Since then a couple things came to mind I can share as I do some lazy Sunday game-watching.
First, the Chiefs got very lucky on the very last Raiders play that should have been a nothing-burger just before they bang through the game-winning field goal. As I watched that play unfold, the one in which they bungled the snap and lost the ball to the Chiefs yet were flagged for illegal procedure, I did think what I'm sure pundits mentioned afterwards -- a thought I have not seen shared because I don't want to look.
I just don't want to see any more about how lucky the Chiefs are or how much their wins are rigged in their favor. I'm sick of that.
Anyway, I did think what I think a lot of others thought.
How come the play wasn't blown dead before the Chiefs benefitted from a fumble recovery to seal their win? If it was illegal procedure, then isn't it the case the Raiders would've been penalized the five yards and then just kicked the GW from there? I wondered.
I will add that I was very very very pleased the play was ruled the way it was. And one simple reason I do think it was justified, is that why should the Raiders mess up so horribly, get a penalty and then benefit from their mess-up by being given a chance to win the game? I actually thought, huh, maybe the rule is if you do indeed eff things up like the Raiders did -- penalty, mess-up, fumble -- you simply don't get the benefit of your messing up providing you the opportunity to win.
If it had happened to the Chiefs, I'd be horrifically disappointed, and I'd probably whine a bit about the rule inconsistency, but still, I'd be resigned to our fate for that exact reason.
We effed up. Why should we get a chance to win by benefitting from it? We got ours.
In the meantime, that whole episode doesn't do us good, because again, we get everyone blapping loudly about how we don't deserve to be 11-1.
That leads to the second thing I thought about. And that is simply
This team is actually really good.
I may be wrong. This team may, in reality, at its core, be much worse than we think. It may indeed be much more reflective of a team that should be more like 6-5 if it didn't have all the breaks it's had. Or maybe we just need to accept we're playing other NFL teams that can be pretty danged good themselves, no shame in that.
On the other hand, if you really look at all those games there is no reason to assume those breaks got us to 11-1. For a particular example of an instance, that Ravens' Isaiah Likely toe-on-the-endline almost-TD reception at the end of regulation would've only tied that 1st game of the season given the went for a one-point PAT. Generally speaking, how many other times did we win simply because Mahomes & Co. were that good and because of that they could turn a close one into a win.
And that's the main thing. I just think the team's exceptional quality of talent is making the Chiefs. To wit:
Mahomes. Nuff said.
Our receiving crew has Travis Kelce and a coming-of-age Noah Gray, but it has added DeAndre Hopkins who has been nothing short of phenomenal. JuJu has been playing well, Xavier even better, and just wait until we get Hollywood in there. And everyone seems to forget very reliable Justin Watson, who, if you by chance should remember, was the only Chiefs touchdown-getter in the game Friday.
Our running game got a big boost with Isiah returning but it was doing well enough with Kareem saving things a few weeks ago. Samaje Perine has also been extraordinarily serviceable.
Our O-line consists of what is widely considered the best interior line group in the NFL: Joe, Creed, and Trey. If they do their jobs, Isiah and Kareem should be fine.
That leaves our tackles.
I'm not going to say Wanya is this or Jawaan is that, except that we all know they aren't playing the best football. But here's the thing. Here's my question...
The Chiefs are THAT bad barely winning games JUST because of our TACKLES? REALLY?
Yes we all know they aren't playing well. But please. With all those other bona fide pro-bowlers -- every single one of those people I mentioned such -- the Chiefs are a bad team just getting lucky?
Oh my.
So what's the solution? What's really going on?
The whole looking to DJ Humphries slotted in at left tackle may seem like a brilliant season-saving move, but I'm not so sanguine. We've seen this movie before, remember our Super Bowl against the Buccaneers? We had a patch-work O-line that really hurt us, but remember, Patrick played lights out. We lost that game much because our receivers were dropping all kinds of passes, and, this is the key, we didn't have a real game plan to cover for those deficiencies.
And you know what that means.
Andy Reid.
I'm sorry, but so far we definitely should have won more of those games by more than one score. This team is too good to have this many close games. But if you look at these games, you'll see that we're messing up just too many times -- we're just not making the plays we should to put many more hammers down.
Is a good amount of that the fault of our poor tackle play? Sure. But then, with everyone else we have in there, that's the only thing that is to blame? We're bad because we have bad tackles when we have an offense full of pro-bowlers?
Please.
Sorry, but again, and I hate to say it, but that is on Andy Reid. It isn't just that we mess up too much, but our mess-ups are the result of some head-shaking unimaginative play-calling or plays run that had no business being run at those times. How many times do you see that? Be honest. It's a lot. It's happened before, we cringe watching the Chiefs run a play it seems the other team knows is going to be run.
Where is the fun, wild, daring Andy Reid that we've been blessed to enjoy over the past several years? Where is the misdirection, the fake-outs, even the goofy plays he's plucked from the 1947 Rose Bowl team? Have you noticed? They're totally missing from this year's team.
I believe people hate this year's version of the Chiefs not so much because they believe them so wickedly lucky or feed their theories of bribed officials, but because they are just so boring. Yes, D-Hop has been making some stunning catches and Travis and his after-catch laterals are amazing, but other than that, what are we doing that's special -- that's getting us to show we mean business out there not only making our fans proud but impressing detractors?
I'm not saying at all we have to try to win with gimmicks. Not at all. In fact that's the point. We have some of the best players in the NFL who can do the winning for us. It's just they must be given better opportunities for their play to shine, our poor tackle play notwithstanding.
Here's a great example: what happened to getting Mecole or Xavier doing jet sweeps? Even if it is a "jet sweep option" at least you're freezing the defense. Sorry but we've been seeing none of that lately. Why?
I've heard some say Andy's waiting for the right moment to spring all that on us. He may, and if he wins another Super Bowl doing that -- well, great. But I also think, why wait? Why not just give us your best now -- and strategically make the other team's players overthink, wonder, play on their heels?
Andy, how about being dominant right now with this amazing offense you have, and yes, make adjustments for tackles who may not be playing that great?
We play the Chargers on prime-time next Sunday night. They're a solid team, with an excellent quarterback and strong defense, and are now coached by a dude who'll take no prisoners.
If our coaching staff isn't about working to kick ass instead of futzing around and thinking our tackle problems can just take the heat, look out. This could be an embarrassment.
One more thing. I haven't said a thing about our defense, but I think we have more issues there than just losing Jaylen Watson -- something that has seemed to devastate our D-backfield. Our run defense seems to be much softer than it was last year, and our pass rush is average at best.
What is weird is (back to the offense for a sec) I'm watching the Rams-Saints game and they just showed a graphic: after catching a TD pass for the Saints, Marques Valdez-Scantling had his fourth in four games.
Whudddd?
Are - you - kidding - me?
He never played like that for the Chiefs. While he did have some fine games, especially the AFC Title game against the Bengals two years ago, it seems he is way better than we ever thought he was. In fact, I'm watching DeMarcus Robinson play lights out for the Rams... annnd...
Can you see where I'm going with this?
Even with the Chiefs I'd always been high on D-Rob, but, well, he just never got untracked. Why? MVS also, why couldn't he show us what he had?
Was it these guys, or was it...
Uggghh...
___
The posted photo is from Tyler McFarland at the official Chiefs site. Thank you.
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