A strong performance by the Kansas City defense in St. Louis on Sunday morning lifted the Chiefs to a win over the Rams, 27-13 . With the NFC West title up for grabs, the Rams had a chance to seize control of the division after taking an early 6-0 lead in the first quarter. The Chiefs, behind a gutsy performance from Matt Cassel, just two weeks removed from an appendectomy, came back, scoring 20 unanswered points to put the game out of reach.
St. Louis woke up, but it was too little too late, as Steven Jackson found the end zone with just over four minutes to go to narrow the gap to just a touchdown. Jamaal Charles put the game to bed on the next series, taking the handoff and cruising 80 yards down to the St. Louis two yard line. Thomas Jones drove the nail into the coffin on the next play, leaping into the end zone from two yards out.
The loss gives the Seattle Seahawks a chance to pickup some breathing room, should the Hawks be able to upset the visiting Atlanta Falcons at Qwest Field Sunday afternoon. Both the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams lost this week, giving the Seahawks a chance to partially break-up the logjam atop the NFC West.
Cassel finished the game with 184 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Running back Jamaal Charles took a bit of the pressure off his injured quarterback, rushing for 126 yards and a touchdown. Thomas Jones added 62 yards and a touchdown. Chris Chambers led the Chiefs receivers with 42 yards, but didn't find the end zone.
The St. Louis offense never got into gear, as rookie sensation Sam Bradford threw for just 181 yards and two interceptions. Steven Jackson had a slow on the ground, rushing for 51 yards and a touchdown. With Bradford off his game, the St. Louis receivers had a less than productive day, led by Danny Amendola's 60yards.
The Rams fall to 6-8 on the year, yet will still be tied for the NFC West lead should the Seahawks lose. The Chiefs improved to 9-5 with the win, one game ahead of the San Diego Chargers in the AFC West.