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GLENDALE, Ariz. - Just when Arizonas fortunes had turned sour, along came Kerwynn Williams, an unlikely hero.Williams provided what quarterback Drew Stanton called the shot in the arm the Cardinals needed on Sunday in Arizonas 17-14 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.The Cardinals (10-3), who had lost two in a row, needed the win to stay a game ahead of Seattle in the NFC West. Now they have a short week to prepare for a Thursday night contest at St. Louis.Youve got to love NFL scheduling, Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said.The Chiefs (7-6) dropped their third straight and trail three teams in the AFC wild card chase.We obviously need to do a better job, take care of our business, Kansas City coach Andy Reid said. Its my responsibility that takes place. We had e very opportunity to do that today, and we didnt get it accomplished.On Friday, Williams practiced with the scout team, pretending to be Jamaal Charles. Afterward, coach Bruce Arians told him he was being elevated to the regular roster.Williams responded by rushing for 100 yards, nine more than Charles got. The former Utah State back, a seventh-round draft pick by Indianapolis last year, was the main cog in a running game that had been so bad lately. After rushing for fewer than 100 yards in the last two games combined, the Cardinals got a season-high 141 on Sunday.Quickness, explosiveness, an unbelievable change of direction, Arians said of Williams. He can break a guy down in a hole and make him miss and hes got power for a smaller guy.Williams big game came the same day that Arians said running back Andre Ellingtons season is over. Ellington is to have surgery to repair a hernia. He never had been at full strength this season.Arians gave Williams a game ball. Williams said he would give it to his parents.Some things to know from the Cardinals win:CONTROVERSIAL CALLS: The Chiefs were on the wrong end of a couple of controversial calls in the second half.The refs called two plays that I think were just crazy, Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles said.First, a third-quarter touchdown was negated when tight end Anthony Fasano was called for offensive pass interference. On the next play, an interception ended the threat and led to Arizonas lone touchdown.My back judge (Lee Dyer) reported to me that he had Fasano blocking, referee Craig Wrolstad told a pool reporter, blocking downfield to create separation which allowed him to be open for the pass.In the fourth quarter, Arians challenged a call that tight end Travis Kelce was down by contact after a 19-yard pass reception to the Arizona 22. After the review, the call was reversed, giving the Cardinals the fumble recovery at the 15.The tight end caught the ball, took a number of steps, got hit and as he was going to the ground, the ball came loose. The ball remained loose. ... He tried to maintain possession, but he did not.ARIZONAS Defence: After surrendering 500 yards in its worst performance of the season last weeks 29-18 loss to Atlanta, the Arizona defence came back to shut out the Chiefs in the second half after they had taken a 14-6 halftime lead.This is the story of our season, said linebacker Alex Okafor, whose interception stopped a Kansas City drive and led to the Cardinals lone touchdown. Playing hard in the first half, but cranking it up in the second half, especially at home.Arizona has blanked the opponent in the second half of its last three home games.CHARLES TURNS QUIET: Jamaal Charles broke loose for a 63-yard touchdown run, then caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith.In between, he went down with a left ankle sprain. Reid called it a mild sprain.It was scary at first, Charles said. I thought I tore it up.In the second half, Charles rushed for 17 yards in seven carries.HOME COOKING: Arizona improved to 7-0 at home, the most home victories for the franchise in the 16-game era.Its also the most since the Chicago Cardinals won 11 of 13 home games in 1925.The Cardinals are 13-2 at home since Arians became coach.TURNOVERS: Arizona won the turnover battle 2-0, with an interception and fumble recovery.The Cardinals have a plus-10 turnover ratio. 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The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive.TORONTO - While the NBA recently recognized Kyle Lowry, naming him Eastern Conference Player of the Month for his standout work in December, Dwane Casey remains disappointed to see that the fans havent exactly followed suit. When the league released its latest All-Star voting update on Thursday, Lowry was slotted fourth among Eastern Conference guards, behind Washingtons John Wall, Miamis Dwyane Wade and Clevelands Kyrie Irving. Fans are responsible for selecting the starters for the NBAs annual All-Star Game, which will take place in New York City on Feb. 15, voting in two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference before the leagues coaches fill out the rosters. At the time of the last update, Lowry trailed Wade by 122,016 votes for second at the position, with Irving slotted in between. [Im] very surprised, Casey admitted after the Raptors Tuesday morning practice. I hope our fans get out and vote and dont put it in the hands