National Football League

Chiefs keep playoff hopes on life support

Published Dec. 6, 2011 5:32 a.m. ET

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The way this season has gone for the Kansas City Chiefs, it figured that Kyle Orton would hurt his finger on his first play with his new team.

The Chiefs have been waylaid by injuries, in-fighting and inconsistency. Their best players have been bruised, battered and beaten down. The losses have been stunning routs, the victories by the narrowest margins, and yet somehow they still have a chance to make the playoffs.

However remote it may be.

Kansas City managed to slip past the Chicago Bears 10-3 on Sunday, the lone touchdown coming when Dexter McCluster hauled in a deflected desperation pass at the end of the first half. It was the first time the offense had scored in 56 drives, and of course it would be in the most improbable of ways.

Chiefs coach Todd Haley couldn't help but smile on Monday, though. Kansas City counted out so many times all season, is just two games back in the AFC West and still has games to play against both teams it trails in the standings.

''If we can figure out a way to win - pretty, ugly or indifferent - we have a chance,'' Haley said.

Ugly seems to be modus operandi at the moment.

The offense still struggles to get out of its own way, managing just 252 yards total against the Bears. The Chiefs had a fourth of that total - 60 yards - in penalties. And their 3.1 yards per carry would be bad enough if not for the fact that the passing game has been a disaster since Matt Cassel went down with a season-ending injury to his throwing hand.

Tyler Palko's numbers looked respectable against Chicago: 17 of 30 for 157 yards and a touchdown without an interception. They look even better when you consider he had seven turnovers in his first two starts, including three in a span of three plays last week against the Steelers.

But that doesn't hide the fact that the offense still can't find some traction.

''We know what happens if we lose,'' wide receiver Steve Breaston said. ''We have to take one game at a time. I know everybody says that, but that's extremely important with the situation we're in.''

It helps that a defense so maligned earlier in the season, when it allowed more than 40 points in back-to-back games against Buffalo and Detroit, has emerged as the team's biggest strength.

Kansas City had seven sacks against the Bears, three of them by rookie linebacker Justin Houston, who has come on as the biggest bright spot out of this year's draft. Linebacker Derrick Johnson also had a sack, continuing a breakthrough season with a performance that caught the attention of Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, who made a point of telling Haley how impressed he was.

''We're being more consistent. We're being aware of our season's situation,'' Johnson said. ''We need to play good. It's a lot of pressure, but it's positive pressure.''

Jon McGraw had one of three interceptions for the defense, and the only reason he's playing so much is because Pro bowl safety Eric Berry went down for the season in the opener. McGraw's pick of a deflection in the end zone prevented a potential Bears touchdown.

Chicago wound up going 0 for 11 on third down and failed on both of its fourth-down tries. The offense managed just 181 yards, and quarterback Caleb Hanie's rating was just 23.8.

''We expect to do good when you go out on the field,'' Johnson said. ''That's when you get success, when you expect to do good. We didn't expect them to be 0 for 11 on third downs, but it works. We know we need to play good every week. We do that we'll have a chance to win.''

Haley said even he was a bit surprised by the way the defense has played, not just on Sunday, but in the last few weeks. It gave Kansas City (5-7) a chance to beat Denver in a 17-10 loss a few weeks ago, and did so again in a 13-9 loss to Pittsburgh just over a week ago.

On Sunday, the offense finally did enough to make sure it wouldn't go to waste.

''We're coming on at the right time,'' Haley said.

Just in time. Maybe.

The Chiefs still have a brutal stretch of games awaiting them, starting on the road Sunday against the Jets. Then it's home against the defending Super Bowl champion Packers, who are chasing a perfect season, before division rivals Oakland and Denver to finish out the regular season.

But at least they're in a position to keep playing for something.

''It felt really good to get a win,'' wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin said. ''Now, we can't get sidetracked. We just have to keep executing and go from there.''

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