Chiefs at Broncos - Week 18 - Record: 12-5 - Another More Expansive Take

Thought I'd just pound out a few more thoughts here, just because. Last night I looked back at my post from January 2 of 2018 all about Patrick Mahomes' first start, yes, that glorious New Year's Eve of 2017, and just how much I wrote. A retrospective on his game as well as volumes of what we'd need to do to win a danged playoff game -- which, as you know, we didn't.

Yesterday during the game, we were down, for most of it, and while I always enjoy watching our team and cheering them on, I had an odd feeling of dismissive ennui during the whole thing. What made it so challenging to get into the whole thing was just the knowing how much is against us especially with the officiating. Knowing that we're in the playoffs anyway. Knowing that our run defense was again stinking up the place. Knowing that we really don't want to lose to this Broncos team, but that these fans have got to be beside themselves losing yet again to this Chiefs team in just about as painful a way as half-a-dozen other insane ways they've lost to us over the last six years -- there is just a meaningful sense of sympathy for them simply because I would never want to have to endure what they're enduring.

This relates to just knowing that deep inside, just for me anyway, there is this thing -- I've mentioned it before -- that if the Chiefs aren't winning every game 56-3 then what's the point. But if that were actually the case, then no one would care about any of it, not even Chiefs fans. It is truly one of those twisted ironies about this sports thing. Up until that amazing Melvin Ingram-Nick Bolton game-changer late in the game, the ennui about this one was simply overwhelming, but then, there was that play.

Wow. What a play. What a switch. What a way to take the lead.

And then after Denver inexplicably decides not to do the strategy that has worked for so many -- that strategy being go for it on 4th down no matter how much yardage you need or where the ball is because with your defense gassed you don't want to give the ball back to Patrick Mahomes late in the game... you really have nothing to lose and it has actually worked against the Chiefs very well often enough. Instead with something-like four minutes left they kick a field goal to make the score 28-24 Chiefs, give the ball back to Mahomes, who then proceeds to proficiently move the ball chewing up the rest of the clock.

Every time we watch the Chiefs play the Broncos these days, they show some graphic showing how many quarterbacks the Broncos have had since Peyton. What, eleven, twelve?... When Peyton went with the Broncos instead of the Chiefs back in 2013 we were all disappointed, and sure enough he did astounding things for them for the, what, three or four years he played for them? Even though he would only be there for that long, you simply can't give up on getting a top-ten all-time quarterback. Heck, we did the same with Joe Montana.

But then we, as did the Broncos, had to figure out our quarterback-of-the-future situation. How blessed have we been to have Patrick Mahomes -- I mean while certain aspects of our game were very shaky yesterday and the Broncos played well themselves -- Mahomes is definitely not an issue. Yet again he went out there and made stunning plays with his arm and his feet and his heart that show how much we've got in this player and how grateful we should be this guy is on our team. I don't think there is a Chiefs fan who isn't, in any way.

I think too my ennui was just a kickback from caring too much about all this, something I do freely confess here. How often I need to just back off. How much I admire fans who just enjoy it for what it is and plan to just settle back today to root for the Texans so maybe we can snatch that No. 1 seed. That's all cool.

Meanwhile the NFL has faced an insane rarity -- and you know how I feel about the NFL, serves them right. It is the possibility that the Raiders and Chargers may both make the playoffs if they tie. If the Colts win their game against the Jaguars it won't matter because then the Raiders-Chargers is indeed a game in which a tie will not matter, the winner gets the playoff spot. But if the Jaguars win, a Raiders-Chargers tie guarantees both teams make the playoffs.

This means the Raiders team and the Chargers team only need to run the ball into the line over and over an over again, never getting into the opponent's territory, never really trying to score, punting all the live-long day, until the final score is 0-0 and both teams get their playoff spot. Even if they do try and somehow the score is 17-17 at the end of regulation, could they very much do the play-to-tie thing all the way through overtime and get away with it?

As it is the NFL is faced with rooting for the Colts over another of its teams so this silliness won't even be considered, which stinks. It is also likely it had some kind of communication with the Raiders team and the Chargers team to let them know they really should be trying out there tonight. How goofy it is that the NFL flexed the Raiders-Chargers game to the evening so everyone will tune in because it is kind-of a playoff game.

Hmm, maybe this tie thing alone will draw the audience the NFL wants -- to witness what?

Well, again, as far as the Chiefs go we've already got the No. 2 seed no matter what, so if that's what we end up with and we win next week, we'll get another home game the following week. That is very cool, it is, but there is still a bit of that ennui I think because we've had so many playoff debacles in the past. Then again how many times do teams make, for instance in our case, four straight AFC Championship games?

Yeah, no matter what, gotta ride the wave here -- because yes, it just won't last forever. In fact, Chiefs regular season success has actually pretty solid through our history -- I've written about this before and thought I'd just mention here again. I recently thought, huh, what is the longest losing season streak the Chiefs have even had? Obviously it was that six-year ugliness from 1974 to 1979. But do you know the second longest?

Three years. That's it. 2007 to 2009. Yep, even those late-80s Frank Gansz years, or the early-00s -- during any given ugly stretch we've always pulled out an 8-8 season or even been amazing like in 2003. This Chiefs franchise does have a pretty good regular season history, really nice actually when you look at some teams like the Browns and Lions or the current Jets or Jaguars. I mean look at that graphic, the Chiefs have a better overall regular season record than the Steelers do. Is that amazing or what?

In fact just for comparison the Chiefs have had three different time periods of play we have enjoyed nine straight winning seasons! Winning seasons, no 8-8s in the mix! We're in one right now, and counting, but there was also '65-'73 and '89-'97.

So yeah, there is some meaning to the thought that having so much against us has motivated us to get the amazing work we've gotten from Brett Veach and build a culture that nourishes talent like Patrick Mahomes. 

That definitely does make all of this a lot of fun, for sure.

___

The image of Mecole Hardman was from Andrew Mather at the official Chiefs site. Thank you. The graphic was clipped from SportsHistory's scrolling list. 

__