The Chiefs' future could be right under their nose

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on December 20, 2011, 12:38 PM EST

Getty Images

Kansas City’s win over the Packers may just transform the direction of the franchise for the next few years.

Interim coach Romeo Crennel has a chance to earn the job outright. And Kyle Orton could find a home in Kansas City, if he keeps winning.

“If we win these next two games with [Orton], and he continues to play the way he did today, then you might have to say that,” Crennel said, when asked Sunday if Orton should be the team’s quarterback in 2012. “That’s what happens in football: You see what kind of production a player has, and then you make a determination of whether you think that production will continue and if you want that type of player on your team.

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Banged up Steelers shutdown by Niners

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 20, 2011, 12:26 AM EST

Reuters

The 49ers’ defense played lights-out football on Monday night in San Francisco, and the injured Ben Roethlisberger struggled to get anything going, as the Steelers fell to the 49ers 20-3.

The question before the game was whether Roethlisberger would be able to start for the Steelers on his injured ankle. He decided to tough it out even though he was clearly at less than 100 percent, and he threw the ball well at times, passing for 330 yards. But he also had four costly turnovers: Two interceptions dug an early hole for the Steelers, a fourth-quarter fumble led to a 49ers touchdown with nine minutes left in the game, and Roethlisberger’s third interception late in the fourth quarter sealed the loss.