Sunday, December 25, 2005

Chargers at Chiefs - Week 16 - Record: 9-6

When we went ahead 20-7 in the middle of the 2nd quarter, our kicker doinked the PAT and naturally I thought, "Oh great, we're going to lose this one 21-20. Great."

Turns out our defense did what it should have done last week. We stuffed their go-to back, an All-Pro one at that. He only got a handful of rushing yards. And after super receiver Antonio Gates caught a TD pass for them early, I don't think he caught another pass all day. We frustrated their QB unaccustomed to the game's rainy smushy weather, and the game ended with the same 20-7 score.

Thing is, next week we have to hope less-than-mediocre Detroit plays the game of their life in Pittsburgh. And of course we have to beat division champion Cincinnati at home. A tall order, and one to hope for, but I've made my peace. If we don't get into the playoffs, I won't be too bummed. We're just too schizophrenic. We can spank top-class teams like the Broncos, Patriots, and Redskins, but bumble around and get spanked by weak teams like the Bills and the playing-way-over-their-heads Cowboys and Giants. Eeyee.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Chiefs at Giants - Week 15 - Record: 8-6

The entire story of a game we had absolutely no business whatsoever losing can be summed up in a simple sentence:

They tackled, and we didn't.

In fact, our untackling was so spectacular that their go-to back got a thoroughly shameful 200+ yards, the most of any back in all of the NFL this year.

So, yeah, that's the story. Really. That's it.

Thuh end.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Chiefs at Cowboys - Week 14 - Record: 8-5

I am certain that some obscure Norse god who is freezing his buns off in the coldest part of Valhalla somewhere put some bodacious hex on the Chiefs the day after Jan torched his Vikings with three clutch field goals in Super Bowl IV. Since then, we have had the worst worst worstest of luck in the clutch field goal department. Don't think so? To wit:

1971 - Jan Stenarud (the same) can't get just one of, what was it, three or four field goal tries? I dunno, I lost count--against Miami in the notorious Christmas Day overtime divisional playoff game. We make the playoffs but once (1986) over the next 20 years.

1990 - We dominate the Dolphins in the wild-card playoff game, ahead 16-3 in the 4th quarter. They scamper back and go ahead 17-16. With a couple minutes left we drive all the way down into easy FG range when a holding call puts us back a bit. Nick Lowery then just can't hit the 50 yarder.

1995 - Lin Elliot just can't get any of three very makeable tries in a divisional playoff game we should have easily won over Indianapolis. We lose 10-7.

1996 - We are 9-4 on the season but lose the next three straight, including one again to Indy at home and the last one against Buffalo. Amazingly we still have a shot to back into the playoffs when Morten Andersen, probably the greatest kicker in NFL history, lines up for an 18 yarder against Jacksonville. If he makes it, Atlanta wins, Jax loses, they're out and we're in. He misses. He misses an 18 yard field goal.

1997 - Pete Stoyanovich makes a key field goal in the divisional playoff game against Denver when a holding call nullifies it. We line up again, and he promptly boots it off the upright. We end up losing 14-10, when if it was 14-13 we could have just kicked another FG on 4th and 1 in those last seconds rather than throw an incompletion to give the game to the Broncos.

1999 to 2001 - The Raiders don't miss any of their game-winning FG's against us at home three years in a row. The '99 version was in the last game and it knocked us out of the playoffs that year.

Fast forward to today's game, when Lawrence Tynes comes in to tie the game after two incredible pass plays to get us right into range with only 16 seconds on the clock. A bad snap messed it up to begin with, but he still should have hit it easily. Don't think there's a hex on us?

