him to be (3 catches-42 yards), and Cassel became his efficient self that we have grown accustomed to this season (though he scared me to death with his scrambling and getting hit).

The Chiefs defense was superb today. They held Rams running back Steven Jackson to 67 yards off 19 carries and one touchdown. Rookie standout Sam Bradford struggled against Romeo Crennel's defense, throwing for 181 yards with 48% completion and 2 interceptions.


This is the Kansas City Chiefs that we didn't see last week, this is the Kansas City Chiefs lead by Matt Cassel, this is the Kansas City Chiefs that are first in the AFC West. Not only did he gain the respect of most of the people watching the game, he also gained the respect of both teams. 


“When you have your quarterback going to war for you like that it’s a great feeling. . . He was into it and we just followed his lead and we embraced his return all together," said safety Kendrick Lewis who picked off Rams quarterback Sam Bradford on his last two drives of the game. Wallace Gilberry, who finished with 3 sacks on the day, had this to say: “We definitely feed off each other and he’s our emotional leader and he leads by example. You have to respect that and then you want to go out, get a three-and-out, and put those guys back on the field.”


Even Steve Spagnoulo, head coach of the St. Louis Rams, respected Cassel's efforts. “I think his statement was, 'Hey, I’m not afraid to run it, I’m not afraid to throw it. I’m here to play ball.’ "


But, more important than the return of Matt Cassel, more important than the Governor's Cup (is that possible?), more important than our first winning season in 4 years, even more important than practicegate (follow my blog this week to find out what this is), the Chiefs are still in first place in the AFC West and are still in control of their own destiny. With two weeks left, and both those games at Arrowhead where we are 6-0 on the year, the Chiefs put themselves in a good position to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and win the AFC West for the first time since 2003.

Jeff Roberson/AP