It's Week Four of the National Football League's 2006 regular season. Things have been tough. How’ve you been? Here's what happening with your Niners and Raiders for this October 1st.<

* San Francisco vs. Kansas City
Sunday, October 1, 2006. 10:00 AM, PST.
Week 04
The Battle Of The Wounded

Both teams limp into this Week Four matchup having absorbed terrible personnel losses during the first part of this season. Personnel, not personal, though, of course, any injury is personal as well. Let's just move on, shall we?

Last week, our 49ers lost first round pick TE Vernon Davis with a broken leg and and RB Frank Gore to a rib injury on the same play, while Eagles' DT Mike Patterson ran Gore's goal-line fumble over 95 yards for a touchdown. It was The Saddest Play Ever. Things did not improve from there, despite the Niners fighting back as best they could.

But the Chiefs, hoo-boy, they have it worse in terms of who they've lost. Kansas City's fulcrum QB Trent Green sustained a horrific concussion in the first game of the season against Cincinnati. Without Green to manage their nimble passing game, the Chiefs become one-dimensional. Defenses can conceivably load the line of scrimmage against the KC running game, daring backup QB Damon Huard to put the ball in the air. Huard?! It's as though Ren And Stimpy named a quarterback. Who's afraid of Damon Huard? What is a Huard? Here at American Football Spectacular, our spellchecker just threw up.

By SFist Christopher Rogers for "American Football Spectacular," contributing

Even without Trent, KC's ancient offense still has a few teeth left. The remnants of last year's best offensive line in the NFL still dwell in Kansas City, not to mention powerful tailback Larry Johnson, and game-changing TE Tony Gonzalez -- himself a former Cal power forward.

"Look for the Chiefs to go with a lot of screens and play-action after setting up the run to get some big plays on San Francisco," said American Football Spectacular's Kansas City correspondent Kyle Vorak. "Basically its going to be LJ all day up your asses. Maybe a little Gonzo here and there."

"The Chiefs defense should do well after a solid outing against Denver, holding the 49ers to about 10 points or less," said Vorak, a hardcore Chiefs booster. "KC will win 24-10 or so. If the Chiefs' defense shows up like they did against Denver, it'll be a blow-out."

Like two dinged-up boxers answering a mid-fight bell, these two teams will shrug off their hurts and toe the line this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

* Oakland vs. Cleveland
Sunday, October 1, 2006. 1:15 PM, PST.
Week 04
The Battle Of A Better Tomorrow Today

OK, let's try that again.

After a bye week presumably spent getting ready for the game against the Browns, our Raiders are ready to begin this season anew. We're hitting "reset" on 2006 and trying again.

Oakland and Cleveland slugged it out last year in a 9-7 Browns win that was just as ugly as you’d think.

Morale has understandably been low lately among the Raider ranks. The Chron's ever-astute Ray Ratto reported that Randy Moss had some interesting thoughts to say to a radio interviewer when he went home over the bye week. Over the air, Moss related that his children said, "Daddy, don't go back to Oakland, stay with us." He added, "I was tempted, too."

We can see where the kids were comin' from.

So, then! What to look for during the game? Well, the same thing as in all other games this season -- will the Raiders actually adapt their offensive gameplan or continue stubbornly taking seven step drops to no avail? Adapt or die, it is the world's way! The Raiders have been quixotically carrying out Al's obsolete-yet-romanticized deep passing game with heavy losses and positively no success. Stop this, Al, this is insanity!

Your Oakland Raiders: the NFL's own version of The Charge Of The Light Brigade. For those coaching for or playing as Raiders, "Theirs [is] not to reason why, Theirs [is] but to do and die," indeed! Into The Dawg Pound, noble Raider Nation!

The Cleveland Browns are a rebuilding team as their franchise attempts to get on track to overcoming the slough of bad front office decisions since the team's rebirth.

On offense, they seem to have found their quarterback of the now in the semi-speedy Charlie Frye. He will attempt to fling the ball to raging egomaniacs like WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen "I'm a soldier!" Winslow, Jr. Starting RB Reuben Droughns has been playing hurt all season and may not be available for the Brownies' fledgling offense.

On defense, again for Cleveland; the tale is one of rebuilding despite injuries. Cornerback Daylon McCutcheon is gone for the season with a knee injury, and CLE Head Coach Romeo Crennel in his second year is still moulding this young Browns D lineup into his type of defense: stalwart, team-oriented, and adaptive. Much like Crennel himself!

Romeo brought veteran OLB Willie McGinest in to help coach up the recruits this year. Cleveland is still rather far from being as scary as the fearsome "hybrid" defenses that Crennel oversaw at New England.

Hey, this is a game the Raiders might be able to win! Heck, hope so!

Next up on your American Football Spectacular: Recaps, lauds, and laments. Here at AFS, we hope for the best, and expect very little. We have become used to the level of Dr. York and The Al at this point. Paging Larry Ellison, come in Larry. Larry, you there?