Missouri-Ohio Share NFL Bottom
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       vs.
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It’s remarkable that there are six NFL teams without a victory and four of them are in two states.
The battle for miserable pro football 2008 is being played out in Missouri and Ohio.
The Show-Me State against the Buckeye State. Kansas City and St. Louis against Cleveland and Cincinnati. The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers against Lake Erie.
The land of Len Dawson, Bobby Bell, Roger Wherli, Jim Hart, Dan Dierdorf, Willie Lanier, Larry Wilson and Buck Buchanan, against the kingdom of Jim Brown, Paul Warfield, Ken Anderson, Paul Brown, Bobby Mitchell, Dante Lavelli and Bob Trumpy.
Who would have every believed that this kind of bad football would come from these two states with such rich NFL-AFL traditions. Heck, AAFC traditions, since the Cleveland Browns roots began in the short-lived All-America Football Conference (1946-49.)
Over the last 46 years, there has been pro football in both St. Louis and Kansas City in 39 of those seasons. The Cardinals arrived in 1960 from Chicago, largely because the NFL wanted to grab the St. Louis market away from the new-born American Football League that began play the same year. It was 1963 when the AFL arrived in the western side of the state when the Dallas Texans became the Kansas City Chiefs.
They shared the state for 25 seasons before the Cardinals moved to the Arizona desert. For seven years, the Chiefs had Missouri all to itself, before the Rams arrived from Los Angeles starting with the 1995 season.
Ironically, the Rams franchise actually began its football life in Cleveland in 1937. The Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles for the 1946 season and were replaced by the Browns of the AAFC. Under the direction of Paul Brown, the new Cleveland team won all four AAFC titles before a merger was worked out with the NFL. The Browns then went to the older league and played in the NFL Championship Game seven times in the next eight years, winning in 1950-54-55. Twice they beat the Rams.
The Browns stayed until 1996, when they moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens. The Browns returned as an NFL expansion team in 1999.
Cincinnati got the Bengals as an AFL expansion team in 1968 and they’ve been there ever since.
At no time in the 39 years that pro football in Kansas City and St. Louis have shared the state of Missouri have both teams been 0-3 to start the season.
In the 38 seasons where there have been Browns and Bengals together in Ohio, this is the third time they both started 0-3. It happened in 1984 (Cleveland opened 0-3, while Cincinnati was 0-5) and 1999 (the expansion Browns started 0-7 and the Bengals were 0-4.)
There will be an end to the misery in Ohio this weekend since the Bengals and Browns will play each other. May be a tie?
No such luck for the Chiefs and Rams. They both are at home, but host teams that are 3-0 on the season. The Chiefs get Denver, while the Rams have Buffalo.
Which state claims title to the worst in pro football? Here’s the tale of the tape: you decide.
The Battle of Missouri
| Kansas City Chiefs |
 |
St. Louis Rams |
| 0-3 |
Record |
0-3 |
| 32 |
Points |
29 |
| 78 |
Points Allowed |
116 |
| 258.3 |
Yards Per Game |
202.3 |
| 28 |
NFL Rank |
31 |
| 113.7 |
Rush Yards Per |
56.3 |
| 16 |
NFL Rank |
32 |
| L .Johnson/58-217 |
Leading Rusher |
S. Jackson/50-159 |
| 144.7 |
Pass Yards Per |
146 |
| 28 |
NFL Rank |
27 |
| D. Bowe/15-182 |
Leading Receiver |
S. Jackson/5-133 |
| 6 |
Sacks Allowed |
11 |
| 6 |
Giveaways |
3 |
| 357 |
Yards Allowed Per |
456.7 |
| 25 |
NFL Rank |
32 |
| 204 |
Rush Yards Allowed |
184.3 |
| 31 |
NFL Rank |
29 |
| 153 |
Pass Yards Allowed |
272.3 |
| 4 |
NFL Rank |
30 |
| 2 |
Sacks |
3 |
| 5 |
Takeaways |
1 |
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Battle of Ohio
| Cleveland Browns |
|
Cincinnati Bengals |
| 0-3 |
Record |
0-3 |
| 26 |
Points |
40 |
| 66 |
Points Allowed |
67 |
| 194 |
Yards Per Game |
238.7 |
| 32 |
NFL Rank |
30 |
| 72.3 |
Rush Yards Per |
86.7 |
| 30 |
NFL Rank |
25 |
| J. Lewis/ 44-156 |
Leading Rusher |
C. Perry/ 60-180 |
| 121.7 |
Pass Yards Per |
152 |
| 31 |
NFL Rank |
26 |
| K. Winslow/14-116 |
Leading Receiver |
Houshmandzadeh/18-216 |
| 8 |
Sacks Allowed |
9 |
| 5 |
Giveaways |
4 |
| 347 |
Yards Allowed Per |
353 |
| 23 |
NFL Rank |
24 |
| 145 |
Rush Yards Allowed |
174.3 |
| 25 |
NFL Rank |
28 |
| 202 |
Pass Yards Allowed |
178.7 |
| 18 |
NFL Rank |
12 |
| 3 |
Sacks |
1 |
| 3 |
Takeaways |
3 |
Hey Bob, did you reverse the sacks allowed on Chiefs vs Rams?