of the coaches. And if the coaches dont do it Im probably going to get into a physical fight with those guys. One way or another the Raptors guard, in his ninth NBA season, is poised to become a first-time All-Star. In 34 games this season, Lowry is averaging a career-best 20.6 points (17th in the NBA and second among East guards, behind Wade) and 7.6 assists (tied for seventh in the NBA and ranked second among East guards, behind Wall). He ranks ninth in PER (player efficiency rating), third among Eastern Conference players at any position (behind LeBron James and Wade), and is seventh overall in win shares (estimated number of wins a player produces for his team), second in the East behind only Jimmy Butler of the Bulls. He has been the best player, by far, on a Raptors team that has led the East for most of the seasons first two months. Caseys frustration stems from last season, when Lowry became the leagues most notable omission from the team - during a similarly impressive campaign - after the coaches failed to vote him in. They will not make that same mistake again this time around but, as Casey points out, it probably shouldnt even come down to that. [The All-Star Game is] for the fans, but sometimes fans have their favourites and it has nothing to do with basketball, said the Raptors coach. I would challenge anyone to say that Kyle Lowry or Jimmy Butler are not two of the best players in the league right now. In the middle of his own breakout campaign, Butler - who beat Lowry out for Novembers Player of the Month honours - was fifth in voting at the guard position in the latest update. Thats sometimes where fantasy basketball, fans, or whatever it is may not recognize the contributions these players are making to their team or to this league, Casey continued. So its not fair but its the system we have right now. The only thing we can do, Kyle can do is go out and continue to compete and play with that chip on his shoulder to show the league, to embarrass the fans and let them know that they made a mistake or are making a mistake in their voting. DeMar DeRozan represented the upstart Raptors on last years team - his first career selection, voted in as a reserve by the coaches - but is unlikely to make a second appearance this season, having missed six weeks-worth of games with a groin injury.dddddddddddd Lowry has taken his game to another level in the absence of his injured teammate, averaging 22.5 points and 8.7 assists in 18 games without DeRozan. The fans get to vote, coaches, whoever else gets to vote but at the end of the day its about how you perform, said Raptors forward Patrick Patterson. A lot of fans just vote for their favourite players, whether theyre playing or not, and they get into an All-Star game. So I feel like it should be the guys who have the best records and guys who are leading their teams and right now thats Kyle. Hes leading us [and] were in a positive position right now. Were one of the top teams in the East, top team in our division and when all is said and done I definitely feel like Kyle is an All-Star. Hes not the only one to lend his support of Lowry. Canadian basketball fans should get behind [Kyle Lowry], who deserves to be an NBA All Star, tweeted Prime Minister Stephen Harper with the hashtag #NBABallot on Tuesday evening. Three hours later, Harpers plea had garnered over 2,900 retweets, all of which will count towards Lowrys vote total. As Patterson noted, fan voting is often a popularity contest, making Lowry a long shot to jump those currently ahead of him. Wade is a 10-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion, while Wall and Irving - both former first-overall picks - are two of the leagues flashiest young point guards. Thats the unfortunate reality and some would argue - and have argued - that its perfectly reasonable. The game is a celebration of the sport and a showcase for the fans, so shouldnt they have their say? Of course, thats where the coaches come in - to reward deserving players that may have been left out of the starting lineups. But even that is not a foolproof system. Lowrys controversial omission a year ago serves as the latest of many examples. In 2013 Golden States Stephen Curry was snubbed by both fans and coaches despite averaging 21.6 points for the 47-win Warriors. Just a few days later, the point guard joked that he was getting more attention without making the team than he would have if they had voted him in. The same can be said for Lowry, who is finally starting to turn heads around the association. Lowry captured his third career Player of the Week award in the East early in December before taking home the monthly prize on Monday for the first time. The point guard joins Chris Bosh as the only Raptor players to ever win Player of the Month honours. Thats the only recognition I care about [for him], Patterson said. Of course hell get Player of the Weeks, hell get Player of the Months, but the only recognition I care [about] for Kyle is that he makes All-Star. We all know hes an All-Star on this team and we want the rest of the world to know that. So hopefully before its all said and done, he will be an All-Star and get the recognition he deserves. Fan voting concludes on Monday, Jan. 19 and starters will be announced on Thursday of that same week. ' ' '