Things haven’t always been pretty for the Chiefs during their winning streak, but on both sides of the ball they have been able to make plays when they have needed to.  There was no better example of this than in the final minutes of the win over the Chargers.  Sure, Philip Rivers fumbled a snap while driving for a winning field goal, but Kansas City LB Andy Studebaker found a way to come up with the ball at the bottom of the pile.

Against the winless Dolphins, the Chiefs should be ready to win ugly again as they try to avoid the dreaded “trap game”.  The talk around Miami might be all about “Suck 4 Luck”, but I can promise you the players aren’t thinking about a player they might not play with even if he does end up with the Dolphins.

All the players in Miami are thinking about is finding a way to get their first win and avoid being the NFL’s last winless team.  So the Chiefs better be ready to face a team playing their “A” game, because that’s exactly what the Dolphins did to the Giants last week.  Miami dominated New York early before faltering late and falling 20-17.

Considering where the Chiefs were just a month ago, odds are the team realizes they aren’t going to just stroll into Arrowhead Sunday afternoon and be handed a win.

Here are three players from each team to keep your eyes on.

Chiefs

Offense: Matt Cassel

Believe it or not, the Dolphins are nearly a top 10 defense against the run.  Facing the Giants last week they only allowed 58 yards on 23 carries.  Take away an 18-yarder from Ahmad Bradshaw and that’s a whopping 1.8 yards per carry.  All that adds up to Cassel needing to come up with a huge game for Kansas City.

With rookie Jonathan Baldwin finally getting involved in the offense last week, Cassel will have three playmakers to target between the first-round pick, Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston.  A battered Miami secondary should be ripe for the picking for Cassel and the Chiefs passing attack.

Defense: Wallace Gilberry

If there was ever a time for the defensive end to show up, this is the week.  OLB Tamba Hali continues to be fantastic but he also draws non-stop attention from opposing offenses.  So far this season no one on the Chiefs defense has stepped up in the pass rush department the way Gilberry did last season.

All Gilberry has produced this season is four tackles and one sack.  He did have a big play last week, tipping a pass at the line that ended up in the hands of LB Derrick Johnson, but much was barely heard from otherwise.

For Hali to take his game to the next level (yes, there is another level) there needs to be pressure produced from somewhere else on the defense on a consistent basis.

Special Teams: Dexter McCluster

After almost exclusively using CB Javier Arenas to return kicks, the Chiefs used the shifty McCluster for a total of six returns last week against the Chargers.  The running back answered the call with five kick returns at a 27.4 yard average, certainly earning another shot against the Dolphins.

Miami nearly gave up a return for a touchdown against New York last week, so keep an eye on McCluster as he heads out of the end zone.

Dolphins

Offense: Brandon Marshall

Our old friend is finally making his return to Arrowhead.

Marshall made plenty of enemies in Kansas City over the years as he turned in some solid performances during his time with the Denver Broncos.  This will be the wide receiver’s first trip to Kansas City since the Broncos shipped him to Miami before last season.

In his last five games against the Chiefs, Marshall has averaged over 8 catches, 92 yards and a touchdown.  If Kansas City plans on keeping the Dolphins without a win, they’ll want to try and find a way to finally put a lid on Marshall’s explosive ability.

Defense: Cameron Wake

Meet the South Beach version of Hali. Like the Chiefs linebacker, Wake played his college ball at Penn State and is one of the best pass rushers in the league despite being hidden on a terrible team.

Also playing without any consistent help (Jason Taylor doesn’t count), Wake has racked up five sacks this season (Hali has six) and continues to improve against the run.  In order for Cassel to turn in the type of game needed to pull out a victory, Wake needs to be accounted for all day.

Special Teams: Steve Slaton

Depending on the status of rookie running back Daniel Thomas, Slaton could end up playing an important role in the running game for the Dolphins.  But no matter how much he is needed on offense, watch out for the speedster making noise on kick returns.

In just his third game with Miami since being acquired on waivers from the Houston Texans, Slaton has already had a couple of nice returns for the Dolphins.  Against the Giants, he had three kick returns for 85 yards, including a 42-yarder.

K Ryan Succop and the Chiefs coverage unit is fifth best in the league when it comes to return average (20) thanks to just 9 kicks being taken out of the end zone.  Slaton has the speed to make teams pay, setting the stage for a fun chess game.