Fact is, it should have never come down to that. We were clearly showing we were the better team in this game, and yet we still couldn't get the job done, committing critical penalties and turnovers. We're still in this thing, but we'll have to see if we're true finishers.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Broncos at Chiefs - Week 13 - Record: 8-4

I thought we were about to be the first team ever to lose a game by a nanometer, a phantom one at that, just the thing that would happen to the Chiefs. Denver was driving, near midfield, with a couple minutes left in the game, and we were up 31-27. Their running back, Mike Anderson, gets the ball on a fourth-and-one and it was obvious that we stopped him just short. There was no way in the world he got that first down.

But then one of the side judges comes running down from the top of the screen signaling that the ball was past that yellow line the television puts there to indicate where the first down marker is. I was stunned. Did I miss it? Did he just barely get across it?

They measure. In come the chains. The post just barely touches the football. I mean it's a nanometer of that post.

First down.

Aagh. I couldn't believe. And I don't know what the instant replay rules are, so I'm thinking it is unchallengable.

But Dick Vermeil can challenge the call. He does, and what a call. They look at the replay, and they show it again for us all to see, and it is clear that there is no way they got that spot right.

They reverse it, as they should. KC ball, 1st and 10.

We run the ball a number of times-- Larry Johnson of course-- getting a first down along the way, except that we end up with a 4th down at about Denver's 30 yard-line with 8 seconds left. What do you do? I tell you what you do, and it's not what Vermeil did: have Trent Green take the snap and shuffle around until you get tackled promptly giving Denver one last possession. What you do do is give the ball to Dante Hall and have him run backwards fast and then all around for 8 seconds and then kneel. He doesn't have to go so far that if he trips or something Denver can flick a short pass for a TD. I can't figure out why coaches don't do this.

Fortunately, the last Denver hail mary pass play was broken up way short of the goal line anyway, so we came away with a clutch win we needed big-time.

Oh, and did anyone catch TV commentator Phil Simms ask if it can possibly be that we rely so much on offensive tackle Willie Roaf? Yes, it's true! Trent Green was back to his normal slinging self today with that extra cushy protection on that left side.

Three weeks after the Buffalo debacle, we may actually now have a contending team.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Patriots at Chiefs - Week 12 - Record: 7-4

Getting up for this game was probably not difficult since we were facing the Super Bowl champs and nothing less than playing at top form would do. A fine effort, but curmudgeonly me, the Patriots were still without their top running back and have slogged along all season playing no better than .500 ball.

Our defense is showing that it can play, and I don't think there is any question at this point that it is much improved from last year. Greg Wesley had three of the four picks we had on the day, so our guys did a terrific job of disrupting the Brady-to-Branch connection.

Our offense is still struggling big-time in the red zone, exposing in the rawest way the loss of Priest Holmes. Down there he just found a way to get into the end zone. Today Larry Johnson did pound it in from the one on the very first drive, but after that we'd get down there and we'd be all excited and then blap -- in'd come Tynes to boot in a chip shot. This is just not going to get it done. The other touchdown was a unconventionally non-spectacular 52-yard pass play to Dante Hall, who did do a nifty job of getting behind the defense.

On the whole I can't be unpleased with the result today, setting us up positively for more of a grueling final stretch of the season in which we play all winning teams.

Friday, November 25, 2005

Chiefs at Texans - Week 11 - Record: 6-4

I think this week the Chiefs kept in mind how they lost last year's game against the Texans, at home, in such a silly way-- a loss which really set the tone for a 3-8 start to that season. They knew there was no way they were going to lose this year's rematch, especially when this Texans team had a record of 1-8.

Larry Johnson ran for over 200 yards to put the stamp on a 45-17 pasting. The team showed that it did have at least a little bit of the drive to win that it didn't have last week. There's a glimmer of hope, but we still need Willie Roaf and we still need to prove it against a team like the Patriots this week.

Fortunately we've got a batch of games at home to finish the season.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Chiefs at Bills - Week 10 - Record: 5-4

It would seem that Trent Green had a miserable day, but any time what happened to him happens to any quarterback, it is the offensive line that had the miserable day. So let's just tell it like it is: the OL suffered three interceptions, six sacks, and a lost fumble. Trent Green does not, cannot, and will not have what he had two years ago (indeed last year when, really, we lost several games because of crazy plays that went against us) because the offensive line is a shadow of what it was. I can't say it emphatically enough: The #1 critical factor in this year's mediocre performance to date is not having Willie Roaf out there.

