(My Sportsbook) - The Chiefs or a team that looked like a shoe-in for the Super Bowl after a 9-0 start, the Chiefs have been very pedestrian over the last six games (3-3). On Sunday, Kansas City will try to regain its magic against the improving Chicago Bears in its regular season finale at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs have locked up the AFC West title and at worst the second seed in the AFC, but not everything has been decided. On the heels of last week's 45-20 beating at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, the Chiefs find themselves in a precarious position in the race for home field throughout the AFC playoffs. Kansas City would need a win in this contest, coupled with a New England loss and a host of other happenings to get home field. The easiest scenario to the top seed for the Chiefs would be a win and New England loss combined with victories by Indianapolis, Cleveland and Tennessee.

"Right now, our concentration is more on getting ready to play the Bears," said Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil. "If New England did happen to slip in their final game, we need to take care of business here. It would allow us then to maintain home field advantage all the way through the playoffs if we were able to win the first one."

Kansas City has been a dominant home team lately, winning all seven this season and a franchise record 12 in a row overall. The Chiefs haven't lost at Arrowhead since falling, 37-34, in overtime to the Denver Broncos in Week 7 last season. Vermeil feels very confident when his team plays in front of its rabid fans.

"We have a 12-game win streak intact right now and we'd like to make it 13," said Vermeil. "We're proud of that and it's never been done before here. It'll take a very, very good football game on our part to do it. At home, we have played all three phases of the game over the 12-game winning streak."

PLEASE, SOMEBODY STOP THE RUN!

The Chiefs' secondary is its strength, while its run defense ranks last in the league (150.7 ypg). Despite the additions of end Vonnie Holliday and linebacker Shawn Barber in the offseason, Kansas City hasn't been able to control foes' runners.

Minnesota rookie Onterrio Smith ran wild on the Chiefs, racking up 146 yards and three touchdowns on 21 attempts (7.0 ypc). All told, the Vikings rushed for 223 yards on 39 carries (5.7 ypc). Safety Greg Wesley was forced into making a team-high 11 tackles, while posting a sack.

The Chiefs' defensive frustrations boiled over in a locker room shouting match between DE Eric Hicks and DT Ryan Sims after the game.

"In regards to the locker room incident [vs. Minnesota] it has been handled, I think, properly," said Vermeil. "I'd like to believe that it's been handled properly. I put both parties in the room at the same time with me behind closed doors and we aired the problems and vented them and walked out of there and came to a squad meeting and discussed it with the entire squad.

"I think about the only thing to come out will be a positive rather than a negative to the whole football team."

Kansas City has been hurt by the lack of consistent push from its front four. Hicks actually leads the Chiefs' front four with only 47 tackles and four sacks, as its production has been very inconsistent. The Chiefs must get more push from the group in this contest.

It hasn't helped that starting middle linebacker Mike Maslowski has been sidelined since the Cincinnati game with a knee injury. Rookie Kawika Mitchell hasn't been quite as good in Maslowski's spot.

"When you lose a starter it doesn't help your defense. I think Kawika Mitchell is growing and learning but we're not quite as efficient," said Vermeil. "I think the young man knows it but this Sunday he'll play better than he did the last one and one day, as I've said all along, he'll be a great football player."