Chargers vs. Chiefs: KC's Win Caps Best Story of First Half of 2011 NFL Season

Don't talk to me, Detroit Lions. Bid adieu, Buffalo Bills. Say so long, San Francisco 49ers.

If you're in search of the feel-good story of the 2011 NFL season, look no further than the Kansas City Chiefs.

Yes, folks, those Kansas City Chiefs. Those same Chiefs that emerged from the scrap heap to win the AFC West in 2010. Those same Chiefs that started the 2011 campaign at 0-3, their first two losses of the season going for a combined score of 89-10 to the aforementioned Lions and Bills.

Because, just a month later, KC finds itself back atop the division after avenging their most recent loss, to the San Diego Chargers, with an overtime victory at Arrowhead Stadium, 23-20.

After all Todd Haley's team has been through, including Haley himself going from the biggest goat in the state of Missouri to a legitimate candidate to be named NFL Coach of the Year, it's incredible to think that the Chiefs have not only rebounded from the abyss but bounced back to the mountain top.

Such is the NFL these days—a league predicated on surprises, tied closely to the topsy-turvy, designed to confound from week to week, game to game, possession to possession.

KC couldn't have asked for a more poetic turnaround. The Chiefs lost tight end Tony Moeaki in the final preseason game, superstar safety Eric Berry in the first game (a home loss to the Bills) and Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles in the second game (a road defeat at the Lions).

All three are out for the season with little hope of finding capable replacements on the market this season.

But, in the fashion of any other Scott Pioli team (right, Patriots?), this KC squad got its groove back, beginning with a narrow loss to the Bolts, followed by wins over the Vikings, the Colts and the Raiders, and culminating with Monday night's "lucky" win against San Diego.

I'm not mincing words here—"lucky" is the only appropriate way to describe it. How else can you possible describe Philip Rivers, a three-time Pro Bowler and always an underrated MVP candidate, throwing two picks in his first eight pass attempts and then fumbling away the ball well within field goal range in the fourth quarter?

Sorry about the change in styling there, but even Mike Ditka, Keyshawn Johnson, Cris Carter, Tom Jackson and Chris Berman (combined) would have to say, "C'mon maaaaaan!"

It's nothing new for the Chargers to stink early in the season, but this isn't early in the season anymore. It's the freakin' halfway point!

Let's not forget, though, the role the Chiefs played here. They encountered plenty of mishaps and mistakes. Matt Cassel, he of the usually somewhat steady hand, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble of his own.

But, just as they have all season, the Chiefs overcame those obstacles to pull out a win as improbable for themselves as it was devastating for the Bolts.

Funny how things that go around come back around so swiftly in the NFL. Once week, you're mired in a slump that seems to have your season written before it's even begun. The next, you're tied atop the division with the Chargers and the Oakland Raiders.

Such is the charmed life led by the Chiefs, a team that nobody expected to win this year despite doing so last year, lost worse than anyone anticipated and now finds itself back in good enough position to repeat its most recent accomplishments.

And such is the NFL, a sports league that's now as unpredictable as its collegiate counterpart.