1. Andy Reid, Eric Bieniemy, and Patrick Mahomes - the really ugly.
Yes, you could easily throw our bunch of receivers in there, I agree, but what is so stunning about all of this was how the entire country just watched the Chiefs so proficiently demonstrate, yet again, how such a exceptional pro football team can be so profoundly shitty at just the wrong time.
In the first half we were unstoppable. I actually thought, "We've got this. This is money." I never for a second thought what happened four years ago to us could happen again -- remember that game against the Titans? We're at home against a far inferior team and after going up 21-0 at the half we end up losing 22-21. How does that happen?
Ahem.
It happened again. We blast out to a 21-3 lead, and with enough time to easily score a touchdown just before the half on 1st-&-goal from their one -- you know, send Darrel Williams (who was supposed to be a healthy addition for the game) into the end zone, you know, just trust your O-line to get the job done, you know, do something innovatively awesome with Travis Kelce -- instead you fart around and two plays later get bupkis.
So you know, you see it there, we had a 21-3 lead and lost 27-24. It should never have gotten to Harrison Butker for the second game in a row having to nail a long field goal to tie the game just to get to OT. This game had no business being in OT. That goofy interception the Bengals made in OT that pretty much got them the win was not a whole lot different than the one in that Titans game when Marcus Mariota passed the ball to himself and scored a touchdown because we refused to just intercept the danged ball.
Same unbelievably stupid thing.
And that's the point to all of this. For a while these past few years the stupidness seemed to subside. I thought we'd gotten past it. We won a Super Bowl in there once. The Chiefs playoff stupidness had to have ended! Awright!
Not.
It's still there.
Yesterday there is no way football minds like Reid and Bieniemy and Mahomes could have done what they did -- or gruesomely not do as the case was -- without that wretchedly ugly Chiefs stupidness just consuming their psyches. Play after play after play...
Even if you attribute it to Reid so stulifyingly abandoning the run game in that harrowing 2nd half especially when they switched to a three-man rush, the failure of which, granted, was truly quite enormously stupid, how it is Reid is doing this kind of thing so often, after just not-learning for all those years upon years upon years of coaching? Sorry, it is nothing other than the surreal-but-very-real Chiefs playoff stupidness just coming back from the grave to eat us alive.
I mean, I'm still stunned. Did you watch how much better the Chiefs were overall than the Bengals? It wasn't even funny. In every facet of the game we overmatched them by far. Anyone who tries to tell you "The Bengals did this" or "The Bengals did that" was not watching this game. If Reid-Bieniemy-Mahomes did anything like they'd usually done it -- like they were doing just fine in the first half! -- this would've been a rout.
But no.
The Chiefs playoff stupidness is somehow, someway still wafting about in the worst way.
2. The Chiefs pass rush -- equally as really ugly.
I said this when the Chiefs were wallowing about in their 3-4 funk to start the season and I'll say it again.
Please. Brett. Brett Veach. I beg you. Go whole-hog Los-Angeles-Angels-only-drafting-pitchers-every-draft-pick-they-had and
Only draft front-seven defensive guys.
Please. Don't listen to those doofs screeching about drafting a cornerback, or an offensive lineman, or anything but a pass rusher and run stopper. Please. Cover your ears and hum "Camptown Races" until the draft -- while you're using your deft abilities to get the very best of those front-seven guys.
Briefly, about our defensive backfield? Here're my thoughts. Our cornerbacks are not bad. Ward was fine yesterday. Sneed had a pick. Fenton has shown promise and yes he did get taken by Ja'Marr Chase for a TD but, please, that's Ja'Marr Chase, and he didn't get help. It is our safeties who need help. Sorry but Juan Thornhill is really pretty average. And sorry but Tyrann is really more of a free safety. If anything we need a good strong safety, but in a real sense, he is a critical part of that front-seven.
There are only three guys we should keep who reside there right now. Nick Bolton, Willie Gay, and Chris Jones. And I'm already mad at Chris Jones for doing what the pass rush didn't do -- simple:
Finish.
They had Joe Burrow dead-to-rights so often last night and finished the evening with -- wait for it...
One sack.
I didn't look a the final stats, I think they'll count his final kneel down to get their kicker a better position to win it in OT, but I'm pretty sure the Chiefs registered a single meaningful sack on the entire day. We'd all watch them crush the pocket, what, a dozen times? And then
Just plain refuse to tackle the guy.
It was as if a huge invisible stupidness banshee just pushed our pass rushers out of the way, really! Not kidding! Watch the film! Every single time. Our guy would just whiff, or just glide right past him, or something. It was a nightmare, all - game - long.
Yepp. Looks like Chiefs playoff football of old.
So yeah, while the Tershawn Whartons and Mike Dannas are nice players, very nice indeed, they won't get us past the stupid stage of playoff football, they just won't. I'd like to keep Melvin Ingram for another year if he's got left what he still had this year, but that doesn't answer our long term needs to ensure our defense not only dominates against a weaker team like the Bengals but can actually be competitive against the really good AFC teams like the Bills! And the teams in our own division are getting really tired themselves of losing to this Chiefs team. Indeed -- this is the entire point of my last thread --
The NFL is getting really tired of the Chiefs winning so much.
