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SAN DIEGO -- A quick look at Sunday’s box score shows San Diego Chargers rookie linebacker Manti Te'o totaled three tackles in his regular-season debut against the Dallas Cowboys.

Te’o, who had been sidelined since suffering a sprained foot in preseason play back in August, wanted to play more. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Te’o was in on just 14 snaps.

San Diego coach Mike McCoy said Dallas played “11” or “Kings” personnel most of the game, meaning they had three receivers, one running back and a tight end. The Chargers countered by playing with five or six defensive backs to match up personnel-wise.

So Te’o was replaced by nickel linebacker Reggie Walker, who totaled 44 snaps and four combined tackles.

Although Te’o wasn’t on the field a lot, he made an impact when he was. Specifically, Te’o got to the ball on every play, bringing an energy and swagger that is desperately needed on San Diego’s defense.

“He needs to continue to fly around,” McCoy said. “His strength is to run to the ball and make plays, and that’s what the game is all about. The more snaps he gets, the better shape he gets in every week he’s playing and the more practice time he gets, he’s just going to get better and better.”

With just two forced turnovers in four games, the Chargers are looking for some playmaking on defense. And that’s something Te’o has shown he can do from his college days at Notre Dame. He finished with 113 tackles and seven interceptions his final season for the Fighting Irish.

The Chargers should see more traditional, two-back formations against Oakland on Sunday, which should mean more time for Te’o.

A weekly examination of the Broncos’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 3 | Last Week: 2 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

With their 59-20 demolition of the Philadelphia Eagles this past weekend, the Broncos moved up a spot and to the top of the ESPN.com Power Rankings as they emphatically launched themselves out of what coach John Fox calls the “first quarter of a four-quarter season." They have done it with an opportunistic defense still without two of its best players and an offense that has overwhelmed four consecutive opponents.

The Broncos are averaging 44.8 points per game, a pace that is eight points better than the highest-scoring offense in league history: the 2007 New England Patriots. Quarterback Peyton Manning has thrown 16 touchdown passes, or more touchdowns than every other team in the league has scored overall. They have beaten their four opponents by an average of 22 points.

Oh, and they have played defense without cornerback Champ Bailey or star pass-rusher Von Miller in the lineup. Bailey has missed four games with a left foot injury he suffered in preseason and Miller will miss two more games as part of his six-game suspension.

“But there’s plenty to work on,’’ Fox said. “We want ... to be playing our best football in February.’’

A weekly examination of the Raiders’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 29 | Last Week: 29 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The Raiders’ challenge coming into the Year 2 of the Reggie McKenzie-Dennis Allen regime under Mark Davis was to win games, obviously. The secondary, and probably more realistic, goal was to be more competitive than they were a year ago, when they finished 4-12 and floundered a bit in November.

Taking the glass-half-full approach, then, Oakland is more competitive, even if the Raiders have just one victory after the first quarter of the season.

“The positive is we’ve had opportunities to, probably with exception of the Denver game, we’ve had opportunities to win games,” Allen said. “We could easily be sitting here at 3-1.”

Indeed, the Raiders were eight yards from beating Indianapolis in the opener and jumped out to a 14-0 lead against Washington. Still, at 1-3, the Raiders are where many preseason prognosticators had them after four games. The challenge, then, is to keep moving forward, even if the rewards of victory are not in the offing. Besides, they moved up a spot in our Power Rankings after a loss, right?

A weekly examination of the Chiefs' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 19 | Last Week: 9 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The Kansas City Chiefs continue their climb up the ESPN NFL Power Rankings. The 4-0 Chiefs, one of five remaining undefeated teams, are at No. 5, up from No. 9 last week.

I see no argument that supports putting any of the one-loss teams above the Chiefs in the rankings. Likewise, I see no argument that supports putting the Chiefs in the top two spots, currently occupied by Denver and Seattle.

But do the Chiefs deserve to be ranked No. 3 or 4? Maybe. Those spots are occupied by New Orleans and New England. The Saints have played three of their four games at home, with their only road game against winless Tampa Bay. They will get tested the next two weeks with road games against Chicago and New England.