File this under “just another day at the office”, but former Broncos and current Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall is unhappy.  Though what might surprise you is that, according to The Palm Beach Post, he wants the offense to operate more the way it did with former Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen who backed up Chad Henne this season.  Marhsall wants to be able to change his routes when he has single coverage, something that Henne is not willing to do.

“In the past, taking the shot always worked out pretty good, and that’s something I’ve been trying to get called all year,” Marshall said.  “I’m covered, (but) that doesn’t mean I’m covered. … Just throw it up, you know?”

But Marshall said Thigpen and he are on the same page when it comes to reading coverages and improvising routes at the line of scrimmage.   Marshall said Thigpen learned how to do this in Kansas City, when he had Dwayne Bowe, another big receiver, to throw to.

When Thigpen entered Sunday’s game in the third quarter, Marshall said he and Thigpen optioned to a “go” route three different times – the results being a 27-yard pass to Marshall, a 32-yard pass interference penalty against the Patriots, and a dropped pass by Marshall.

“I think Tyler gets it a little more,” Marshall said.  “I’ve been trying to communicate with the quarterbacks all year, and we finally get it in the last game.  It shows what we’re capable of doing.  So yeah, Tyler is a guy that kind of gets it.”

Just shocking that Marshall is causing trouble, new contract or not.  He is a malcontent and will always be that way no matter where or how he is playing.  That said, teams put up with him for a reason and it’s the same reason we were all happy to see Marshall take his talents to South Beach and far away from the AFC West.  Can you imagine trying to cover Marshall and a rejuvenated Brandon Lloyd at the same time?  No thank you.

As for the Dolphins, their players shouldn’t be screaming their complaints from the rooftops, but they are a mess.  Thigpen may never be the long-term answer at quarterback, I get that, it’s just hard to believe they stuck with Henne as long as they did considering how little he has shown.

Who knows, maybe when the Dolphins travel to Arrowhead next season we’ll see a re-worked version of the Thigbone offense with Thigpen going deep to Marshall.

Ginn was a top pick in 2007.  He is a dynamic receiver and return man.  But he hasn’t made as big of an impact as a receiver as expected.  He had just 38 catches last season.  Still, if the price is right, he could be an intriguing addition.

The Chiefs could use another receiver and Ginn would help in the return game.  If the price isn’t too much, the Chiefs could be a decent fit for Ginn.

After trading away two second-round picks to pick up Marshall, the Dolphins will have their eye on picking up more picks for next week’s draft and the Chiefs have multiple mid-round selections that could be appealing to Miami.

Chiefs GM Scott Pioli has already cut two trades with his father-in-law, Dolphins EVP Bill Parcells, making it likely that if Kansas City has any interest in Ginn at all a deal will get done quickly.

I know Todd Haley has no desire to bring another WR with the dropsies on board, but Ginn would immediately solve the kick returning issues the Chiefs had to deal with all last season.  If he can be had for one of their 5th round picks in next week’s draft or a conditional late round selection in the 2011 draft, Ginn would be well worth the risk.

The Denver Broncos have finally unloaded WR Brandon Marshall, trading him to the Miami Dolphins for a second-round pick this season and what is thought to be an additional second-round seclection in 2011.

The trade is contingent upon the league processing the paper work and Marshall passing his physical, neither of which is expected to be an issue Wednesday.  Marshall is scheduled to fly to Miami to take his physical and, if he passes, sign what will be one of the most lucrative wide receiver deals in NFL history.  It is the type of contract that an unhappy Marshall had been seeking in recent years.  Miami will provide it, making Marshall very happy.

What the Broncos will receive in return is something of a windfall in these NFL times.  This off-season, Holmes went to the Jets for a fifth-round pick, wide receiver Anquan Boldin went to the Ravens for essentially for a third-round pick, and quarterback Donovan McNabb went to the Redskins for a second- and conditional fourth-round pick.  Denver got fair, and possibly better than, market value.

Denver now heads into next Thursday’s draft armed with three picks in the top two rounds – but with another hole to fill at wide receiver.  Still, it has the ammunition it needs to continue to remake and improve its roster.

I love seeing Marshall leave the division, but the Broncos got quite the haul.  It’s amazing to think that the Dolphins were willing to part with 2 second-round picks along with handing out one of the biggest contracts in the league.

