by Josh Looney

PRE-GAME, 4:20 PM
Football is finally back in Kansas City and it’s quite a welcome sight after three weeks away in training camp. Tonight’s playing field could be the finest I’ve ever seen at Arrowhead. The groundskeepers tell me that the weather conditions have been absolutely perfect over the past few weeks for a prime playing surface…something that is rare at this time of year.

PRE-GAME, 5:00 PM
Let’s get to tonight’s players to watch…

For the Chiefs, it’s obvious…2008 first-round draft pick DT Glenn Dorsey. Will he play or won’t he play? Dorsey is scheduled to participate in warm-ups with a decision on his playing status to be made following the pre-game routine.

For the Cardinals…I was originally going to write about the ridiculous amount of Pro Bowl talent the Cards have on the offensive side of the ball (Fitzgerald, Boldin, James, etc.), but “Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus has sold me on directlng my attention to an up-and-coming offensive skill performer. The player…second-year WR Steve Breston. Exposive doesn’t even begin to define this player. Look for him at the #3 wideout spot as well as the deep man on both punts and kickoffs.

PRE-GAME, 5:25 PM
Random observations are back! Sure, it’s way more fun to bring up mindless nonsense that comes across my way when the Chiefs are on the road, but today’s comes straight from the Chiefs locker room. Rookie kicker Connor Barth is growing one of the sweetest mustache’s I’ve seen in quite some time…move over Jason Giambi!

PRE-GAME, 5:50 PM
Tonight’s inactives are in and read as follows…

KANSAS CITY
#14    WR    KEVIN ROBINSON
#25    RB    JAMAAL CHARLES
#47    S    JON MCGRAW
#50    LB    NAPOLEON HARRIS
#59    LB    DONNIE EDWARDS
#75    DE    TREVOR JOHNSON
#76    T    BRANDEN ALBERT
#97    DE    BRIAN JOHNSTON

LINE-UP CHANGES
AT LB #53 DEMORRIO WILLIAMS FOR #59 LB DONNIE EDWARDS
AT LT #65 HERB TAYLOR FOR #76 BRANDEN ALBERT

ARIZONA
#21    FS    ANTREL ROLLE
#44    FB    DIONTE JOHNSON
#50    C    AL JOHNSON
#66    G    CARLTON MEDDER
#80    WR    EARLY DOUCET
#90    DT    DARNELL DOCKETT
#98    DT    GABE WATSON

LINE-UP CHANGES
AT LDT #97 BRYAN ROBINSON FOR #98 DT GABE WATSON
AT RDT #93 CALAIS CAMPBELL FOR #90 DT DARNELL DOCKETT
AT FS #47 AARON FRANCISCO FOR #21 FS ANTREL ROLLE
AT C #63 LYLE SENDLEIN FOR #50 AJ JOHNSON
AT QB #13 KURT WARNER FOR #7 QB MATT LEINART

ARIZONA ROSTER ADDTIONS
#57    LB    BRANDON MOORE

ARIZONA ROSTER SUBTRACTIONS
#57    LB    DAVID HOLLOWAY

PRE-GAME, 6:00 PM
Cardinals K Neil Rackers is ridiculous…just hit a 63-yard FG in warm-ups.

PRE-GAME, 6:20 PM
As expected, Dorsey is in full uniform and looks healthy participating in warm-ups.

PRE-GAME, 6:35 PM
Attention K-State fans…we have a Ron Prince sighting. He was chatting it up pre-game on the sidelines with the Chiefs other first-round draft pick, T Branden Albert. Prince coached Albert during his days at Virginia.

PRE-GAME, 6:59 PM
Get ready Chiefs fans…I’ve been told that Dorsey WILL see playing time tonight.

1st Q, 14:47, KC 0 ARZ 0
Arizona defers, only to kick the ball out of bounds giving the Chiefs great field position at the KC 40.

1st Q, 11:13, KC 0 ARZ 0
Converting third downs is becoming a habit for the Chiefs 1st unit. Two third down conversions today have brought a total of 7 between the first drive against the Bears last week and the first drive vs. the Cardinals this week. KC ball inside the ARZ 40.

1st Q, 7:48, KC 3 ARZ 0
K Nick Novak gets his first FG opportunity of the pre-season and nails the 32-yarder right through the posts.

How impressive have the Chiefs first possessions been over the past two weeks? Lets break it down…those two drives have totaled 28 plays and eaten 15:57 off the clock. That’s over a quarter of possession time!

12 plays, 46 yards, 7:12

1st Q, 6:42, KC 3 ARZ 0
Our spotlight player WR Steve Breston was about one defender away from breaking his first return of the day.

Hey rook! On the Chiefs first defensive play QB Kurt Warner decided to test Chiefs rookie CB Brandon Flowers on a streak to Pro Bowl WR Anquan Boldin…Flowers went stride-for-stride, broke up the pass and immediately got the crowd into the game. From there, LB Derrick Johnson forced a RB Edgerrin James fumble (which ARZ recovered) and rookie CB Brandon Carr nearly intercepted a Warner pass. Three-and-outs can’t look much better than that set of plays.