The Patriots have road victories against Buffalo and Atlanta. That’s more impressive than the Chiefs, who have road wins against Jacksonville and Philadelphia. But the Chiefs have a point differential of plus-61, as opposed to plus-32 for New England.

My rankings would have the Chiefs at No. 4, behind the Patriots but ahead of the Saints.

A weekly examination of the Chargers’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason ranking: 23 | Last Week: 19 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The San Diego Chargers move up two spots to No. 17 after an impressive win at home against a talented but inconsistent Dallas Cowboys squad.

Now sitting at 2-2, the schedule continues to turn in San Diego’s favor. The Chargers face a dinged-up Oakland team on the road on Sunday, then return home to take on Indianapolis (Oct. 14), and close out the month on the road against hapless Jacksonville (Oct. 20) before the team’s bye week.

All three of those games are winnable. But the Chargers have to keep competing with the same urgency they played with against Dallas, particularly on the defensive end. Through four games, the identity of a Philip Rivers-led offense has been established. The Chargers need to create a similar type of mindset on the defensive side of the ball.

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Raiders saw a new but familiar face in their locker room Monday, that of receiver Andre Holmes. His four-game suspension for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances came to an end.

And while Holmes has been transferred from the reserve/suspended list to the exempt list, the Raiders have a week to decide whether to activate Holmes to the active 53-man roster.

“We’ll have to see him,” Raiders coach Dennis Allen. “We haven’t even been able to work with him for a month, for four games. We’ll have to see how he is when he gets back in here.”

Holmes, who was claimed by Oakland off waivers on May 13 after New England waived him two days earlier, is a big, physical target who led the Raiders in the preseason with seven catches, for 86 yards. This after finding out he’d be serving his suspension for a failed test in April.

At the time, Holmes said in a statement he was surprised to learn he had tested positive for a banned amphetamine, according to the Associated Press.

"I know that I had been quite ill when I was tested in early April, as I reported to the sample collector at the time my sample was given, so I thought one of the medications I was taking was responsible,” Holmes said in his statement. “However, to this day, even after further testing, I do not know how the substance got into my system. The drug policy rules are very strict with a zero tolerance, so after consulting with the (NFL Players Association) and reviewing the medical documentation, I will not appeal the discipline.”

So after flashing in camp and the preseason, he sat at home and worked out on his own, and was not allowed any contact with the Raiders. Until Monday, when he walked into the facility’s locker room late in the afternoon.

“Whatever role that I get, I’ll just come in and try to do that to the best of my ability,” said Holmes, who has played in seven NFL games in his career, all with Dallas last year, and has two receptions for 11 yards.

“Whatever my opportunity is, I’ll just come in and try to do that the best I can.

“It really kind of (stunk) not to be out there to contribute or have my hand in it. So I’m excited to be back.”

Singling out Oakland’s wide receivers, Denarius Moore leads the Raiders with 15 receptions for 233 yards and two touchdowns, while Rod Streater has 13 catches for 172 yards. Rookie Brice Butler has seven catches for 78 yards and Jacoby Ford has four catches for 29 yards.

And that’s it for the Raiders receiving corps. If and when Oakland activates the 6-feet-4, 210-pound Holmes, the wideout to keep an eye on as a potential roster cut, then, might be second-year receiver Juron Criner. The fifth-round draft pick in 2012 has been inactive for all four games thus far.

Holmes said he thought he would be ready to play this weekend against San Diego, though he realizes that is not his call.

“I mean, there might be a little rustiness, just getting back to playing,” he said. “But I feel like I did a pretty good job these past four weeks in keeping myself mentally and physically prepared.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It’s possible the careers of tight end Sean McGrath and cornerback Marcus Cooper have peaked and the two will never play as well for the Kansas City Chiefs as they did in Sunday’ 31-7 win over the New York Giants.

If that’s the case, the Chiefs still received something for their investment in McGrath and Cooper. The Chiefs claimed them off waivers shortly before the start of the regular season, McGrath from Seattle and Cooper from San Francisco.

But McGrath and Cooper, forced into the lineup by injuries, might have staying power. McGrath, who inherited the starting spot because Anthony Fasano and Travis Kelce were unable to play, caught five passes and scored the Chiefs’ first touchdown.