If I had a choice between Marshall for 2 second-round picks or Boldin for one second round pick and a smaller contract, it’s a no brainer that I would go with the former Cardinals receiver.

Unquestionably the most physically gifted receiver to ever wear the orange and blue uniform, Marshall’s four seasons in Denver were marked with just about everything except doubt regarding his imminent departure.

“I’ll put it like this: The way things have gone, I’d be surprised if he’s back,” Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said.  “I’ve seen it happen to the best of the best and the worst of the worst.”

Marshall declined comment during Pro Bowl week, which means he may have said his final words as a Bronco.  He will wear the team helmet while playing for the AFC in the Pro Bowl game tonight at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.

But the next time Marshall and the Broncos go to work for each other, their business is expected to appear on the transaction wire.

Rather than negotiate a multiyear contract with their No. 1 receiver of the past three seasons, the Broncos are expected to trade Marshall soon after the 2010 trading and free-agency season opens March 5.

“If Brandon leaves the division, the rest of us will be happy,” Oakland Raiders star cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said.  “He’s a great player.”

Because Marshall is a restricted free agent, the Broncos are expected to go through the exercise of tendering him a contract.  But that tender will only serve as a mechanism to execute a deal with another club.  Baltimore, Miami, Seattle, Chicago, Cleveland (how about Marshall for Brady Quinn?) and maybe the New York Jets are among the teams that may benefit most from acquiring a top-shelf receiver.

Marshall will keep playing football. It’s just that after today, it most likely won’t be while representing the Broncos.  The team traded away Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler last year.  It won’t hesitate to deal its Pro Bowl receiver this year.

I’m with Asomugha here.  We all love to hate Marshall, but there’s no doubt the Broncos offense will have trouble replacing someone that talented.  A couple of days ago I was talking about the possibility that Quinn would reunite with Charlie Weis in Kansas City, but that is only if the Browns are forced to release him.  The Chiefs won’t be able to compete with any offer from Denver that begins with Marshall, nor would Scott Pioli want to offer much value for a backup quarterback.

Marshall finished the season with 10 touchdowns in just 15 games.  Those are numbers I’ll be more than happy to see leave the AFC West.

“I was actually supposed to be blitzing on the other side, but I read the quarterback and he was looking down on his receiver really hard and I got in front of it,” Johnson said.  “I don’t know how I caught the ball.  It was a blur in there.  It came really fast.

“I thought somebody was going to catch me, but I was all by myself.”

There were times this year when Johnson felt all by himself as he sat in the Chiefs locker room.   A starter in each of the games during his four previous seasons, he was moved to a role as a nickel linebacker and Johnson wasn’t sure why. Eventually, he tried to make the best of things.

“If you love football, whenever you get a chance to get out there and play, you’ve just got to go out and seize the moment,” Johnson said.  “Do I wish I would have played more?  Yeah, I have a lot of confidence in myself.  Sometimes you don’t have to agree.  All the coaches have great intentions; it was anything about doing something bad to Derrick Johnson.

“It’s a combination of things.  We disagree on some things and he (Haley) knows that.  We don’t’ have any beef or anything like that.  He told me when I get my chance, I need to play.  That’s what I did today.”

But more than anything else what happened on Sunday wasn’t about vindication for Johnson.  It was about winning.

“The most frustrating thing about this year has been the losing,” Johnson said.  “Of course I want to play more, but when you lose a lot, it’s just … this win feels good.  Bumps and bruises don’t hurt as much.”

And the previous four months don’t hurt as much either.

“This has been going on all year, and I know how to handle it now,” Johnson said.  “It’s made me a better person.”

Winning makes everything feel better and if the Chiefs had had more success this season — especially on defense — there wouldn’t have been such an outcry to have Johnson on the field.  It just seemed that every time he was on the field something good happened for the Chiefs.  An interception here, a wrestling-style sack there but for some reason his playing time still wouldn’t increase much.  That has changed the last couple of weeks and it payed off in full yesterday.

There are going to be problems going into next season no matter his free agency status since he wants some sort of guarantee that he’ll be starting.  As we all know, Todd Haley wouldn’t even officially say Matt Cassel was his starting quarterback after Scott Pioli sent a second round pick to New England in order to acquire him.

