The Chiefs made the trip a one-day affair. Make that a long, one-day affair. They began the 40-minute commute from River Falls to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport via bus at around 9:30, flew an hour-plus to O'Hara, killed time at a downtown hotel, played the game, flew back to MSP and were back in their dorm rooms around 3 a.m.

And who says life in the NFL is glamorous?

--This must be some new promotion we're not familiar with. But here's Herm Edwards, talking in training camp about Jamaal Charles' early camp fumble problems:

"When (opponents) think you put the ball on the ground, it's like free pancakes at the Waffle House. Everybody shows up," Edwards explained. "You drop the ball on the ground, as soon as you get in the game they're hollering, 'Strip the ball from this guy.'

"The best thing I told him was, 'Don't put it on the ground. Don't even do it in the warm-ups. Because if you drop it, the red light comes on and it's free pancakes.'"

--Trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter against Chicago, the Chiefs were driving for at least a game-tying field goal. Which would have been, of course, an absolutely dreadful occurrence.

"That's the worst thing you can do to everybody, go overtime in preseason," Edwards said.

So, Edwards made a simple request of his players.

"The players are asking me as we got into scoring range, 'Are you going to kick the field goal and go to overtime?' I said, I've got no choice. We've got a kicker competition; I've got to kick the field goal. But, do me a favor and score a touchdown and get us out of this mess."

On the very next play, Edwards' prayer was answered. Tyler Thigpen hit Bobby Sippio for a 27-yard yard touchdown to give Kansas City a 24-20 lead with 1:08 remaining.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Last year it took us three games to get 14 points. When we did it all at once (in the first half against Chicago), I didn't know what to do. I thought, 'Wow, this is interesting.'" -- Herm Edwards, whose team didn't get its 14th point of the 2007 season until just before halftime of Week 3, upon seeing his team up 14-3 at halftime of the preseason opener.