Cooper, a rookie drafted by the 49ers in the seventh round, started in place of Brandon Flowers, who has a sore knee. Cooper played well enough that he should be able to keep a role once Flowers returns.

Credit general manager John Dorsey for acquiring both players. They were low-risk moves, two of the seven players the Chiefs claimed off waivers at the start of the season to help them improve the bottom of their depth chart.

The Chiefs had nothing to lose and a lot to gain and already those moves look good. Cooper in particular looks like he could help the Chiefs for some time. He’s 6-2, fast and a converted wide receiver who played just two seasons of cornerback in college at Rutgers. If nothing else, he could provide the Chiefs a third cornerback after the starters, Flowers and Sean Smith.

“He’s just starting to learn the position,’’ Dorsey said. “But he has a natural feel for the position. He has that length you like in a cornerback. He’s got the recovery speed you like. There’s still a lot of development left with him. A lot of development.’’

Cooper took the Arrowhead Stadium field Sunday against Eli Manning, who was throwing to a group of receivers that includes Victor Cruz. He wasn’t fazed.

“He sure is competitive,’’ Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I sure appreciated seeing that. That’s a pretty good receiving group there and he didn’t bow down. He came out and challenged and played good, competitive football.’’

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Broncos pushed themselves to 4-0 Sunday with another record-setting day from quarterback Peyton Manning as they scored a franchise-record 52 points in the win over the Philadelphia Eagles. And after a long look at the video from Sunday’s win, here are some thoughts on the Denver Broncos defense and special teams:

• When the Broncos prepared for their first look at first-year Eagles coach Chip Kelly’s offense, Denver’s coaches said they were using video largely from the regular season's first three games. Which is why running back Chris Polk may have been a bit of a surprise to the Broncos game-planners. When Polk pounded his way for 4 yards through the middle of the Broncos defense for the Eagles’ first touchdown of the day, it was Polk’s first carry of the season. He was a player the Broncos had looked at before the 2012 draft, because at 222 pounds he was one of the more productive big backs on the board. But an extensive medical file, including left shoulder surgery in both 2008 and 2009 to go with knee surgery in 2011, likely kept him from being draft. Polk signed with the Eagles last season as an undrafted rookie.

• The Broncos were fairly effective using a “spy’’ on Eagles quarterback Michael Vick on many third-down situations to try to contain Vick in the run game. The Broncos used a variety of players for the job, including linebacker Wesley Woodyard and defensive end Shaun Phillips. The Broncos then played man coverage in the secondary on many of those third-down plays. And they were far more successful, far more disciplined in the second half. After surrendering 101 yards rushing in the first half Sunday, including 39 from Vick, the Eagles rushed for 65 in the second half with just two of those yards coming from Vick.

• With as much as the Cowboys have thrown the ball to running back DeMarco Murray, the Eagles' success in getting the ball to the running backs in the passing game at times against the Broncos will certainly get a look from the Dallas coaches. Five of Vick’s 14 completions in the game went to running backs and one in particular is the kind of play that could be a concern for an aggressive defense like Denver's. With just under 4:30 left in the second quarter, the Broncos sent five rushers at Vick on a second-and-7. But instead of keeping running back LeSean McCoy into block to help block, McCoy released immediately and the closest Broncos linebacker or defensive back was 8 yards away. McCoy caught a little flip pass, thrown over the rush, and went 21 yards for the first down. Running back Bryce Brown had 35-yard catch-and-run on a similar play in the game.

• Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has used safety David Bruton far more on defense than all of his predecessors did on the job during Bruton's time with the team, but when the Broncos signed their special teams captain to a three-year, $4.5 million deal in the offseason they had plenty of other duties in mind. Bruton is consistently one of the team’s best, and most active players in kick or punt blocking units. But Sunday he also showed he can block in the open field when asked in kickoff returns as well. It was Bruton’s and cornerback/safety Omar Bolden's blocks that set Trindon Holliday free for a 105-yard kickoff return for a score in the first quarter. Bolden picked off Eagles wide receiver Jeff Maehl, creating the initial lane and Bruton knocked down Eagles cornerback Jordan Poyer at the 45-yard line and that left Holliday with only the kicker to beat. Bruton locked on and drove Poyer to the ground. “I mean (Holliday) is a tremendous talent, but he needs people blocking for him,’’ said Broncos coach John Fox.

