Chiefs star Jamaal Charles takes responsibility for loss
Jamaal Charles had touched the ball more than 1,500 times Broncos Vance Walker Authentic Jersey in his Kansas City Chiefs career, between the times he was given it in the backfield and the times he had hauled in a pass. He had fumbled it just 24 times. So when Andy Reid decided to hand off to him in the final seconds Thursday night, with the Chiefs and Broncos knotted 24-all, the coach figured his odds were better that the two-time All-Pro would break a long run than he would fumble for the second time in the game. ''I thought that was a good play,'' Reid said afterward. ''Didn't work out so good.'' Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall managed to pop the ball from Charles' grasp, and Bradley Roby scooped it up. By the time he ran 21 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, the Broncos had scored twice in a span of 9 seconds, leaving the Chiefs just 27 seconds remaining in the game. Barely enough time to digest what had just Browns Josh McCown Authentic Jersey happened in a 31-24 defeat. Charles could have dodged reporters in the aftermath, just like he had so effortlessly the Broncos most of the night. He could have hung out in the showers until the locker room closed, or slipped away. But instead, Charles took ownership of the loss, vowing that he would put his performance behind him with 14 games still on the schedule. ''You have to get over it. By tomorrow, it's going to be out of our mouths, the taste, and get focused for the next game,'' he said. ''We have to restart ourselves, redeem myself.'' Make no mistake: Charles wasn't sweeping anything to the gutter. The star running back took the defeat as hard as anybody in the locker room, even saying at one point, ''I tried to put the team on my back and I ended up losing the game. It's all on me.'' That left his teammates to point out they may http://www.bearsofficialnflprostore.com not have been in position to force overtime had Charles not run for 125 yards, or scored on a hip-swiveling, 34-yard first-half burst. ''Besides Jamaal being one of the best players in the league, he plays a big leadership role in our locker room,'' said quarterback Alex Smith, whose two interceptions also proved costly. ''You know, he's the type of guy - you can see it - you don't want to jump on the sore, so to speak. We're going to need him,'' Smith said. ''Tonight hurts. It's almost like a shock. You don't even know what to feel at this point, but obviously, we have to find something out of this.''