Chiefs rookie TE Brad Cottam has a bruised shoulder…his return is questionable.

1st Q, 1:45, KC 3 ARZ 0
After a Chiefs punt, the Cards go to the air attack and bring the ball up to the KC 31…which brings us to a question. Why does Kurt Warner wear two gloves in perfect weather conditions? Did he do this during his glory days with the Rams as well? Somebody email me the answer if you have it.

2nd Q, 15:00, KC 3 ARZ 0
RB Edgerrin James this drive. Parlay that with a significant air attack and the Cards are now in the KC red zone. With the first quarter in the bag, I’d expect to see starters wonder their way to the bench in the next few minutes.

2nd Q, 12:41, KC 3 ARZ 0
The red flag is out for the first time this season. RB Tim Hightower took a carry around the right edge and lunged for the end zone. He was marked out at the one and Ken Whisenhunt wisely pulled out the challenge…I think this one gets overturned for a TD.

2nd Q, 12:41, KC 3 ARZ 6
And the play is overturned to a TD…pretty obvious after watching the replay. There is some good news though…somehow Rackers missed the extra point…so we have a one possession game.

13 plays, 78 yards, 6:50

2nd Q, 11:35, KC 3 ARZ 6
The Chiefs take a three-and-out after only gaining three yards. For the second-straight week the Chiefs have struggled to move the ball after looking dominant on the game’s first drive.

We have our first fist-pump of the year from P Dustin Colquitt after he drills a 65-yard beauty to the ARZ 8.

QB Matt Leinart has entered the game for Arizona.

2nd Q, 10:46, KC 3 ARZ 6
So what was the call? WR Larry Fitzgerald appeared to drop/fumble/have the football stripped as CB Dimitri Patterson made contact after the catch. Patterson emerged off the ground, ran past standing Cardinals players and was finally tackled inside the 10. Meanwhile, the officials seemed to be just as confused as the Cardinals players. The final ruling was an interception, with Patterson being down by contact on the initial contact point at the ARZ 28. Complicated enough for you? Needless to say, Whisenhunt has thrown the red challenge flag for the second time today.

2nd Q, 10:35, KC 3 ARZ 6
Another good challenge by Whisenhunt as the pass is ruled incomplete. This means that the Cards are entitled to a third challenge today if they so choose. Regardless it’s still the Chiefs football on their own 30 after a Cards punt. With the first-team offense still on the field, it would be nice to see another productive drive before they hang it up for the evening.

2nd Q, 7:35, KC 3 ARZ 6
Now this is the ground game that Chan Gailey wants…in just three carries KC is at the ARZ 28. LJ busts two big runs (the second of which could have been broken for the distance had a block been sustained downfield) and RB Kolby Smith made an incredible spin move to churn off-tackle to cap off the rushing trifecta. LJ’s power with Smith and rookie RB Jamaal Charles’ speed could prove lethal to opposing defenses.

2nd Q, 5:40, KC 3 ARZ 6
I’ve been waiting all pre-season for the Chiefs to show a play they’ve been working on all training camp…and they finally showed it. RB Larry Johnson lined up in shotgun formation on third-and-short, taking the direct snap on a zone play up the middle. I’d expect to see more of this play throughout the year.

2nd Q, 4:57, KC 6 ARZ 6
Arizona bends, but doesn’t break as KC settles for a 35-yard FG from “Mr. Mustache” Connor Barth. Seriously, that mustache is awesome.

12 plays, 53 yards, 6:01

2nd Q, 3:19, KC 6 ARZ 6
With the exception of Dorsey (who played just a few snaps and made a tackle), the majority of the Chiefs defensive starters are still on the field…they force a three-and-out as Leinart has looked anything but sharp tonight.

QB Tyler Thigpen has relieved Croyle on the offensive side…in fact, the entire second-team offense has taken over the field.

2nd Q, 2:00, KC 6 ARZ 6
The runner has come out in the former high school running back as Thigpen gets loose on third-and-long for a 20-yard gain. It’s now 4th and inches at the KC 39 with the fans pleading for Herm Edwards to “Go For It, Go For It.“

2nd Q, 1:16, KC 6 ARZ 6
Herm listened to the Arrowhead posse and it pays off as Thigpen finishes what he started by converting on a QB sneak.

2nd Q, 0:49, KC 6 ARZ 6
Good thing Thiggy is mobile…the guy has been flushed out of the pocket four-straight times. At least he made positive yardage each time. Regardless, the Chiefs punt and the Cards will have to choose whether to end the half or go for glory from their own 20.

2nd Q, 0:00, KC 6 ARZ 6
Arizona chooses the glory route, but it wasn’t so glorious after a three-and-out featured a DE Turk McBride forced fumble (and near KC recovery). If that wasn’t enough to give coach Whisenhunt headaches, S Bernard Pollard nearly blocked a punt. Pollard was so close to blocking this thing that you ask yourself, “how did he miss it?” The guy is a special teams stud.