• Steven Johnson’s blocked punt, scoop of the loose ball and 17-yard return for a touchdown was the result of Eagle’s long snapper Jon Dorenbos simply making a poor choice. At the snap, with Johnson lined up in the gap off his right shoulder, Dorenbos inexplicably looks left as soon as he lets the ball go and comes out of his stance, where there is no rusher. Dorenbos briefly puts his right hand on Johnson, but Johnson is already well into the gap on his way to punter Donnie Jones. "I knew I might get in there when he let me go,'' Johnson said.

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Looking for a silver lining in the Raiders’ come-from-ahead 24-14 loss to Washington on Sunday?

Go to the 9:10 mark of the second quarter, when Oakland faced a fourth-and-1 at its own 28-yard line and was lined up to punt.

The result was described by Raiders coach Dennis Allen as “stealing a possession” against Washington.

Jacoby Ford went into motion and settled on the line of scrimmage before the snap and went directly to the speedy Taiwan Jones, who took off down the left side of the field for a 19-yard pick up and a first down.

Jones said the play had been installed two weeks prior.

“I was actually surprised we ran it,” Jones said Monday.

“We had it called right away, so it was already planned and we were just able to execute it.”

Jones, whose speed has never been in question, changed positions this season from running back to cornerback (no, Allen did not anticipate moving him back with Darren McFadden's hamstring now in question) but has stuck to the Raiders’ roster with his special teams play. Especially as a gunner.

But Sunday, he also showed himself to be a different kind of weapon.

“When your number’s called, I would hope your radar would go up,” Jones said. “It was just one of those things where (Allen) felt like we were in good position to make the call and he called it. My number was up and I had a good block up front so we were able to execute it.”

The storybook ending would be that Oakland, clinging to a 14-10 lead, finished the “stolen” possession with a score, right? Instead, the Raiders ran three more plays, picked up 8 yards and punted ... on fourth-and-2.

SAN DIEGO -- Nick Hardwick, a 10-year veteran who has spent his entire career with the San Diego Chargers, said there’s very little explaining to do in the locker room about the team’s next opponent: it’s Raiders week.

“Everybody knows it’s Raiders week,” Hardwick said. “This is a special week here. It gets a little extra special attention, so guys are ready. We’re going to build off this win moving forward, and just go in with a good, aggressive attitude, and a good fighting spirit, and be ready to win again.”

The Chargers travel to Oakland to take on the Raiders for the team’s first AFC West division matchup. Oakland holds a 58-47-2 advantage in the series, which dates back to 1960. However, the Chargers have won the last three games, including the last two in Oakland.

At 2-2 this season, San Diego players know how important it is to get off to a good start within the division.

“It’s going to be huge,” running back Danny Woodhead said. “It’s a divisional game, which those go even further because you have two against each team. They’re very important, and we just got to be ready. We’ve got to take every single day that we have, starting today, to prepare and watch film -- just know what they’re going to do so we’re ready on Sunday.”

With the Oakland Athletics hosting the first round of the American League division series against the Detroit Tigers this weekend, the Chargers will have to deal with the dirt infield at the Oakland Coliseum. But good footing is the least of Hardwick’s concerns.

“It doesn’t matter,” Hardwick said. “You just go out and fight, and that’s all you can do. I mean, who cares if it’s dirt, or gravel or grass. I mean you’re just there to punch the guy in front of you. There’s nothing special about it. If we player harder than them, we play tougher than them, we’re going to win.”

Along with San Diego’s first AFC West division contest, placing more importance on this game is the fact that five of the Chargers' final eight games of season are against division opponents. San Diego wants to get a division game in the win column during the first half of the season.

