Tyler Palko: "I'm the starter, from what Todd (Haley) has told me"

Tyler Palko, who has seven turnovers in his last two starts, expects to be under center for the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday at Soldier Field.

“I’m the starter, from what Todd has told me,” Palko said, referring to Chiefs head coach Todd Haley. “And let everything else play out, as it may.”

But as the week plays out, it would appear the Chiefs would be more inclined to start former Bears quarterback Kyle Orton, who they claimed off waivers from Denver last week. The Bears put in a claim for Orton but the Chiefs had the priority because of an inferior record.

For now, though, Palko is the presumed starter at quarterback for the Chiefs (4-7), losers of four straight. The Chiefs have been savaged by injuries to key players, including starting quarterback Matt Cassel.

“I just think we’re trying not to beat ourselves. We still have a lot of confidence,” Palko said. “It’s not like nothing’s working. We’re doing a lot of good things. It’s just unfortunate that the things we’re not doing well are getting magnified.

“As an offense, the two things you have to do is put points on the board and not turn it over. And we’re not doing either of those right now. Those are self-inflicted wounds. We have to find a way to fix it.”

So far, Palko said, Orton has been a great teammate.

“We have a great relationship. He has a lot of knowledge he has, that my ears are open to,” Palko said. “We work well together, and I look forward to working with him in the future.”

Palko was undrafted out of Pittsburgh in 2007, and he’s bounced around the UFL and CFL.