In the end, the last-minute heroics were entertaining, but they did nothing to effect the scoreboard before half…they did, however, nearly give coach Whisenhunt a near (insert stress-related injury here).

HALFTIME: This year’s recipient of the Chiefs annual Charity Football Game is Operation Breakthrough and it’s a great cause…check it out here. www.operationbreakthrough.org

Stat of the game…time of possession. The Chiefs are winning this category 21:34 to 8:26. You’ll be successful more time than not with that ratio.

3rd Q, 9:35, KC 6 ARZ 6
I’m sold…make Steve Breaston your late-round 2008 fantasy sleeper. The guy is at it again as the Cardinals are inside the Chiefs red zone to lead off the second half.

3rd Q, 8:23, KC 6 ARZ 13
14-yard TD pass to guess who…Breaston. That’s the type of drive we’ve come to expect from the Cardinals over the past few seasons…in the air early and often.

11 plays, 70 yards, 6:07

3rd Q, 8:03, KC 6 ARZ 13
RB Dantrell Savage has developed into a favorite of fans, coaches and media members throughout training camp and it’s because of his hard-nosed play despite his small frame. He just returned the Cards kickoff to the KC 43 after lowering his shoulder and churning his legs through would-be tacklers much larger than himself. Oh, did I mention that he’s also extremely fast and elusive?

3rd Q, 3:38, KC 9 ARZ 13
The Chiefs have to settle for another FG attempt  after stalling deep in Cardinals territory once again. Trading attempts between Novak and Barth, it’s Novak who bangs through the 40-yard FG. Neither one of these kickers wants to surrender their job as both are perfect through the pre-season.

8 plays, 35 yards, 4:45

3rd Q, 3:15, KC 9 ARZ 20
Well…that was fast. QB Brian St. Pierre checks into the game and immediately connects on a 24-yard scoring strike with WR Tim Catille. It was all set-up courtesy a kick return by RB J.J. Arrington…remember him at Cal?

1 plays, 24 yards, 0:18

4th Q, 15:00, KC 9 ARZ 20
70,203 is tonight’s attendance. If you haven’t heard for some reason or another, we’re going through renovations at Arrowhead Stadium over the next few years. The official capacity this year is 77,038…it has been 79,451 in years past.

Cards have the ball back after a three-and-out. If ARZ scores here or the Chiefs don’t score on the next possession, look for a heavy dose of the ground game from both sides in an effort to speed things up and stay injury free.

4th Q, 10:38, KC 9 ARZ 20
The Chiefs force a punt, so don’t expect a stall-out effort just yet.

4th Q, 8:55, KC 9 ARZ 20
FB Mike Cox made a fantastic diving/bobbling catches this drive. I’ve been so impressed with this guys hands all through camp. He’s one of those guys that I initially held my breath every time the ball was thrown his way, but not anymore. Chan Gailey says he’s a tailback in a fullback’s body…I can’t disagree.

4th Q, 6:11, KC 9 ARZ 20
Each time the kickers trade kicks, the attempts get longer and the stakes get higher. This time it’s K Connor Barth’s turn from 46-yards. What looked like a beautiful shot, Barth’s kick bounces off the right upright (with plenty of distance to spare). It’s the first miss from a Chiefs kicker this pre-season.

4th Q, 4:40, KC 9 ARZ 20
QB Anthony Morelli has relieved St. Pierre, but it’s a three-and-out for the Cards. Will we see QB Damon Huard when KC gets the ball back or is this thing Thigpen’s show for the remainder?

4th Q, 4:20, KC 9 ARZ 20
Looks like it’s Thiggy’s show for the remainder. Yeah, I realize I just called him Thiggy for the second time tonight. It’s kind of like when a baseball coach calls somebody Grudzy or Bucky, or Billy…nevermind.

4th Q, 2:00, KC 9 ARZ 20
If you aren’t a Dantrell Savage fan after tonight, something is wrong with you. The pint sized powerhouse breaks more tackles to cross midfield.

4th Q, 1:41, KC 9 ARZ 20
Thiggy continues to show off the legs as he converts a big first down to the ARZ 18. A score here and the Chiefs can get some onside kick work in tonight as well.

4th Q, 1:14, KC 9 ARZ 27
Well, somebody scored…wrong squad though. A high pass deflects off WR Bobby Sippio’s outstretched arms and into the hands of S Dennis Keyes for an 84-yard INT TD-return. That should all but wrap up tonight’s action.

4th Q, 0:15, KC 17 ARZ 27
Looks like I spoke too soon as a Thigpen to TE Michael Allan hookup puts KC at the Arizona 14, while WR Sergiori (the r and the I are silent) Joachim. You see, this is the great thing about pre-season football…no matter the score, there are still guys battling for roster spots and going hard.

Savage runs in the two point attempt.

6 plays, 60 yards, 0:59

4th Q, 0:00, KC 17 ARZ 27
Barth’s onside kick goes out of bounds and the Cards will kneel for the victory.

There is only one thing left to say…2 more games until it counts. See you in Miami.