Per NFL.com both the Chiefs and Rams have allowed 11 sacks. Only the Lions, Steelers, and 49ers have allowed more.
I was sure that the Chiefs had allowed 11.
Thanks ILChiefsFan
For another good read, go to the KCChiefs.com site and read Bob’s article “It’s been done before”, comparing the Chiefs to the Titans. I thought it was interesting.
OK Merwin, you and Bob have convinced me….Lets get Jeff Fisher to coach the Chiefs! LOL
In fairness, JohnNDalls, if you looked at Fisher’s year-by-year record over his entire coaching stint you could make a good argument that you need to need to have some patience with your Head Coach.
Sorry, that’s JohnNdallas.
Maybe I’m wrong ILChiefsFan, but I think I have been patient with Herm, I liked the idea of hiring him at the time, but now he just really gets on my nerves.
His constant bragging on himself and thinking that he played some big roll in building the Bucs, and this QB of the week crap he’s pulling now…. I’m just OVER Herm.
I hope he proves me wrong, because I feel certain he will be here next season also.
But if I am right were doomed for another 3 or 4 yrs.
And I’m getting old,and if what the Dr’s tell me is true I ain’t got that much longer to wait.
I was only 10 the last (and only time) the Chiefs won a Super Bowl (actually 9 and a half)lol
So I don’t really remember it. (My Dad wasn’t much of a football fan) And I’d like to see the Chiefs be World Champions before I depart this earth.
Well, I never really looked at Jeff Fisher as a good coach till now. Of course I never thought Tony Dungy was a good coach till he won the super bowl, nor Bill Belichick. Or for that matter, here in New York State with the Giants and Tom Coughlin, as I remember the newspapers were ready to run him out of town as late as mid-season last year. Just a matter of getting the right players in place and it’s pretty hard not to lose, I think. Go Chiefs!
I have always liked Jeff Fisher, I love his fire him and Cower, now Fisher can’t match Cower on intensity but I think he’s every bit as sharp as Cower.
Hey JohnNdallas, I know what you mean, I had just turned 11 in ‘69, I didn’t start following football and the Chiefs till about ‘73. I always liked Cower from when he was with the Chiefs, wish we could have retained him, our bad luck. As much as I detested the Raiders, I always admired John Madden for the competitive teams he fielded. no matter how Big Al meddled. Another guy I would like to have seen stick around another year was Marv Levy, I think the strike was just his bad luck here. Otherwise his teams were headed in the right direction. Go Chiefs!
yes I remember being really shocked when they fired Levy!
Wait! what the hell was I thinking, I was 7 not ten. lmao DUH!!!
but anyway it worked out pretty good for Marv, I was happy for him , wish he had won one though.
JohnNdallas,
Sounds like you and I are about the same age. I’m sure hoping you get your wish.
Until then I hope you can enjoy the little things, like us putting 30 points on the Broncos this Sunday.
x-posted; I meant your wish for a Chiefs championship, not a Marv Levy championship.
LOL I got ya man! And if we bust the Donkeys for 30! I’ll….. I’ll do a summer-salt LOL
They’ll have to call an ambulance for me.
That might sell tickets, hope for a win and to visit you in the hospital.
LMAO That’s where I’d be, but I promise you! If they do it so will I, or at least attempt it lol
hey lets face it marv got a raw deal here, but john mackovic got us to the playoffs and guess what happened to him. yup lets fire him for a special teams coach, that worked out real well!!!
as a die hard chiefs fan im also sick and tired of what we did in tampa . this isnt tampa its getting old herm!
Question 1: How ready is Richardson or Taylor to push for playing time at RT?
2: Finally, an EIU grad on the roster – Rucker. Same as Romo and myself although both make much more $$$ than myself. What’s your take on his potential?
Yeah! kcnutzinpa Mackovic took us to our first playoff game in how many yrs?
That’s when I really started following the Chiefs.
Sorry guys but I have to admit I was a huge Steelers fan in the 70’s (go figure) LOL I was a wide eyed kid and those guys were awesome.
Dusty, If he can get open and block, I say play him. He has great size! don’t know about his speed.