If you’ve been reading this site with any regularity, you know I’ve been the President of the Derrick Johnson fan club and hope he is back in Kansas City next season.  With Romeo Crennel (likely) coming in next season to run the defense and DJ understanding what Haley wants day in and day out, he should finally be able to produce the kind of season a lot of us have expected.

Now that the Chiefs season is officially over, it’s time to look towards April’s draft.

Sunday’s win dropped the Chiefs two spots in this year’s NFL draft.  The Chiefs would have picked third but instead will choose fifth after finishing 4-12.

St. Louis, at 1-15, will have the top pick, followed by Detroit, 2-14, and Tampa Bay, 3-13.

Washington also finished 4-12 but will pick ahead of the Chiefs because its opponents had a weaker collective winning percentage (49.2) than the Chiefs (51.6).

It’s tough to see the Chiefs lose that extra spot because of what probably ended up being the Giants loss to the Vikings.  Being at five probably means there is little chance Kansas City ends up with Ndamukong Suh or Eric Berry, the two players that would have the most immediate impact.  The Chiefs are going to need a team behind them to fall in love with one of the quarterbacks and want to jump ahead of the 5 win teams that all could be in the market for a new signal caller.

Broncos fans knew it was going to be a long day when they got to the stadium and saw the cover of their “Gameday” magazine.

Yep, No. 15, Brandon Marshall, with the headline “Dissecting the Beast.”

You’ve got to think the Broncos publication staff might want a mulligan on this one.

Well, it was accurate…  The Chiefs did dissect the beast.

McDaniels wouldn’t directly address the reasons for his decision, though he mentioned accountability and said several other players will play Sunday with injuries worse than Marshall’s.  Marshall tweaked his right hamstring at practice Wednesday.

Marshall said he didn’t want to get into a war of words, but he did note that McDaniels never played professionally to realize how difficult it is to compete while you’re hurt.

“Coach never played in the NFL,” Marshall told reporters after the decision, according to KDVR-TV, Denver’s Fox affiliate.  “I’m going to handle this professionally.”

Marshall had sat out practice for the second straight day Thursday with a strained right hamstring that he suffered running a route.  McDaniels said Thursday he wasn’t sure how serious the injury was.

Marshall was recently named to his second straight Pro Bowl honor and has caught at least 100 passes for three straight seasons.

This kid is a great receiver, but what a mess.  He talks about how his coach has never played the game and in the next breath he’s trying to say he’s a professional.  What a joke.  Like I said, he can play and you can’t deny is talent but as long as he acts like a clown he will never be as good as Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson or Andre Johnson.

With all that being said, I will be happy as can be when he leaves the AFC West after the season.

Specifically, it was the dropped pass by WR Chris Chambers that would have given the Chiefs the ball at the Bills two-yard line with just around two minutes to play.

“That was the game,” Fewell said afterwards.  “Yes, he did beat the coverage but we were on the lucky end today.  Sometimes you have to have a little luck.”

It also helps when players make plays, like DE Aaron Schobel did on fourth-and goal at the Bills one-yard line in the first half of the game.  Chiefs QB Matt Cassel was trying to run a bootleg, but Schobel wasn’t fooled and brought down Cassel for a seven-yard loss.

“We were in a goal-line defense and thought that they would pass the ball,” said Fewell, who still doubles as the team’s defensive coordinator.  “When the quarterback kept it, it was a Schobel play.  The guy makes plays and you just have to go ‘Man, I’m glad we got this guy!’”

Fewell is now 2-2 since he took over for the fired Dick Jauron and he could have cared less if the game was not a classic.

“I don’t see any ugly in victory,” Fewell said.  “All victories are pretty to me.”

What wasn’t pretty was the performance of Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who completed 12 of 20 passes for 86 yards and an interception.

Fitzpatrick wasn’t happy with the interception he threw in the end zone, where CB Brandon Flowers picked him off.

“That was a poor decision,” Fitzgerald said.  “It was really a one-receiver route and we ran it all week.  You can’t make decisions like that out there.  Luckily it didn’t cost us.”

And that — just as much as the Chambers drop — was the story of the game.  The Chiefs defense gave up large chunks of yardage on the ground but got the job done when they needed to, including Flowers’ fantastic read on the interception.  Unfortunately the Kansas City offense couldn’t answer the bell and let the three turnovers go for naught.

The highlight of the game for the Kansas City fans might have been the pregame ceremonies to honor golfer Tom Watson.

