As we head into Week 5, the Chiefs find themselves in a position no team would want to by this point. That being 0-4 on the season. Although the Chiefs are in the re-building phase, no one wants to see their team on the losing end each week, but with a schedule like there’s, it was hard to think they would be anything but winless.

Hosting the Cowboys sunday could actually change all of that. Romo’s main WR Roy Williams and originally starting RB Felix Jones are both OUT. Normal starting RB Marion Barber is also doubtful with more knee injury issues. Those three accumulate for four of the ten touchdowns on the year for the Cowboys.

While those following are out, that leaves QB Tony Romo two options. One being throw it to Witten, a lot. Witten may be a tight end, but he’s also had between 65 to 96 catches a year for every year but his rookie year since he was drafted in 2003. Romo’s second option is to hand it off to #3 RB Tashard Choice. Don’t let the #3 fool you, Choice is a very versatile weapon for Romo. Choice is the same RB that nearly put up 100 yards rushing and over 150 total yards(rushing and receiving yards combined) against the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, a team which hasn’t allowed a single player to rush for 100 yards in quite some time.

Speaking of injuries, the Chiefs are reportedly 100% healthy for Sunday. Somewhere off in the distance, I feel I can hear a sigh of relief from the Chiefs nation. Having a healthy Derrick Johnson and Dwayne Bowe for this game could mean victory.

Now for the defense. First and foremost, they must pressure Romo. Even if it takes 6-7 pass rushers. In the Cover-2 the Chiefs run, Brandon Flowers must be aware of Jason Witten. With the Cowboys lacking in the department of WR’s, it’s unlikely he will have much to worry about today. If the Chiefs can obtain pressure, Romo is likely to look for Choice for a screen pass, or Witten on a fade route to the sidelines, which Witten loves to run. If the Chiefs can apply enough pressure up front and up the middle, that leaves Flowers with an easier job on the day. To be honest, if the defensive line can give enough push, and the Chiefs blitz from the inside, Vrabel and Hali can sit back in coverage, making it difficult for Witten to be a factor at all in the contest.

Outside of the game today, I would like to point out that a lot of Chiefs fans are already looking at the season as a lost cause, and looking towards the draft ahead of time. While I wouldn’t want to claim that yet, I could give insight on something I noticed. Let’s say the Chiefs end up a top 5 pick again. Is it really a bad thing? Honestly? No. They have a lot of holes to fill, and this draft could easily fill two off the bat. Two that could be filled for a long time. Prospects like free safety/cornerback(I would just say defensive back, because he can play strong safety as well) Eric Berry is being called a “once in a lifetime” defensive back prospect (when your compared to Troy Polamalu, that means something!) and defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh (no, that isn’t a typ-o), who is often compared to Ravens DE/NT Haloti Ngata, are two must-have prospects. Notice that the Chiefs don’t neccesarily need either, but in that position, it is much better to take someone of that caliber and build around a player like that, then reach for a player at a need, and have him struggle to develop on a re-building team.

While both of those players sound nice, I noticed a bigger need. Left tackle. While some readers are thinking “Branden Albert?” Im thinking  “please move him back to right guard.” Branden Albert was originally drafted 15th overall in 2007 to play right guard for the Chiefs. In a surprising move, the Chiefs decided to move him to left tackle and transition him there. It worked, for a season. Albert has already given up 4 sacks, and is statistically the worst left tackle in the NFL right now. I believe that if the Chiefs do have a high pick, they draft Oklamhoma State OT Russell Okung. Okung has great athleticism, he’s already reached NFL talent skillset for pass and run blocking, and he’s also got great footwork. Okung is a sure thing for a day one starter at LT. If they were to grab Okung, they could move Albert back to RG where he should be.

Overall, up to now, I feel the Chiefs have performed just as any team would in their situation. Right now they are trying to make the best of their stuation. They have several key players, whom can only grow for now. Other than that, they don’t have the depth or potential to be anything great, yet. Outside of the offensive line shuffling that has been going on lately, it’s hard to feel a team like this is underperforming. Honestly, what is there is underperform? I don’t want to feel like a pessimist, but I had projected a 4-12 season for the Chiefs from the get-go. Even with a record like that, one must look at the team’s production. Game 1 against the Ravens the defense did give up a lot of yards, but it’s the fact that they went into the 4th quarter tied with the Ravens that shows they are progressing in the right direction. This game for the Chiefs is basically the typical “Do or Die” situation. If they “do”, then they try to get a few division wins, and hope 8 wins is enough to win this division, despite the Broncos already have 4. If they “die”, then prepare to read more about the upcoming 2010 draft.