Kansas City, Mo. ? For the Kansas City Chiefs, it was a very good bye.

While getting everyone healthy and refreshed during their week off, the Chiefs had the added pleasure of moving up in the AFC West standings when Oakland and San Diego lost.

But perhaps most encouraging was the doctor’s report on Priest Holmes’ sore right knee. An MRI indicated nothing seriously wrong with the NFL’s leading rusher, coach Dick Vermeil said Tuesday.

“They found out absolutely nothing wrong. It relieved Priest’s mind that he was all right,” Vermeil said. “Obviously, he’s been hit a few times and he’s going to have some soreness. By Wednesday on the practice field he’ll be ready to go.”

Holmes, the NFL rushing champion a year ago, leads the league this year with 857 yards and was named the NFL player of the month for October.

Holmes has had knee problems before, both in college and the NFL. Vermeil said the latest problem was not related to past injuries.

“He had a little fluid accumulate in the back muscle, not the knee joint. That little fluid pocket was rubbing against the tendon. You could feel that move a little bit. So he wanted that checked. It has nothing to do with the structural organization of the knee in any way.”

Vermeil also said that wide receiver Marvin “Snoop” Minnis would be activated this week. Minnis has been sidelined all year with a sore foot he injured during an offseason workout. Vermeil said no determination had been made on who will be released to make room for Minnis on the 53-man roster.

Oakland’s loss to San Francisco and San Diego’s blowout loss to the New York Jets last Sunday moved the idle Chiefs a half-game up on their rivals and heightened their chances of being in the hunt for a playoff bid during the second half of the year.

The Chiefs still have games remaining against all three AFC West rivals. Oakland’s fourth straight loss leaves the Raiders tied with the Chiefs at 4-4.

“Being 4-4, all it does is give us a chance,” Vermeil said.

“There have been 26 teams in the last four years go into the second half of the season 4-4. Seventeen of them did not qualify for the playoffs. Nine did. It just puts us in the hunt, that’s all. We can’t become what we want to be by remaining what we are.”

The timing of the off week was even perfect, coming at the exactly middle of the season.

“I think it’s super timing,” Vermeil said. “I know they didn’t do it on purpose in the league. But it worked out real good for us. We think it’s a positive how everything has worked out.”

To their added fortune, the Chiefs had a week to get everyone healthy prior to meeting the San Francisco 49ers, which Vermeil believes may be the toughest team on their schedule.

“If we don’t play well, it won’t be because we had a bye the week before we played a real good football team. It should be to our advantage, and that’s the way we’re looking at it,” Vermeil said.