That is a key advantage of the playoff bye, and brings up one of the questions regarding our health for our first playoff game. Will Willie Gay's ankle injury keep him out? We could really use him. Will Clyde Edwards-Helaire be back? We really need him as well. I haven't closely examined our injury situation, so I'm not sure how all that's looking.
The real key, however, is that one that has been the key for every pre-Mahomes era playoff game we've had. You know what it is. We'll win, if...
The really stupid insane thing doesn't happen to absolutely obliterate our chance to win.
Again. It is simple.
That's it.
That's the one thing. That's the only thing that can beat this team, really. In fact, remember when it still killed us when the Mahomes era just started, when Dee Ford was called off-sides on the game-clinching interception in that AFC title game? Then, after we'd had something like 173 straight coin-toss wins we lose that one in OT and never get the ball.
Thing is, while we're trying to run it back -- and that is indeed the inspiration for the team, "Run It Back" -- any goofy crazy-ass thing can happen. Oh do Chiefs fans now about those things oh so well.
One of the factors I did see being discussed is how little we blew out teams this year, especially over the course of the second half of the season. What was it, something like every game of the second half was a win by less than a touchdown?
I have to admit this exceptional team not having any blowouts does concern me. Those who say it shouldn't concern us say it is mostly because Andy won't run up scores. Maybe. They'll also say something that I think is a better reason, and that is for many of those games we are dominating the scoreboard at some point in the second half, then the other team puts up some gimme score to cut the lead to make things look closer than it really was.
Against a good Dolphins team we were up 30-10 at one point, and with a few seconds left and the score 33-24 they kicked a field goal to make it 33-27 hoping for an onside kick recovery. Against a very good Saints team in the second half we were up 29-15 at one point. We were pasting the playoff Bucs too when they had a decent comeback but also fell short. And look at these teams -- we're still beating very good teams here and handling them pretty well no matter what the score says.
Yes, in some ways our Chiefs have made games too close for comfort. But that's the reason it could indeed be a cause for concern. Why are we letting them get back into things? Why are we messing with that? What are we doing or not doing where we simply can't close the deal early enough? Again, maybe we're keeping things close to the vest, that's okay.
But I also know watching every single play we've had this year that there are things we are doing that could be of concern if the Browns exploit it. Are the Browns a matchup that has them holding some advantages? Even the best teams face other teams that just have something that can take them down. I really know nothing about the Browns except that they have Baker Mayfield and -- ::gulp:: -- Kareem Hunt. This is NFL playoff football and anything can happen. And really...
That's precisely why we've got to be at our very best using all of our weapons with maximum firepower, because in any close game all that is required for our dreams of a back-to-back disappear into the misty Arrowhead air is that insane crazy goofy ridiculously stupid thing to happen.
Otherwise, we got this.
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