Wilkommen bei den Schatten » a lower right leg injury, which has k

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The longest regular-season win streak in the NFL these days belongs not to the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, the NFC champion Carolina Panthers or the perennially contending New England Patriots.It belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs.The team of Alex Smith, Jamaal Charles and Co. that lost to the Patriots in the playoffs last season has not dropped a regular-season game since Oct. 18, 2015. And that means the Chiefs carry a 10-game streak into a season full of optimism that begins against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.It was such a good run last year and we felt like we had so much more in the tank, Chiefs center Mitch Morse said. We are ready to prove ourselves this year and go all the way. Thats the ultimate goal, and anything less is unsatisfactory.The Chiefs certainly hope to get off to a better start. After winning their opener in Houston a year ago, they proceeded to lose five straight games, a run of misfortune that included the loss of Charles to a season-ending knee injury.But behind the calming poise of Smith, the running duo of Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware, and a top-flight defense, the Chiefs pieced together one of the best stretches in franchise history. Not only did they return to the playoffs, they also won their first postseason game in nearly three decades.Now, they want to take another step.The ultimate goal, veteran pass rusher Tamba Hali said, is to win a championship here.As the Chiefs prepare for their season opener, here are the dominant story lines:INJURY WATCH: Pro Bowl linebacker Justin Houston will not be back until at least midway through the season after having surgery to repair a knee ligament in February. The Chiefs have also been cautious with Charles and Hali, both of whom are coming off their own knee surgeries.Im ready for whatever the coaches ask, said Charles, who likely will sit out the opener. Im ready, happy and looking forward to getting on the field. When my time comes, its going to come.SHARING THE LOAD: Charles, West and Ware give the Chiefs three running backs capable of carrying the load, so it will be interesting to see whether there are enough carries to go around. Charles is the most complete of the three, but the scatter-bug West and bruising Ware offer a nice change of paceAll of those guys have different things that they do well, co-offensive coordinator Brad Childress said. We expect them to do the same type of things.DEFENSIVE QUESTION MARKS: The absence of Houston and Halis age and health make the pass rush a significant question mark. Former first-round pick Dee Ford has not lived up to expectations, and a season-ending hip injury to middle linebacker Josh Mauga leaves the linebackers corps in flux.The Chiefs may need to generate quarterback pressure from Jaye Howard, Dontari Poe, Allen Bailey and rookie Chris Jones, who together form one of the leagues best defensive lines.We continue to come out and do a lot of good things, Poe said. I feel like we can be the best weve ever been since Ive been here. I feel like if we keep pushing well be right where we want to be.BUCKLING DOWN: There are also questions in the secondary, where second-year pro Steven Nelson and Phillip Gaines have been competing for the starting cornerback spot opposite Defensive Rookie of the Year Marcus Peters.Eric Berry should provide some leadership, but will he be rusty early on? The All-Pro safety did not sign his franchise tender and report to training camp until Aug. 31, so he missed all of the preseason.The only thing is just getting used to so many bodies flying around, NFL bodies, he said. You try to fill it in with high school players and other people that are around training, but its different when you have 11 guys on the field that know what theyre doing and know where to be. Things tend to move a little faster, so just getting that rust knocked off and adjusting quickly.CALLING THE SHOTS: Chiefs coach Andy Reid will continue to have the final say on offense, but hell have new voices helping him out. Offensive coordinator Doug Pederson is now the head coach in Philadelphia, so Childress is sharing duties with Matt Nagy. But both coaches insisted very little has changed.Theres some staples to our offense, but we grow, Nagy said. We adapt to the players that we have, and (Reid) is very creative. He does a good job of mixing guys around -- mixing and matching. So thats a part of keeping the game fun as well.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLD. J. Augustin Jersey .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Charlotte Hornets Store . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. https://www.cheaphornets.com/405l-kemba-walker-jersey-hornets.html . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Baron Davis Jersey . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Anthony Mason Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human.ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Dwayne Washington moved a step closer to earning a job with the Detroit Lions on Thursday.The seventh-round pick, who leads the team in rushing and has returned a kickoff for a touchdown this preseason, still has a shot to make the team unlike Stevan Ridley.Detroit cut Ridley, who has run for 2,907 yards over five seasons, to take one player out of the mix in its crowded backfield.That move seemed to improve Washingtons chances.Yeah, I guess you could say that, he acknowledged.Detroit signed Ridley in April, hoping he would bolster depth in the backfield after releasing Joique Bell.Now, were down to one big back, which is me, the 6-foot-2, 226-pound Washington said.Detroits top two running backs are Ameer Abdullah and Theo Ridley. Zach Zenner, an undrafted rookie last year, appears to be in position to earn a spot on the roster again.Washington may have played his way into a role as the teams fourth running back, gaining 4.3 yards per carry, catching a pass for 15 yards, running for a 2-point conversion and returning a kick 96 yards for a score.When the guy gets the ball, he does impressive things, Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. Thats a good trait to have.Going into training camp, it looked as if Ridley might have an opportunity to revive his career with the Lions, whose general manager, Bob Quinn, saw up close what he did four years ago with the New England Patriots.Ridley had 1,263 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns in 2012 in New England. Last season, though, he ran for just 90 yards last season, started one game and played in eight more for the New York Jets.Hes still got obviously some juice left and hes a good player, Lions coach Jim Caldwell said.dddddddddddd It was just in our situation, we did what we think is best.Detroits third preseason game Friday night at Baltimore will give a lot of players a chance to improve their position on the depth chart.This one feels a little more intense because for some of us, it might be the last game we play, said tight end Adam Fuehne, an undrafted rookie from Southern Illinois.Injuries have opened up opportunities for the teams tight ends because Eric Ebron is recovering from a lower right leg injury, which has kept him out for nearly three weeks, and Brandon Pettigrew hasnt been cleared to practice after having knee surgery late last season.Undrafted rookie Cole Wick and journeyman Matthew Mulligan both have had an opportunity to show what they can do without the teams tight ends available to take reps.The Lions signed Jeremy Kerley to help them on offense and special teams, but the signing of Anquan Boldin moved him down a peg among the receivers. And the emergence of Washington as a possible option as a returner also may make him expendable when cuts are made over the next two weeks.Kerley has caught six passes, tying a team high, for 44 yards. He has returned two punts for 16 yards and two kicks for 48 yards this preseason.Against the Ravens, the former New York Jet hopes to take advantage of a chance to shine and stick with the team.Every time the lights are turned on, its an important game for me, Kerley said.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '