Coffee Companion (10/8): your daily Ravens fix

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he'll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too.

RUNNING IT BACK

It wasn't pretty, but the Ravens beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 9-6, on Sunday afternoon. … Mike Preston said the loss was "just pitiful." … The Ravens allowed Jamaal Charles and the Chiefs to run for 214 yards, but they made the necessary adjustments at halftime to slow them down. … Ed Reed recovered a huge fumble in the win. … There is still no timetable for when linebacker Terrell Suggs will return from his torn Achilles tendon.

RAVENS STUFF, BUT NOT FROM US

The Ravens escaped Kansas City with an ugly victory. … Clark Judge believes the officials helped the Ravens survive Sunday. … John Eisenberg says running the no-huddle on the road could be a real issue for the Ravens. … Don Banks said Ray Lewis dropping weight could be a factor in their struggles against the run. … Jamison Hensley thinks Terrell Suggs should return for the Week 7 game at the Houston Texans if he can.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

Brady Quinn stepped in under center after Matt Cassel suffered an apparent concussion during Sunday's game. … Chiefs offensive tackle Eric Winston ripped Kansas City fans for cheering when Haloti Ngata knocked out Cassel at Arrowhead Stadium. … Quinn says Cassel is still the starter. … Turnovers doomed the Chiefs again. … The penalty on Dexter McCluster on Kansas City's last drive really hurt the Chiefs.

SHAMELESS PLUG OF THE DAY

Here are five things we learned in the win over the Chiefs.

AWAY FROM THE GRIDIRON

The Orioles dropped the first game of the American League Divisional Series, 7-2, to the New York Yankees. ... The O's still have faith in Jim Johnson after he got rocked in the ninth inning. ... The Yankees were all business Sunday night after another game in which they sapped the joy from Camden Yards, according to Peter Schmuck. ... Kevin Cowherd says the pressure is on rookie starter Wei-Yin Chen to deliver in Game 2 tonight.