Two weeks ago, the Kansas City Chiefs were threatening to run away with the AFC West. Then they forgot how to run.
The Chiefs will try to restore their ground game and maintain their hold on the division lead when they host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
The Chiefs were 5-2, but consecutive losses to Oakland and Denver brought them pack to the pack. The Chiefs and Raiders are tied for first at 5-4, with the San Diego Chargers (4-5) and Broncos (3-6) looming.
The Cardinals (3-6), who have lost four straight, are still alive in the NFC West. Seattle leads the division at 5-4 followed by St. Louis (4-5), San Francisco (3-6) and Arizona.
The Chiefs have the No. 1 rushing attack in the NFL at 165.3 yards per game. In their 23-20 overtime loss to the Raiders, though, they were held to 104 yards.
Kansas City was taken completely out its element last week when it rushed for 51 yards in its 49-29 loss to the Broncos. The Chiefs trailed 35-0 in the first half, which forced Matt Cassel to throw for a career-high 469 yards, most of them meaningless in the second half.
Cassel is having an exceptional season with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions, but the Chiefs have Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, arguably the best 1-2 backfield punch in the NFL.
Charles is sixth with 760 yards and his 6.0 yards per carry average leads players with 30 or more carries. Jones has 573 yards and three touchdowns.
The Chiefs will face the No. 28 rushing defense in the league as the Cardinals allow 132.4 yards per game. Arizona is also 27th against the pass (269.3) and allows an NFL-worst 29 points per game.
The Cardinals, though, are 12th in sacks with 20. Arizona’s Darnell Dockett has 26 sacks (including playoffs) since 2007, the most among defensive tackles in the NFL, but only two this season.
Kansas City’s Dwayne Bowe has caught eight of his career-high nine touchdown passes in his last five games. His touchdown total is tied for the NFL lead.
The Cardinals have struggled in all facets of their game. They rank 29th in rushing (82.7 yards per game) and 30th in passing (181.2).
Arizona running back Beanie Wells is expected to play. He missed the first two games of the season while recovering from knee surgery and sat out last week’s 36-18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Two weeks ago, he had one carry against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Cardinals’ Derek Anderson has completed 53.5 percent of his passes, with six touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. All-Pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has 49 catches for 601 yards and has four of the seven touchdown receptions for the Cardinals.
Chiefs coach Todd Haley served as offensive coordinator with the Cardinals before taking the Chiefs job in 2009.
Kansas City scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat Arizona 23-20 in the last meeting in 2006.