The was a game that really showed how weak this team is. We couldn't do diddly and this was still with a second-string QB in for the Bills and our defense neutralizing RB Willis McGahee.

What is scary is how old we are. Who are our top players on offense? Trent Green is ancient. Eddie Kennison and Tony Gonzalez are grizzled vets. Priest Holmes, bless him, I think is done. Larry Johnson is all we've got and you can't have a productive offense with one offensive threat and little strength up front as I just mentioned. Add to this the fact that Dick Vermeil just looks exasperated out there, and it spells big trouble.

Today, anyway, this team just looked horrific. When you add to it all two missed field goals and endless fighting resulting in two ejections, it is evident this is a team without the winning drive and spirit to be real contenders. Sigh. I can't give up on them too soon, so I just say "Today, anyway..." But looking at this team-- still, sigh...

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Raiders at Chiefs - Week 9 - Record: 5-3

Struggling to get down for that game-tying field goal in the final seconds, Trent Green whips a pass out to Larry Johnson who rambles 36 yards but barely can't get into the end zone. Faced with the choice between a field goal to send it into overtime and going for it from the one-yard line, Vermeil decides for the latter and Johnson pounds it in for the score.

It can't get any more exciting than that. Another clutch win over the Raiders.

Thing is, it should never have been that exciting. We had taken command of the game at the beginning of the 4th quarter, leading 20-9, and had the Raiders in a 4th and long situation when Jared Allen gets a stupid roughing the passer penalty, then gets a personal foul penalty by mouthing off, and then costs us a time-out when we have to tell him to get out on the field. This is one of those banes of being a fan. Allen has definitely helped this defense, but what do you do with a guy like that, a terrific player who can get you in serious trouble with idiotic moves like this one. Aaaagh!

When are we going to get a break on the schedule from facing world-class receivers. It was Terrell Owens a few weeks ago, then Antonio Gates last week, this week it was Randy Moss (and I might even say Jerry Porter is pretty great). Even with his groin injury Moss burned us for a touchdown. Hopefully it will only serve to toughen up the defense that has improved from last year, but we absolutely can't afford any Jared Allen-type antics to mess up what we do have going.

Friday, November 04, 2005

Chiefs at Chargers - Week 8 - Record: 4-3

A poor first half really cost us. We couldn't do anything, and I wonder again how Dick Vermeil can justify not using Tony Gonzalez at all until the second half when we came alive to make it a game. This is most appalling in light of San Diego's banged-up defense. Our once touted offensive line couldn't protect Trent Green-- I believe the loss of Willie Roaf has hurt us the most this year.

I still don't think we learned enough from the Terrell Owens disaster of week 4 when we seemed to forget all about the best receiver in the game. This time it was Antonio Gates who ran all over us. I will say that it looked like we did do a better job of covering him. That first TD pass was just a terrific throw by SD quarterback Drew Brees.

In the 4th quarter it looked as though Marty Schottenheimer was going to cave again, but we just didn't take advantage of it. Playing catch-up for the entire game didn't help.

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Chiefs at Dolphins - Week 7 - Record: 4-2

We won 30-20 with the help of two big 50 yard field goals from Lawrence Tynes. Does this tie a record? I can't imagine that very many place kickers in NFL history have two in a game.

Our defense did merely okay again, allowing several big plays before the half to let the Dolphins score, and letting their not-Ricky Williams back get a 65 yard touchdown run.

This one was a bit unusual as it was played on Friday night because hurricane Wilma was on its way, and wasn't broadcast anywhere but locally. Too much high school football still being played.

Still, the win was sweet because we've lost so many tough games to this team, especially in Miami.