Typing this out in the middle of the 2nd quarter -- don't know how much I'll put in later. Right now we are ahead 14-10 and we're doing okay, but there was a play that drove me crazy about our team and what Patrick faces.
We had a, I believe 2nd-&-long but it was a long way to a first down, and Patrick escaped the rush. He's juking everyone to get himself free to get a nice pass off --
And he can't find anyone.
They showed a replay of our receivers, this one with Hollywood and Xavier and they refused to do the one thing to help out Patrick.
Run like blazes to the open space.
When you have a quarterback like this and you're not running like blazes to get open, it is not hard to get why Patrick is not getting as untracked as he did in 2018. In my last blog post I'd mentioned it might be because he's getting hammered too much. It may also be because the opponents are keying on him so much, working their defenses better because they know how to defend him (at least a little) -- and it is certainly because the officiating regularly makes rotten calls or non-calls that seriously mess with our chances for success.
Granted Patrick also had to look for receivers looking in the sun through that stupid giant window at the end of the Cowboys' stadium, a very good reason for Patrick just not matriculating in that play set.
The problem is the Cowboys then got the ball and just drove for a touchdown to go ahead 17-14. On that drive they didn't have to be blinded by the sun. That's nice.
They say this game may be the most watched regular season game in NFL history. There're also a zillion Chiefs fans in the stands here. The Cowboys "America's Team"? Maybe the Chiefs can make a claim to that title.
Since it is Thanksgiving I'll be enjoying the game, then dinner with family. I'll post something when it is all said and done later.
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Okay I absolutely cannot neglect to remark about this. I cannot. Yes, it drives me crazy. The rotten rotten rottenest calls that go against the Chiefs is one thing -- the narrative that those things don't hurt the Chiefs is another.
To start the 2nd half, again down by the 17-14 score, we got the kickoff, and moved the ball. At about midfield we got a nice first down play to Hollywood, and sure enough, penalty against us. Turns out Xavier ran his route, but they interpreted it as running it into their guys too much so they called a PI against him.
Here's the even-more insane thing. Tony Romo, the color announcer, said they should pick this flag up.
This means it really should not have been a foul. Even after the commercial break Romo emphasized it was just not a foul. Not only that, but Romo went on about how much the Chiefs have to routinely work their butts off to overcome those crappy calls.
Needless to say we had to punt.
Really, I guess all I can do is just keep enjoying the fact that the Chiefs will do the really hard work to let them go and play hard and still try to win football games in spite of it. That is not a bad thing, really.
Our team is a good team, not just with their play but with their hearts.
Today that is something to be thankful for.
No matter what happens, it's good for Thanksgiving, really.
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Now for after the game.
Fine, I'm okay with watching Dak and his receivers playing very well. That's nice. Good to play against a fine playing team. We still should have won going away.
Their backs did well too. We still should have won this game, easily.
Their coaching was good, had a fine game plan. We still should have hammered this team.
This was once again, yet again, yet another exasperating experience watching our beloved team get thoroughly ratfluppered by the officiating.
We lost two of our offensive linemen to injuries throughout the game. Added to Trey Smith who was already out, we lost our two tackles, Josh Simmons and Jawaan Taylor. And yes, we still should have won.
Even with all the ridiculous little things that happened -- late in the game we dropped an easy interception and didn't gather up a fumble when we really needed to, we still should have taken this game.
Taken altogether, avoiding a few more of those little bad things and having an actual fair officiating effort for once, we should have won 40-17, at least, but then, they admitted something critically important right in the middle of the national broadcast. That in a moment.
But at the end of the game our metal was shown in brilliant colors when we were still within striking distance, Patrick evaded the rush, slipped out of two ankle tackles, and hit Xavier for a big play. A few plays later threw a strike to Hollywood who barely got both feet in bounds in the back of the end zone. Both incredible plays -- but just ones that showed how much we had to do to try to overcome the even more exasperating idiocy of the way this game was called by the NFLers.
Trent McDuffie had the most horrific PI calls against him. Three critical ones that replays showed the Cowboys receivers pushed off, but when McDuffie worked hard and properly just to stay close and make a play on the ball, they called the PIs against him anyway. I could talk about the Watson nonsense PI call late, or the non-call for worse PI action against Kelce earlier.
All of it so wretchedly debilitating for a team that lost by a scant three points. Yet again.
But then, I could go on and on and on.
Here's the thing.
They shared on the broadcast the Cowboys needed this game more than the Chiefs to stay in contention in their conference. The truth is, the Chiefs were expendable.
The Chiefs were never going to win this game.
The NFLers want it that way because they feel they need new blood deep into the AFC postseason. So they are systematically taking care of business now, keeping the Chiefs as far from even getting there as they can.
Yeah, it's a fool's hope to think anyone who people listen to would be courageous enough to call it out, but I still hope it will happen. But then, why. It is what everyone wants. Why fight it and rail against it all the time in this blog effort. Maybe someone will read it and look. Maybe even mention it. Maybe.
But yeah, just to have truth shared. When it isn't over and over and over again whenever the Chiefs play football, it is just another wicked immersion in exasperation. I know, why do that, why put myself through that...
I just like my Chiefs, that's all, and I hate what they are doing to them out on the football field.
Yeah, back to family time. It is good to hang with them.
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