Watson’s stepdaughter, Kelly Paige, 20, sang the national anthem after he received a plaque and framed red No. 1 Chiefs jersey.

“I’ve been watching the Chiefs play since they were the Dallas Texans,” Watson said.  “I watched that championship game in 1962 when they played six quarters to win it and became a Dallas Texans fan right then and there.  Kansas City is my home.  I’ve always been a Chiefs fan, a Royals (fan) …”

Watson, who plans to play in the 2010 Masters and British Open among other tournaments, said he was surprised to learn of Tiger Woods’ transgressions.

“Golf is going to have a hard time, probably,” Watson said, “but we’ll come through this.

“I like what Tiger had to say (Saturday) about his issue, and I think he’s got to make amends with his wife.”

And Tiger Woods makes his first appearance on KC Chiefs Blog!  Welcome to the party, Tiger.  Maybe you’ll deliver some extra hits (pun no completely intended).

Seriously though, Watson has had an amazing career and I would love to see the Chiefs continue to honor more of the fine people that make their home in Kansas City.

While the Bills were taking on the Chiefs, wide receiver Terrell Owens was losing one of his personal records as Broncos receiver caught 21 passes against the Colts, breaking TO’s single game mark.

“No more deserving of a guy than he is,” Owens said of Marshall.  “He’s just been a hard worker.  They always said that he was the ‘Baby T.O.’  All records are meant to be broken at some point.   I wish him well. He’s going to have a great career.”

Owens caught 20 passes Dec. 17, 2000, against Chicago when he played for San Francisco.  His performance upstaged Jerry Rice’s final game with the 49ers.  The previous league mark was 18 catches by Tom Fears of the Los Angeles Rams (Dec. 3, 1950, against Green Bay).

“When I broke it I really didn’t know much about the record,” Owens said.  “I didn’t know much about Tom Fears, either.  It was one of those moments I had when we were kind of clicking.  I knew it was only a matter of time [that the record would be broken].”

While Owens lost one record, he moved up on another record list.

With a 9-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, he moved into sole possession of fourth place on the NFL’s all-time career touchdowns list.  His 146 TDs put him one ahead of Marcus Allen and Randy Moss.  Owens remains third on the career receiving TDs chart with 143, one behind Moss.

Can you imagine how TO would be viewed if he weren’t such a malcontent?  He has all the talent in the world, but like Randy Moss, only plays at a high level when he feels like it.  I’ve yet to see Larry Fitzgerald or Andre Johnson take plays off.  Every time they are on the field you know they can change the game, but there are times you know Owens won’t be a factor.

Tamba Hali:

“Really?  That’s nice.”

When he was told Favre was likely to start against the Chiefs, Hali said “Really? Huh.” Then he shrugged and walked away.

Bernard Pollard, who was part of the defense torched by Favre during last year’s Jets game:

“If I can get a free shot on him, I’m going to let him know.  I’m going to pay him back.”

Mike Vrabel on Favre missing training camp:

“It would be a distraction here for someone to show up in the middle of camp,however many two-a-days we had, however many full-padded practices — that’s certainly not what we’d be looking for.  He’s a competitor and I’m sure that’s what is driving him now.  I hope for his sake his body can still match his competitiveness.”

During the Chiefs’ daily running session yesterday, Vrabel was a bit more harsh:

“They got Brett Favre, (Bleep) ’em!”

Brandon Flowers, who got his first two career interceptions against Favre (including a pick six):

“Everybody wants to play against a quarterback like Brett Favre.  Those are games you never forget, when you play against a great quarterback. I  hope he plays.”

Todd Haley:

“He’s one of the great players of all time.  We (Arizona) went up there to the Meadowlands last year and he probably had one of his better games in a long time against us.  So I don’t have fond memories of Brett Favre.”

If Favre takes more than one, three step drop on Friday night I would be surprised.  But if you listen to Pollard, he sure would like to be right up front when Farve takes those steps.  Brett, if I were you, aside from being very rich I would take good care of my knees Friday.

I am absolutely shocked that the NFL Network hasn’t moved Friday’s game from a “replay” at 11pm EST to live at 8pm EST.  TV rules aren’t my thing, so I don’t know the red tape they might have to go through, but it seems like the perfect move.  Instead, while Favre is making his debut for the Vikings, the NFL Network will be showing the first episode of “Making The Squad: Miami Dolphins”.