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Simms issues warning to Chiefs about Sunday's game vs. Oakland
By JEFFREY FLANAGAN
Columnist

This would not be a good time for the Chiefs to let up, even against the
struggling Oakland Raiders, or so says CBS football ****yst Phil Simms.

“Can the Raiders beat the Chiefs on Sunday? You bet,� Simms said by phone
Thursday.

“If this season has proven anything in the NFL, there isn't a team that
can just mail in a win. You have to earn it.

“The Raiders are not a bad football team. You look at the games they've
lost, and you could easily turn that record (3-7) right around.�

So what would be the scenario for a Raiders win at Arrowhead Stadium?

“Obviously, against the Chiefs, you'd try to run the ball,� Simms said.
“Look what Cincinnati did last week. Running the ball will shorten the
game. And what that does is keep the number of possessions for the Chiefs
down.

“Instead of giving the Chiefs nine or 10 possessions, you try to limit it
to eight. That can mean the difference in the game.�

Simms, who will be calling the game Sunday for CBS, also doesn't
underplay the rivalry factor.

“Think what it would mean for the Raiders to spoil the Chiefs season,�
Simms said. “Right now, it's all about home-field advantage, and the
Raiders could do some damage to the Chiefs' chances of home-field
advantage.�

Despite the Chiefs' 9-1 start, Simms isn't quite ready to mark them as a
Super Bowl team.

“I'm not going to upset every other team in the NFL and say the Chiefs
are a Super Bowl team,� Simms said. “Too much can happen in these final
six weeks. They have a lot of weapons and their defense has improved,
gotten way more physical from last year. But I don't know if any one team
right now has separated itself from all the others.

“In the AFC, you have four teams that have some separation — the Colts,
Titans, Patriots and Chiefs. It'll be interesting to see who gets the
home-field advantage there.�

As for which team would pose the biggest postseason threat at Arrowhead,
Simms agreed that the Titans would be a formidable foe.

“But don't count out the Patriots in terms of toughness,� he said.
“That's a team that has proven it can play tough on the road.�

--
"You have to realize that when you go up against our offensive line
every day in practice, it's actually a step down for us when we take the
field on Sunday. Our offensive line is the best in the NFL. The guys
we face on Sunday aren't as good as the guys we face every day."
- Ryan Sims

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