“The No. 1 goal in a division is you’ve always got to win your division,” San Diego coach Mike McCoy said. “The only way you’re guaranteed to get into the playoffs is to win your division. So anytime you play against a division opponent, there’s that kind of professional hatred that you have for a team. You’re going to play those three teams twice a year, and you’ve got to knock them off.

“So it’s a big opportunity for us. We’ve got to build off of what we’ve done the past, couple weeks and continue to get better. It’s going to be a tough test for us in Oakland.”

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- If it was Monday, it must have been time for Broncos coach John Fox to perform the football eclipse and just block out the sunshine.

And in working his way through a recap of Sunday’s 52-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles that pushed the Broncos to 4-0 and brought another round of historical benchmarks the team has surpassed on offense along the way, Fox delivered an off-handed missive that won’t be great news to the team’s upcoming opponents.

“We left points out on the field [Sunday]."

And with that Fox kept to his weekly ritual of trying to turn down the flame on the Broncos’ start in which the quarterback has thrown 16 touchdown passes without an interception, more touchdowns than every other team in the league has scored overall, and the Broncos lead the league in scoring by 52 points over No. 2 Chicago.

“We’ll just continue to get better," Fox said. “ … And I expect us to get better. People look at me funny when I say that. There’s still a lot of areas we need to improve at, we can improve at."

In reality, even with quarterback Peyton Manning on the current torrid pace, the Broncos will need, at some point, to run the ball with more authority, especially when in close-out mode. They rushed for just 37 yards on 12 carries in the fourth quarter Sunday. That’s 3.1 yards per carry against a defense that was both demoralized and visibly fatigued. While that looks like a BB off a battleship in a 32-point win, there will be a day when the Broncos need more to grind one out.

• It will be intriguing to watch how the Broncos attack the Cowboys defense, with longtime NFL assistant Monte Kiffin in his first season calling the shots on that side of the ball in Dallas. Especially since the Broncos will have the video of how their offensive coordinator from 2012 -- current Chargers coach Mike McCoy -- handled it this past Sunday in the Chargers’ 30-21 victory. Kiffin has long played a 4-3 look, with the defensive linemen playing the run as they move up the field toward the quarterback with two deep safeties. He forces quarterbacks to play with patience with a combination of coverages designed to keep plays in front of the defensive backs. Fox knows it well from his time in Carolina and Kiffin’s long run as the Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator, while Manning certainly knows it from his time in Indianapolis when Tony Dungy used the defense with the Colts (Kiffin was Dungy's defensive coordinator in Tampa). But that doesn’t always help, or as Fox put it: “Everybody in this league has either played for or coached with Monte.’’ One of the biggest challenges for the Broncos will come up front where Kiffin’s four-man front is often stunting and moving into the middle of the field as well, working the gaps between the center and guards. That will surely mean a test for Manny Ramirez, as well as Zane Beadles and Louis Vasquez.

• Fox said he was sitting face-to-face with Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio Sunday night when the University of Houston tennis coach, Patrick Sullivan, posted on his Twitter account he had “spotted" Del Rio at Los Angeles International Airport. Fox and the Broncos coaches were at a local steakhouse at the time. “I was actually at Del Frisco’s when that came out," Fox said. Asked if he was checking his Twitter feed at the time, Fox said: “I don’t even know how to spell Twitter." Del Rio has already been linked to the vacant USC coaching job -- he played at USC -- but couldn't start a new job until the Broncos season is over, including any postseason games. Del Rio’s contract is up following the season. Following Sunday night’s game, Del Rio said: “There isn’t anything to say. It’s all speculation at this point, I’ve got a job to do here, my focus is right there." Monday, Fox said: “Like always there’s 8,000 candidates, when it gets serious potential, we’ll keep you posted."

• The Broncos equipment staff saved linebacker Steven Johnson the football from his first career touchdown in Sunday’s win. Johnson blocked a punt early in the fourth quarter, scooped up the ball and returned it 17 yards for the score. Johnson got the ball Monday afternoon. “After I blocked it, I was shocked and I was like, ‘Oh shoot,’ you know? I slowed down, took a deep breath and just picked it up and scored and then celebrated with my teammates."

