Chiefs could make huge statement in Oakland

There aren't a handful of minds in Kansas City who would have sanely stated this just two weeks ago, and even I've been second-guessing the rationale here.

But you know what? The Chiefs could make a huge statement with a win in Oakland Sunday.

This is not only against most logic, it's a complete flip-flop on the stance most-worth taking for Chiefs fans after the first month of the season.

It was ugly.

Tony Moeaki, Eric Berry, and Jamaal Charles went down to season-ending injuries in consecutive games dating back to the preseason. Prior to that, the team looked disinterested in competing in each of its first three preseason games, and this came after a training camp that looked more like a weight-loss competition than football preparation.

The Bills and Lions then embarrassed the Chiefs in the first two weeks of the regular season, outscoring the team 89-10, and many wondered if 0-16 was a real possibility.

The #Suck4Luck campaign became the talk of the town. It was a matter of when, not if, Todd Haley was going to be fired. Fantasy football owners only gave significant thought to the Chiefs in terms of when a player was facing the team's defense — because it was like winning the lottery.

Apathetic was the way to go about watching the games. A month in, the season had already ended.

Well, like it or not, the ineptness of the Dolphins and Colts have made the Chiefs' #Suck4Luck campaign a pipe-dream at best. An improved Matt Cassel has utilized his best weapon, Dwayne Bowe, en route to two consecutive victories. Jackie Battle looks to be emerging. The defense is missing Berry, but shutting down the Vikings' Adrian Peterson in week five is a sign they can still be effective without him.

Sure, the team's only two wins in 2011 are against teams that are a combined 1-11 to date, but here's this:  The Chiefs are that stupid Cassel screen-pass interception in San Diego away from being 3-2, and we know now the Bills and Lions are much better than expected.

Newly acquired Carson Palmer probably won't suit up five days after coming to Oakland, so the 4-2 Raiders will be one-dimensional — and therefore very beatable — on Sunday.

The Chiefs are coming off a bye and for the first time this season there's been some relief from the pressure mounting on Haley. The Raiders are coming off an emotional victory in the wake of owner Al Davis' death, and will be favored with their starting quarterback out for the season.

I can't prove it, but I think I checked-out emotionally the minute Dexter McCluster fumbled the opening-kickoff.

I'm back. Apathy is the way no longer.

The Chiefs have a Monday Night rematch with the Chargers at Arrowhead on Halloween that could be a hell-of-a-lot more fun depending on what happens five days from now.

Forget the brutal schedule down the stretch. This is football, anything can happen. The Chiefs' 2011 season starts in Oakland Sunday.