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The week's dizzying events have the collective mind of the Chiefs in a million places. But the firing of coach Todd Haley and the change at quarterback to Kyle Orton hasn't obscured what's in front of them Sunday.
The Chiefs have a chance, however slim, to beat the Green Bay Packers, the defending Super Bowl champions and a team with sights set on greater immortality this season. That's an opportunity that doesn't come along often.
It's not lost on the Chiefs what's at stake in Sunday's game at Arrowhead Stadium, even for a 5-8 team clinging only to the faintest of playoff hopes.
"Where we're at in the season,'' Orton said, "what else would you want?''
The Chiefs can make the playoffs as the AFC West champion by winning their final three games and by the Broncos losing all of theirs. That's another way of saying the Chiefs aren't playing for much other than pride.
But pride in this particular instance is big. The 13-0 Packers are trying to become the NFL's first team to finish the regular season by winning 16 games and then winning the Super Bowl.
"It would definitely be a badge of (honor) if a team can knock us off,'' Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "It would be something for them to remember from this season.''
For the Chiefs, it would be a lot more than that, actually. Romeo Crennel, Haley's replacement as an interim, could go a long way toward securing the job on a permanent basis.
It's not easiest way for Crennel to begin his audition. But the rewards are great.
"It's the NFL and every game that you play, none of them are easy,'' Crennel said. "Every game is a tough game and it just happens that it's the Green Bay Packers and they're undefeated. It is a great challenge and it is a difficult challenge but in pro football you accept challenges and you look forward to challenges and you get ready to go.
"If I had a choice, I'd be (13-0). But whichever team that we would play, it really doesn't make any difference. Whoever you play, it's a tough game. I don't know who I would say I would want to play or anything like that because every team in the NFL is tough.
"Everybody used to want to play (Denver quarterback Tim) Tebow. Nobody wants to play Tebow anymore. This is how the cards were dealt. We're going to play the hand that's dealt. I think our guys will be representative and they'll out forth a good effort. Who know? We may surprise somebody.''
The Chiefs can no longer save their season, but can put themselves on the right course for next season by beating the Packers in a season when no other team has been able to do it.
While there might not be a good time for the Chiefs to try to beat the Packers, this one may be as good as any.
"They're already the (defending) Super Bowl champs and now they're sitting here in the middle of December with a zero in the loss column,'' guard Ryan Lilja said. "So they're a great team and they have a lot going for them.''
Lilja while with Indianapolis twice played for teams that went undefeated well into December. Neither time could the Colts finish the regular season spotless or win the Super Bowl.
The burden , he knows, gets heavy.
"You're not guaranteed to win every game,'' Lilja said. "People think it's an automatic (victory) every time they go out there. That's not the way it works all the time. And I'm sure they know that not every team is going to lay down for them. On the contrary, teams are going to get up for them.
"But that's a good problem to have.''
As the defending league champions, the Packers are used to getting every opponent's best shot. That's only increased as they piled up one victory after another this season.
Still, only two opponents have been able to keep the final margin against Green Bay under seven points.
"There's no way you can get around the fact they're a very good team,'' Crennel said. "Still, that's the thing about the NFL and athletics in general: You've got to play the game. You just don't know what's going to happen. That's what makes it so interesting.
"If we can do enough of the right things, we might have a chance to surprise some people.''
The Chiefs don't represent Green Bay's biggest challenge to an undefeated season. In the last three weeks alone, the Packers have faced opponents who are legitimately chasing a playoff spot.
But the Chiefs have something none of the others have: a recent coaching change. Nothing else generally gets a team's attention.
"Anytime there's a change in the program, it brings new energy,'' Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. "We're expecting a spirited football game.''
