Chiefs vs. Redskins 2013 game preview: Kansas City tries to get back on track

The Washington Redskins host the Kansas City Chiefs trying to salvage anything out of their disappointing. The Chiefs, meanwhile, are trying to end a three-game skid and wrap up a wild card spot. Injuries have hurt Kansas City's normally tough defense, while Washington is just looking for any kind of defense whatsoever.

Another lost season in the nation's capital. If the Redskins lose this week, it will be the fourth time in five seasons they have lost 10 or more games. Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen have to be considered on the hot seat -- they have only managed one winning season in their tenure. Gifting the St. Louis Rams another top-five draft pick just might seal their fate unless they finish the season on a strong note.

A 9-0 start is suddenly looking shaky after the Chiefs lost three games in a row. In fairness, two of those losses were to the Denver Broncos, one of the best teams in football. To Alex Smith's credit, he is playing well of late and nearly led a game-tying drive against the Broncos last week. The Chiefs' defense isn't the same without Justin Houston and he's not expected to play this week. They hope to have him back in time for the playoffs.

With the Bucs and Jags surging, Buffalo and Cleveland having quality wins, Minnesota getting a little better (and beating Washington recently), and Oakland winning with enough frequency to seem not-quite-as-stinky as the rest, I think it comes down to Atlanta, Houston, and Washington. The Falcons won this week, so I'll kick them out.

Thankfully for the Redskins, there's a team that has lost ten in a row, which is very difficult to due in the Parity Era. Yes, the Redskins play in a worse division, but ten in a row is hard to ignore. And let's not forget that the Texans lost to the Raiders and Jaguars in consecutive weeks at home! Checkmate.

Joel Thorman from Arrowhead Pride takes a look at Dontari Poe, who might be the most valuable player on the Chiefs:

Add all that up and you get this: The Chiefs defense has played 816 snaps this year. Dontari Poe, a 345-pound behemoth of a man, has played 777 of those. Or 95 percent of them. A man his size playing 95 percent of snaps is ... it's comical. We knew he was a Combine freak, but I did not realize that would translate to the NFL in this way with his ability to play so many snaps. It's amazing how everything has changed for him from year one to year two (and partially the reason I'm not all that down on Eric Fisher yet).

It's not just that he's playing a lot. It's that he's really good doing it. If you watch the defensive line, you can see what kind of push he gets. It may not always result in a statistic (in fact, it usually doesn't) but Poe is making a difference.