3. Roger Goodell and the NFL -- the most wickedly ugly.
The NFL blew it because they should have wanted the Chiefs-Rams matchup, only because the Chiefs are the team that would give the Rams a good Super Bowl game. And I'm not saying they didn't want it, but they didn't get it. Sorry, but the Rams are going to slaughter the Bengals in the Super Bowl. Nothing against the Bengals -- I do mean what I shared in my last post: I'm actually happy for those Cincinnati fans, I always like it when a team that hasn't won for a while wins, that's terrific.
Now, you may ask, why is this the NFL's fault? And why would the NFL want the Chiefs in it if they don't like the Chiefs?
First of all, again, purely from a matchup standpoint the Chiefs-Rams is a better attraction. Oh the NFL and everyone will spout about how much the Bengals will bring and all that -- that's standard procedure. But to be honest, the Bengals are no more desired than the Chiefs, both small-market non-media-darling teams. It is just they are in the Super Bowl now, so let the hype begin. Doesn't change how the NFL feels about the Chiefs.
The main point here is that the NFL is a puke organization for all the idiotic things it has brought into the fold that make it near unwatchable. To its credit it isn't alone, most of the large professional sports leagues have done it, so they all carry this responsibility. But it is true, you reap what you sow.
This is why I'm actually great with the Chiefs not being there. I love my Chiefs, I loathe the NFL and struggle with enabling this stuff by watching it.
Here are a few of those things, all of which I've mentioned before.
The gambling connections. Organized gambling operations are pure evil. You know they are because they must put disclaimers on all their ads to "Gamble responsibly." Now the NFL has arranged formal agreements with these Fan Duel and Draft King sites, even casinos -- I saw an ad that had some people in Egyptian outfits on a couch, and I think Archie Manning was in it -- I pay zero attention to any of these because I can fast-forward if I'm behind a bit with the DVR or mute all of it if were up-to-speed. I did however catch that it was put on by some casino and it had the disclaimer in it. This is not only to mention that in the past, any relationship with any gambling enterprise of any kind by any person officially involved in any capacity related to the game was prohibited in the strictest way, for the obvious reason that is could compromise the integrity of the game. I guess when the commissioner authorizes it, it must be okay.
The racialist expressions. Sorry, but spewing out all the "It takes all of us," "End racism," and prints of names of people who tragically died in circumstances the media have twisted for political purposes is simply the NFL screaming at you that if you a white person you are guilty of racism and the only way you can alleviate your guilt is if you do the things the elevated race-hustlers tell you to do. This too is a grotesque evil. It is a violation of the Ninth Commandment against bearing false witness, pronouncing guilt and urging the requisite punishment upon people without truly knowing they have done anything wrong. The NFL, however, has kowtowed to these people and considered it a duty to browbeat you with how racist you are. It is extraordinarily sad I see this crap on Chiefs players' helmets and printed on the back of the Arrowhead end zones.
The Covid protocol insanity. The NFL is still part of hammering its players and other personnel with getting vaxxed while they still allow their players to go out on the field and fans into the stands with the tepidly enforced protocols of showing vax passports, insisting on recent tests, and yelling at everyone to wear masks when here or there or wherever. All of this absurdity is, yes, extraordinarily evil, because the rabid Covid enforcement environment is just a religious cult they are sneering at you to embrace. Look at what they've done to Aaron Rodgers, as well any number of other principled athletes who, because they are so prominently in the public eye they can rake over the searing hot coals of media reprobation to get them showcased in their beloved crusade to make everyone super-duper disease-free in the name the most righteous virtue-signaling by the favored political mouthpieces.
So yeah, I hurt like hell our Chiefs looked so stupid out there in the second half yesterday. I'd like to add the word "uncharacteristically" before the word "stupid," but you know -- you know. You've seen Chiefs playoff games before. Yesterday was, sadly, even with the genuinely amazing Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid and all the rest of it, easily one of the stupidest the Chiefs have every played. And they did it all in a single half.
What makes it especially sad is that they are doing it in the NFL, which is just plain sold-out to those horrific things just addressed.
So in that case, I'm happy.
I don't have to watch it any more.
No more Chiefs this year, no more NFL.
That's a very good thing.
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I'd just finished my post and I had gone out on my prayer walk and I thought, I really should add this. I'm adding it because in this post I called out a few things as evil. I thought, huh, am I bit too judgmental? Then I heard the sirens. Sirens of emergency personnel vehicles responding to something that may have been brought about because of the evil things that are out there. So why must I feel the need apologize for calling things out as they are? Even praying specifically against those things in the name of those people authentically enjoying rich meaningful lives?
I have to add though that redemption, salvation, and deliverance from those evils don't come from just avoiding NFL games or refusing to purchase their product, or even in railing against those things is a spiffy Chiefs blog. Yes, it can be those things, and I do confess I wrestle with my role in them however small it may be. I've shared this many times in this blog. I've been just as subject to evil things wrecking my soul as anyone.
But the deliverance comes in the form of a Person, namely in Jesus Christ and belief on Him. Only He rescues one from the evil in one's own soul. When I say this or that about a pro football player or NFL decision-maker, I'm just as guilty. Thank the Lord that, while I was a sinner Christ died for me! (Fifth chapter of the letter to the Romans, by the way.)
If you haven't seen it, I do have another blog that is part of my ministry -- I've always had a link to it there in the links section. The best link though is this one and if anything that I share resonates with you, please look there and introduce yourself to the One Who Is The Living Word.
Thank you for your readership.
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