Pirate Galaxy » Continue a four-game trip at the Los Angeles Kings on Sat

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The first thing that Nick Foles did was to check on his buddy.Then, once Alex Smith was headed off for a concussion test, Foles focused on leading the Chiefs offense.He repeated the whole process later in the game.Under strange and difficult circumstances, Foles proved to be the calming hand that Kansas City needed at quarterback last weekend. He filled in admirably for Smith after he twice had his head bounce off the turf in Indianapolis, the second one knocking the starter from the game, and led the Chiefs to a 30-16 victory that was crucial to their hopes of catching Oakland and Denver in the AFC West.The only thing I was thinking about was hoping he was all right, Foles said. You play this game and you see something like that -- you never want to see it. Hes a guy that Im with every day, hes a guy that has been a really good friend of mine and thats really all I was thinking.Until he got on the field and his competitive nature took over.Things figure to be a little easier in that respect on Sunday, when Kansas City welcomes Jacksonville to Arrowhead Stadium. Foles was named the starter Wednesday when the Chiefs decided to sit Smith this week, even though he has passed every concussion test hes taken.That means a full week of practice. Normal pregame warmups.No wondering whether hell get in the game.Ive been going through a lot of mental reps. I get the mental reps every practice, Foles said before his first workout this week. This will be the first physical reps. Its good to be practicing, out there with the guys, running the game plan and seeing the different looks.Foles is hardly another backup quarterback thrust into a starting role.He was drafted in the third round by Chiefs coach Andy Reid when he was still in Philadelphia, and even started six games as a rookie. He then went 14-4 as a starter for Chip Kelly the next two years, including one season in which he threw for nearly 3,000 yards with 27 touchdown passes and only two interceptions.Things didnt work out last year with the Rams, and the Chiefs were quick to snatch him up as a free agent in training camp in the event that Smith would get hurt this season. Their durable starter wound up going down against the Colts.So, Foles entered the game, first for about a quarter as Smith passed his initial concussion tests. Then for the rest of the game when Smith, cleared to return, had to go through another round of concussion tests.Foles wound up going 16 of 22 for 223 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.Most importantly, the Chiefs kept rolling to a victory.We didnt have to change anything when he went in, Reid said. He was fine doing the offense. I wasnt looking at the sheet going, `What can I and cant I call? Thats not how I felt with him.Foles also presents an element of uncertainty for the Jaguars, who have faced Smith a few times and knew what to expect. Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley was scouring tape this week of Foles in Philadelphia, hoping to glean a few bits of information to help piece together a game plan.Hes very accurate and he makes good decisions. The one year he threw very few interceptions compared to touchdowns in Philly, Bradley said. He makes good decisions. You look at timing, accuracy, decision making and he has those traits. We have high respect for him.The job could be a short-lived fill-in role. Smith expects to be back next week at Carolina. But its also a crucial one. Kansas City has won three straight and is squarely in playoff contention.Theyre a good team with some real talented players. This is a big prep week, especially for me. This is my first playing time in a little while, Foles said. We have to go out, have a great week of practice and get ready for them.Game notes WR Jeremy Maclin did not practice Thursday with a groin injury. Its unclear whether he will be available Sunday. Also missing practice were DL Jaye Howard (knee) and RB Spencer Ware (concussion). ... LB Derrick Johnson (hamstring) and CB D.J. White (hand) were limited in practice.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Wholesale Bulls Jerseys . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. 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SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Erik Karlsson enjoys getting a break every now and then, and Chris Kelly likes getting a lucky bounce every once in a while. It all worked to Ottawas advantage, which extended a nice streak.Kelly scored with 1:06 remaining and Jean-Gabriel Pageau added an empty-net goal, giving the Ottawa Senators a 4-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.It was just a safe play, Kelly said. The puck was bouncing around a lot. It bounced past the first defender and then got to the second defenders skate, and I just tried to tip it through and it was in.Mark Stone and Erik Karlsson also scored for the Senators, who beat the Sharks for a fifth straight time. Theyve won three straight in San Jose for the first time ever.Sticks hit, the puck pops up and its a weird goal, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. Sometimes it works like that. We had more than enough looks to get into it.Logan Couture and Brent Burns scored for the Sharks, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.Mike Condon stopped 35 of 37 shots for the Sens. The Sharks outshot Ottawa 18-4 in the third period, and Martin Jones allowed three goals on 16 shots overall.That was an emotional game, a lot of fun, the kind of game you like to play, Condon said. We wanted to play better with the lead but we kept them at bay and showed a lot of resilience there. Well take the two points and get out of here as quick as we can.The Senators struck quickly, recording a power-play goal less than four minutes into the contest. Mike Hoffman tossed the puck toward the net and it bounced off Burns skate. Burns lost sight of it and Stone picked it up, firing past everybody into the net.Hoffman has a point in six straight games and in eight of nine since missing a pair of contests with an injury.Karlssson made it 2-0 with a goal about four minutes later.dddddddddddd. Sharks defender Brendan Dillon tried clearing it from in front of the net, but Karlsson was right there to fire it to the high glove side.We caught a break there. Even down 2-0, I think they did a tremendous job in keeping us in our zone, Karlsson said. Condon made some big saves at the right time. We should be happy to be coming away with a late goal the way we did. We did all we could, and they played a terrific game, too.Couture got the Sharks on the board with a power-play goal midway through the second period. The Senators cleared the puck two straight possessions before Pavelski rushed to the net and then slipped the puck to an open Couture, who has six goals in his past eight games, about 10 feet away for the score.You take a penalty, they get a lucky bounce and theyre up two, Couture said. It was a disappointing loss. There were a lot of things we could have done better.Burns tied the score 6:30 into the third period, methodically working the puck to set up a shot that squeezed past Condon to the glove side.Game notes Senators D Marc Methot missed his fourth straight contest with a lower body injury. ... Stone has eight points in his last six games. ... Karlsson has nine points in his last five games. ... The Sharks recalled F Kevin LeBlanc and D Mirco Mueller. Mueller was a healthy scratch. ...