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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Alex Smith was the darling of Kansas City just a few weeks ago, when the quarterback who seems to never make any major mistakes had the Chiefs rolling to the top of the AFC West.Now, theres a sizeable group of fans who want him replaced.Smith has struggled in his two games back from a head injury sustained in Indianapolis, including a lousy performance last Sunday in a 19-17 loss to Tampa Bay. The defeat snapped the Chiefs five-game winning streak and left them playing catch-up in the division race.I think Alex is OK. Hes going to be fine. Weve just got to keep going here, Chief coach Andy Reid said. He does a great job with leadership and all of those things.Hell be fine. Weve had a couple weeks here where weve been in a little bit of a slump. We need to pull out of it and get better.The Chiefs dont put too much stock in numbers, unless youre talking about turnovers, penalties and points on the scoreboard. But it is hard to dispute that Smiths numbers are down across the board.He has just nine touchdown passes in nine games, along with four interceptions. Hes averaging 6.9 yards per attempt, down nearly a yard from last season.His yards-per-completion, quarterback rating and several other benchmarks are also down, even though he may have more talent around him.The Chiefs shored up the offensive line in the offseason, which is why his sack total is also down, and gave him a speedy playmaker in wide receiver Tyreek Hill through the draft.I think stats can definitely be useful. They can tell you glaring themes here and there, Smith said, but sometime its easy to get caught up too much and read into them, especially if there isnt a glaring theme.Each season is different and is its own journey, and every years schedule is different, so its hard to compare it to years past. Theres different challenges.The challenges are only going to get stiffer for the Chiefs, too.They head to Denver on Sunday night for a pivotal showdown with the Broncos, who like them are battling the Raiders for the division lead.Then its off to Atlanta for a game against the high-flying Falcons, and the Chiefs will likely need to score a lot of points to win.Then, a Thursday night game against the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.But first up are the Broncos, who may have the best defense the Chiefs have faced all season -- not a good thing for a Chiefs offense that is struggling to put up points.Theyre really good, Smith said. Thats obvious looking at them statistically the last few years. Personnel-wise, theyre good across the board.Up front, linebacker level and secondary, these guys are really, really good. Theyre well coached and theyre fast. You look at the numbers and theyre there.OK, so maybe Smith does put some stock in statistics.Its not that everything is dire in Kansas City, of course. The Chiefs (7-3) are still squarely in the playoff picture, and they could still snatch away a division title.But everyone also recognizes that Smith needs to begin performing better for the offense to hit its stride again.He threw for just 261 yards last week against Tampa Bay, a good chunk of that when he was trying to rally the Chiefs down the stretch.And while he scored his first touchdown on the ground since the opener, he also threw an interception in the end zone that foiled a potential comeback.Predictably, many fans began to argue backup Nick Foles should be given a chance.Reid has been steadfastly in Smiths corner, though, ever since the moment the Chiefs sent two second-round picks to San Francisco to acquire him.It was Reid who took the blame for the interception -- he called a bad play, he said -- and the coach insisted this week that Smiths job is not in jeopardy.Im just worried that we execute better and thats all the way around, Reid said.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Pittsburgh Penguins Gear . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. Wholesale Penguins Jerseys . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/ . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. Pittsburgh Penguins Shirts . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. Cheap Penguins Jerseys . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium -- Nico Rosberg says he does not feel under pressure to capitalise on teammate Lewis Hamiltons grid penalty at this weekends Belgian Grand Prix.After falling 19 points behind Hamilton at the last round in Germany, Rosberg has the opportunity to bounce back this weekend as title rival Hamilton is due to start towards the back of the grid. The extent of the penalty depends on how many extra engine components Mercedes decides to use this weekend, but Hamilton is expected to start at least 15-places lower than the position he qualifies in on Saturday.Given Mercedes dominance so far this year it should give Rosberg a clear shot at victory, but he says the pressure to perform does not feel any more intense than any other race.It doesnt change the pressure I put myself under this weekend because I would love to have a great weekend and get the best out of it and win the race, he said. I am aware of Lewis misfortune with the grid penalty and that will make the weekend less difficult for me because he is my direct rival.Nevertheless, it will still be aa challenge because if we remember a few weeks ago I finished behind the Red Bulls, so I still need to beat the opposition and even with Lewis you always need to reckon with him because with a bit of luck, or safety cars in the right moment there is no reason he cant come from very far back on the grid, especially at a track like this where you can overtake very easily.ddddddddddddAsked if only a win would be acceptable this weekend, Rosberg added: No that would not be the right approach. I would love to win the race.Red Bull are expected to be strong again this weekend, but Rosberg does not see that as an opportunity to close the gap in the standings by getting more cars between him and Hamilton by the end of the race.No [I dont see it like that], because I dont look at points, he said. I would like to win the race and the Red Bulls being stronger is going to be a bigger challenge this weekend to win the race. That is how my thinking goes. ' ' '