• Following Sunday’s game, in which Trindon Holliday had his sixth return for a touchdown in his 16 games with the Broncos, Holliday said he believed he has become more reliable catching the ball. Fox hasn’t always allowed Holliday to catch punts deep in Denver territory and Holliday has had some nerve-wracking bobbles in his brief time with the Broncos. But Monday Fox agreed with Holliday’s assessment saying Holliday was “fielding the ball way more consistently.’’ It could mean Holliday gets a few more opportunities in games, particularly as a punt returner. On Holliday’s run with the team Fox said: “I joked with him that if he’d won the Baltimore game, he might have been the guy on Dancing with [the] Stars.’’ Holliday became the first player in league history to return a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in the same playoff game last January. But the Broncos didn’t hang on and lost to the Ravens. And Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones was chosen to appear on "Dancing with the Stars."

• Fox said Monday the Broncos suffered no major injuries in Sunday's game. Defensive tackle Mitch Unrein and linebacker Danny Trevathan each left the game, but returned.

SAN DIEGO -- Coach Mike McCoy confirmed that San Diego Chargers pass-rusher Dwight Freeney tore a quad muscle during Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

“He does have a torn quad, and we’re exploring all of the options,” McCoy said. “We’re getting all of the medical advice, and [exploring] what is in his best interest moving forward.”

He did not rule out the possibility of the team placing Freeney on the injured reserve with a designation to return. Under the injured reserve rules, Freeney will be ineligible for the next eight weeks. He can return to practice six weeks after being placed on the list and be eligible for the Dec. 8 game at home against the New York Giants.

McCoy said that Larry English would be the team’s first option to fill in for Freeney. But he did not rule out going outside the organization to find pass rush help if the players on the roster are not getting the job done.

“Any time you lose a great player like Dwight Freeney it’s a blow to your football team,” McCoy said. “That’s offense, defense or special teams. When you lose one of the great players of all time from your team out with an injury like that during a game, it’s tough. But you give a lot of guys credit for stepping up.”

Along with English, McCoy said rookie sixth round draft choice Tourek Williams played 10 snaps, and did a nice job.

McCoy still does not know the availability of the three starters along the offensive line that missed last week’s game. Left tackle King Dunlap (concussion), left guard Chad Rinehart (toe) and right guard Jeromey Clary (clavicle) did not play against the Cowboys. Rich Ohrnberger injured his groin during the game while playing right guard, and had to give way to Stephen Schilling.

“With the injuries that these guys have, everyone’s different,” McCoy said. “All three of these guys who missed last week, the severity of their injuries are different -- they’re completely different injuries. And we’re going to get out there on Wednesday and see who’s available.”

McCoy did say that he os hopeful to get starting cornerback Shareece Wright back. Wright has missed the last two games with a hamstring issue. San Diego’s other cornerback, Derek Cox, also could miss Sunday’s game at Oakland. Cox left the Dallas game with a knee issue.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Andy Reid provided the Kansas City Chiefs a look into his coaching philosophy with one of his decisions in Sunday’s win over the New York Giants. If this is indeed how Reid will coach the Chiefs over the long term, they will benefit.

The decision in question came with 9½ minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Chiefs leading 17-7. Ryan Succop kicked a 53-yard field goal that would have put the Chiefs ahead by 13 points. But a Giants penalty gave Reid the option of taking the points off the board and giving the Chiefs a fresh set of downs. He took the latter.

After some anxious moments -- the Chiefs were penalized 15 yards for clipping on their next play -- they eventually scored a touchdown to go ahead 24-7.

The fact that the decision paid off for Reid isn’t what makes it a good one. It’s that he’s coaching to the strengths of the Chiefs.

Those strengths are a ball-control offense (the Chiefs had possession for almost 36 minutes on Sunday) and a defense capable of controlling games (the Giants took just 10 snaps on Kansas City’s side of the field). Chances were the Chiefs were going to chew more time off the clock and still get points on the drive. If they didn’t, chances were their defense would stifle the Giants.

There was little risk by going against the book under such circumstances, and Reid recognized that. He and the Chiefs were rewarded for it.

