Visitor:  Kansas City Chiefs

Home:  St. Louis Rams

Date:  December 19, 2010

 

Scoring:

Team               1          2          3          4          Final

KC                  0          14        3          10          27

STL                 6          0          0          7            13

 

Visitor playmakers:

TE Leonard Pope, RB Jamaal Charles, RB Thomas Jones, DE Wallace Gilberry, DB Kendrick Lewis

 

Home playmakers:

RB Steven Jackson, DB Kevin Dockery, DE James Hall, DE Chris Long, LB David Vobora

 

Network:  CBS (KCTV Kansas City)

Announcers:  Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

 

Pregame:  Yes

Halftime:  Yes

Postgame:  No

Commercials:  Yes

 

Grade:  9.5/10

 

Notes:  QB Matt Cassel went the distance only 11 days after an emergency appendectomy, leading the way in a 27-13 victory over the suddenly sagging St. Louis Rams.

 

Before the game, Cassel said one of the team doctors texted that he was probably more nervous than the quarterback about what might happen. Teammates were impressed at the quarterback's toughness, too.  To the Rams, Cassel didn't look a man who'd just been stitched up.

 

Cassel was questionable after getting limited work in practice, but led the team on the field for warm-ups and didn't miss a snap while going 15 for 29 for 184 yards. He was rarely hit by the Rams, who sacked him twice on the same series in the third quarter but couldn't rattle him, and even produced a first down with a 13-yard scramble in the second quarter.

 

Jamaal Charles scored on a short run and helped clinch it with a late 80-yard burst for the Chiefs (9-5), who retained a one-game lead over the Chargers in the AFC West.

 

RB Thomas Jones became the NFL's 25th player to rush for 10,000 yards and scored the final touchdown on a 2-yard run with 3:26 to go, one play after Ron Bartell ran down Charles just shy of the goal line. Charles had 126 yards on 11 carries and Jones had 62 yards on 22 carries, and the Chiefs totaled 213 yards rushing.  Jones, who alternates with Charles, hit the 10,000-yard plateau on a 4-yard carry early in the third quarter. Jones entered the game needing 17 yards and finished with 62 yards on 22 carries after totaling 1 yard on three attempts last week.

 

The Rams (6-8) fizzled after a strong start, losing their second straight and missing a shot to solidify first place in the weak NFC West. Sam Bradford became the third rookie in the NFL to pass for 3,000 yards but it came in one of his worst performances.

 

Bradford was 21 for 43 for 181 yards and two interceptions, both times by Kendrick Lewis. Bradford was sacked three times, all by Wallace Gilberry, to lead a pass rush that hounded him all day.

 

The Chiefs have won five straight in the series since 1997, and were helped in this one by thousands of vocal fans who made the trip across Interstate 70. Gov. Jay Nixon attended and presented the Governor's Cup trophy, usually awarded after a preseason game.  The Rams had five false starts. QB Sam Bradford said "for a home game it was a little harder to hear."

 

Running time:  2:56 (2 DVDs)