KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (0-1)
AT
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1-0)

PRESEASON GAME #2
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2009 – 7:00 PM (CENTRAL)
H.H.H. METRODOME – MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Chiefs Television Network - KCTV-5 (CBS in Kansas City) - Play-by-play: Kevin Harlan - Color Commentator: Jayice Pearson - Sideline Reporter: Rich Baldinger

Chiefs FOX Football Radio Network - KCFX-FM (101.1 FM in Kansas City - Affiliates) - Play-by-play: Mitch Holthus - Color Commentator: Len Dawson - Sideline Reporter: Kendall Gammon

THE MATCH-UP

The Chiefs make their fi rst road trip under head coach Todd Haley on Friday when Kansas City visits the H.H.H. Metrodome to face the Minnesota Vikings (8/21). It will be an unusually short trek for the Chiefs, who will break camp in River Falls, WI and make a 45-minute bus trip to the Twin Cities.

Kansas City is coming off a 16-10 loss in its preseason opener vs. Houston (8/15) as QB Matt Cassel offi cially made his Chiefs debut in a rain-soaked contest vs. the Texans. Kansas City outgained Houston by a 307-to-280 margin in total yards and posted 18 fi rst downs, compared to 16 for the Texans. However, it was three Kansas City turnovers that spelled the difference in the contest. QBs Brodie Croyle and Tyler Thigpen also saw action for Kansas City. Thirteen different Chiefs players caught a pass in the contest, including WR Dwayne Bowe who led all players in the game with fi ve catches for 70 yards.

The club’s defensive unit showed a new 3-4 base alignment to kickoff the 2009 preseason schedule. CB Maurice Leggett registered an 11-yard sack to stymie the Texans initial possession. LB Andy Studebaker and rookie DE Tyson Jackson also split a sack in the contest.

Minnesota won the NFC North with a 10-6 mark under head coach Brad Childress in 2008. The Vikings own a 24-24 (.500) regular season mark over the past three campaigns under Childress. The Vikings enter this week’s contest following a 13-3 win in their 2009 preseason debut at Indianapolis (8/14). Vikings Pro Bowl RB Adrian Peterson (D1-07) established a single-season franchise record with 1,760 rushing yards in 2008, while Pro Bowl DE Jared Allen paced the club with 14.5 sacks.

The Chiefs will return to Kansas City following Friday night’s contest and resume their preseason training regiment at the Truman Sports Complex. Next up for the Chiefs is a date at Arrowhead vs. Seattle (8/29). Meanwhile, the Vikings have a road contest at Houston (8/31).

THE SERIES
The Chiefs-Vikings preseason series is deadlocked at 7-7-0. Minnesota won the last preseason outing between the two squads by a 27-16 count at the Metrodome (8/12/05). KC’s last preseason win vs. the Vikings was a 26-16 victory at Arrowhead (8/16/03). Five different stadiums have hosted Chiefs-Vikings preseason contests, including the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee where Marty Schottenheimer made his KC debut.

In their nine regular season meetings, the Chiefs lead the midwest series with a 5-4 record. In their last meeting in 2007 (9/23), Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe had a breakout game catching fi ve passes for 71-yards and a TD helping Kansas City prevail to a 13-10 victory. Kansas City has won three of its last four against the Vikings dating back to ‘96. The history of the two franchises dates back 40 years to Super Bowl IV where the Chiefs claimed their fi rst NFL championship with a 23-7 victory in the clubs’ only postseason meeting.

Complete 16 page release (PDF)