“Maybe just a gut feeling that I’ve tried to trust,’’ Reid said. “I can’t tell you I didn’t have a little indigestion on that gut feeling with the [clipping] penalty right there. That bothered me a little bit, but we overcame that and we got rolling.’’

These decisions won’t always work out for Reid. That’s acceptable when there’s little downside to failure. All situations are different, and Reid will have many factors to consider the next time he’s faced with a dilemma.

But over the long haul, the Chiefs will prosper with a coach who not only has a killer instinct, but listens to it.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs won’t be the team without their starting quarterback on Sunday when they meet the Titans in Nashville, Tenn., but they should have an extensive injury list during preparations this week.

The most pressing issue is the sore knee that caused starting cornerback Brandon Flowers to miss the Chiefs’ 31-7 win over the New York Giants. Coach Andy Reid said Flowers still has inflammation of the knee, so his practice week, at the least, could again be disrupted.

Veteran Dunta Robinson started the game as Flowers’ replacement but he yielded a 69-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz. Rookie Marcus Cooper then replaced Robinson and played well, but over the long haul Flowers is one of the Chiefs’ best defensive players.

Rookie offensive tackle Eric Fisher left the Giants game late in the first half after receiving a concussion. He was replaced by Donald Stephenson. The Chiefs will similarly monitor Fisher’s progress throughout the week.

“When you look at it, he got hit more in the shoulder area than he did the head,’’ Reid said. “He didn’t take that direct blow to the head, which is a good thing. I think that will end up being a plus for him going forward.’’

Among other injured players, running back Jamaal Charles has what Reid called “very extensive” blisters on his feet and punter Dustin Colquitt has a sprained knee. Both players were able to finish the game and should be ready to play in Nashville.

Two other starters, tight end Anthony Fasano (ankle) and guard Jeff Allen (groin), did not play against the Giants and it may be at least another week until either player is ready for a game.

The 3-1 Titans will be without quarterback Jake Locker, who injured his hip in a win over the New York Jets. He will be replaced by veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick.

An examination of four hot issues from the Oakland Raiders' 24-14 loss to the Washington Redskins:

Why no FG?: There was still more than 3 minutes left to play and the Raiders, down 10 points, were at Washington’s 17-yard line facing fourth-and-1. Surely it was time to trot out Sebastian Janikowski for the chippy 35-yard field goal and get within a touchdown, no? Well, um, no. Coach Dennis Allen decided to go for it, with a quarterback sneak by Matt Flynn. “It was fourth-and-inches and we have to be able to make inches,” Allen said. Flynn instead fumbled and the Raiders turned it over on downs, still needing two scores. “We hadn’t been moving the ball up and down the field, and to get a chance to be down there when you’re in scoring position,” Allen said, “you can possibly get a touchdown, we have to make inches.” Except, even if Flynn had been successful in getting a few inches, more time would have burned off the clock, and Oakland still would have had 16 yards to go with two timeouts.

Blocked punt reincarnate: It only looked like a repeat of Derrick Jensen blocking Jeff Hayes' punt and recovering it in the end zone for the Raiders’ first points of Super Bowl XVIII. But Rashad Jennings blocking Sav Rocca's punt did the same for Oakland on this day, as Jeremy Stewart recovered the ball in the end zone for the 7-0 advantage. It was Jennings’ second career block -- he almost had another in the fourth quarter -- and Stewart’s first career touchdown.

Hurry-up on the way? Washington prepared a blueprint for future Raiders opponents. Robert Griffin III running the no-huddle in the second quarter helped turn the momentum after the Raiders had taken a 14-0 lead. “When nothing is going your way,” Griffin said, “you’ve got to try something … it kind of tired their defense out a little bit. We were able to move the ball more consistently and convert third downs.”

Of explosive plays IV: And now for our weekly tracking of “explosive” plays. As deemed by Allen, such a play is one that gains at least 16 yards through the air, 12 yards on the ground. The Raiders had eight such plays against Washington, two runs and six passes. Washington also had eight explosive plays, two runs and six passes. In three games, the Raiders have 34 explosive plays (12 runs, 22 passes), with three passes for touchdowns. Oakland’s opponents have 31 explosive plays, eight runs and 23 passes with a touchdown each way.