Kansas City Chiefs' Playoff Hopes: Can They Survive Matt Cassel's Appendectomy?

Hope abounds in Kansas City for a shot at the AFC West title and playoff berth, their first in years.  Everything seems to be coming together for the Chiefs. 

Their passing game has found some teeth. Dwayne Bowe remembers how to catch. Tamba Hali and Brandon Flowers are causing fans to have flashbacks of Derrick Thomas and Kevin Ross. After last week's game, Brandon Carr could be Flowers's Albert Lewis.

And the running game hasn't been this exciting since Priest Holmes and The Running Back Who Shall Not be Named.

With four games left in the season, the Chiefs have a two-game lead in the division. The mental mistakes from the Denver game aside, the team seems to be firing on all cylinders and are going full steam ahead.

But never count out the machinations of the All-Mighty Murphy, demi-god of misfortune.

That's right, Murphy's Law has reared its ugly head in Kansas City, and gazed directly upon the goat-turned-great, November's AFC Offensive Player of the Month Matt Cassel.

It was announced this morning that, rather than attending practice, Cassel popped on down to the local hospital and had his appendix removed.

And despite the relaxed air coming out of the Chiefs' offices at Arrowhead, coaches and players alike must be running around like ants whose hill just received a size 12 wide remodeling.

Coming up on the Chiefs' biggest game in nearly four years, it's a little far-fetched for this to have been anything but an emergency procedure. And while it'd be nice to think Cassel can come back around in four days to start in a game following major surgery, it sounds much more like a case of wishful thinking.

That leaves Sunday's game in the hands of the oft-injured Brodie Croyle, and recently re-signed Tyler Palko should Croyle find himself back on the injury list. Once considered Kansas City's quarterback of the future, Croyle has been firmly entrenched as the reserve quarterback ever since the hiring of Todd Haley and the subsequent trade for Cassel.

Nearing the end of his contract, Sunday stands to be Croyle's "make or break" game. A solid performance in Sunday's game could give him the chance to compete for a starting position for one of the many teams facing quarterback issues in the 2011 season.

That's a good scenario, given that this is almost a "make or break" for the Chiefs as well. A loss in San Diego would severely tighten the AFC West race, especially if Oakland can repeat their upset magic in Jacksonville.

Whatever the case, Kansas City probably can't wait until they can get Cassel back into the starting lineup.

I bet Chiefs fans never expected to read that at the beginning of the season.