of a margin between winning and losing. So we just got to straighten a couple things out, and we will be OK. It seems

KANSAS CITY Zach Gentry Jersey , Mo. (AP) — Gunther Cunningham’s life would have been vastly different had his family not emigrated from postwar Germany, settling in California when he was a young boy.For one thing, he almost certainly never would have dedicated his life to football.Yet Cunningham would go on to spend more than five decades in the game, including coaching stints in college and the CFL before making a name for himself in the NFL. He worked for six different franchises over 34 years in the league, including a two-year stint as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.Cunningham died on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 72.His wife, Rene, said in a statement Monday that Cunningham died in Detroit, where he had served as defensive coordinator and a senior coaching assistant for the Lions before retiring in 2016.“My family and I are deeply saddened to hear the news of Gunther’s passing,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said in a statement. “He led some of the most feared defenses in our franchise’s history with his energetic and motivating coaching style. Gunther made a tremendous impact on so many lives on and off the playing field in nearly five decades of coaching.”The Lions said in a statement that Cunningham will “forever be remembered as one of the great men in our game. He left a lasting impact on every person who was fortunate enough to work with him.”Cunningham’s father, Garner, was an American serving in the Air Force in Germany when he met his German wife, Katherina. Their precocious boy was born in Munich in 1946, and the family soon moved to the U.S. and settled in California, where Cunningham — who spoke no English — was ridiculed like many post-World War II immigrants for both his accent and ancestry.It was on the football field where he found his voice.Cunningham became a star linebacker for his high school team in Lompoc, and earned a scholarship to play at Oregon. His aptitude for the game made him a natural coach L.J. Collier Jersey , and Cunningham got his start as the Ducks’ defensive line coach from 1969-71.He later coached at Arkansas, Stanford and California before a stint with Hamilton in the CFL. He then followed Frank Kush to the Baltimore Colts, where he got his first NFL coaching job.Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted that Cunningham was “one of the finest men in our business.”Cunningham eventually became one of the most aggressive and successful defensive coaches in the league, burnishing his reputation with the Chargers and Raiders before landing in Kansas City. He was an integral part of Marty Schottenheimer’s best teams as the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator, and was promoted to head coach when Schottenheimer resigned after the 1998 season.He went 9-7 in his first year and 7-9 in his second, and his only head coaching stint ended on a sour note. Cunningham claimed he was never told by management that he’d been fired, learning it instead from reporters when he arrived to work in the morning.Cunningham spent some time with the Titans before Dick Vermeil lured him back to the Chiefs as his defensive coordinator. He spent the rest of his career with the Lions.“I had the honor to coach with him & against him,” tweeted longtime coach Jeff Fisher, who had Cunningham on his staff in Tennessee. “You’ll never meet another man with such a passion for people, family and football. We will miss him deeply.”Cunningham was known for his fiery demeanor and colorful vocabulary — yes, he picked up English, but his players would joke that he also knew plenty of French. Even in his final years on the sideline in Detroit, it wasn’t uncommon to see Cunningham drop-kicking a clipboard in frustration.But he also was the consummate players’ coach, putting their best interests first.“So sad to hear of the passing of one of the best coaches in the game,” said Rich Gannon http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/marquise-blair-jersey-authentic , who was quarterback in Kansas City during the late 1990s. “I went against him and his defense in practice every day for four years with the Kansas City Chiefs and it definitely made me a better player.”Cunningham is survived by Rene, his wife of nearly 50 years, and their son Adam and daughter Natalie. The family is planning a memorial service at a later date. SEATTLE (AP) — For the second straight week, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs faltered in their attempt to send the entire AFC playoffs through Arrowhead Stadium.Rather than a relaxing Week 17 with a chance to rest players headed into the postseason, the Chiefs must avoid one more stumble that could cost them a division title and homefield advantage.“It’s frustrating knowing that we’ve had it so close both times. Luckily we are still in the position where we will have the opportunity to go out there and win it next week,” Mahomes said. “It is frustrating losing these games with the opportunity to win the AFC West and get the number one seed.”Kansas City’s 38-31 loss to Seattle on Sunday night prevented the Chiefs from wrapping up the AFC West and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs for the second straight week. Additionally, the loss exposed the biggest concern of the Chiefs headed into the postseason: a defense that was unable to get stops in important situations.Seattle had a season-high 464 total yards, including 210 rushing. The Seahawks were 7 of 14 on third downs and Russell Wilson was the equal to Mahomes, throwing for 271 yards and three touchdowns.A week after blowing a fourth-quarter lead and losing to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs were stuck playing from behind most of the night against Seattle and couldn’t overtake the Seahawks.“We all just have to get better. All phases of the game, we have to get better,” Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones said. “We’re gonna find a way, we’re gonna find a way to get better. We still control our own destiny; we’re gonna finish this last game strong.”Offensively the Chiefs did enough and 31 points should have been plenty against Seattle. Mahomes had a few of his own magical moments that will enhance his MVP candidacy. But the Chiefs committed two key turnovers in the first half, one leading to points for Seattle and the other potentially costing the Chiefs a chance at points late in the first half.Mahomes was 23 of 40 for 273 and three TDs. Mahomes had only 83 yards passing in the first half. He had 76 yards and was 6 of 6 on Kansas City’s first possession of the second half, finishing the drive with a scrambling D.K. Metcalf Jersey , sidearm fling to Charcandrick West for a 25-yard touchdown that pulled the Chiefs even at 17-all midway through the third quarter.That was the last time the teams would be even, despite Mahomes’ efforts. He threw an 11-yard TD pass to Demarcus Robinson with 4:36 left, but the Chiefs were unable to get a stop on Seattle’s next possession, watching Wilson complete key passes to David Moore, Tyler Lockett and Doug Baldwin, leading to Chris Carson’s second TD run with 2:29 left.Harrison Butker’s 32-yard field goal with 1:20 left pulled the Chiefs within seven, but an onside kick went out of bounds and Seattle ran out the clock.“I want to win every game. That’s what we want to do. But I’m also in a position where we got to fix the problems, learn from them. We are teachers here so we are going to go back and learn from our mistakes and get ourselves better,” Kansas City coach Andy Reid said. “In this league, it’s that close of a margin between winning and losing. So we just got to straighten a couple things out, and we will be OK. It seems extreme right now, but that’s not the reality of it. We fix a couple things and we will be all right.”The Chiefs played without two key starters in the secondary as Kendall Fuller and Ron Parker were inactive. Seattle took advantage of the young defensive backs thrown in their place with Baldwin having his best game of the season with seven catches for 126 yards and the Seahawks also drawing a number of key penalties that kept drives going.Reid said he wanted to see how some of those younger players responded to the opportunity of facing a quarterback like Wilson and an offense as diverse as Seattle’s. But the decision may have helped put Kansas City in the position of facing an uncomfortable Week 17, even if it comes against lowly Oakland.“I think we will be fine if we just take care of our business there,” Reid said.