Chargers at Chiefs - Week 16 - Record: 9-6
When we went ahead 20-7 in the middle of the 2nd quarter, our kicker doinked the PAT and naturally I thought, "Oh great, we're going to lose this one 21-20. Great."
Turns out our defense did what it should have done last week. We stuffed their go-to back, an All-Pro one at that. He only got a handful of rushing yards. And after super receiver Antonio Gates caught a TD pass for them early, I don't think he caught another pass all day. We frustrated their QB unaccustomed to the game's rainy smushy weather, and the game ended with the same 20-7 score.
Thing is, next week we have to hope less-than-mediocre Detroit plays the game of their life in Pittsburgh. And of course we have to beat division champion Cincinnati at home. A tall order, and one to hope for, but I've made my peace. If we don't get into the playoffs, I won't be too bummed. We're just too schizophrenic. We can spank top-class teams like the Broncos, Patriots, and Redskins, but bumble around and get spanked by weak teams like the Bills and the playing-way-over-their-heads Cowboys and Giants. Eeyee.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Chiefs at Giants - Week 15 - Record: 8-6
The entire story of a game we had absolutely no business whatsoever losing can be summed up in a simple sentence:
They tackled, and we didn't.
In fact, our untackling was so spectacular that their go-to back got a thoroughly shameful 200+ yards, the most of any back in all of the NFL this year.
So, yeah, that's the story. Really. That's it.
Thuh end.
The entire story of a game we had absolutely no business whatsoever losing can be summed up in a simple sentence:
They tackled, and we didn't.
In fact, our untackling was so spectacular that their go-to back got a thoroughly shameful 200+ yards, the most of any back in all of the NFL this year.
So, yeah, that's the story. Really. That's it.
Thuh end.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Chiefs at Cowboys - Week 14 - Record: 8-5
I am certain that some obscure Norse god who is freezing his buns off in the coldest part of Valhalla somewhere put some bodacious hex on the Chiefs the day after Jan torched his Vikings with three clutch field goals in Super Bowl IV. Since then, we have had the worst worst worstest of luck in the clutch field goal department. Don't think so? To wit:
1971 - Jan Stenarud (the same) can't get just one of, what was it, three or four field goal tries? I dunno, I lost count--against Miami in the notorious Christmas Day overtime divisional playoff game. We make the playoffs but once (1986) over the next 20 years.
1990 - We dominate the Dolphins in the wild-card playoff game, ahead 16-3 in the 4th quarter. They scamper back and go ahead 17-16. With a couple minutes left we drive all the way down into easy FG range when a holding call puts us back a bit. Nick Lowery then just can't hit the 50 yarder.
1995 - Lin Elliot just can't get any of three very makeable tries in a divisional playoff game we should have easily won over Indianapolis. We lose 10-7.
1996 - We are 9-4 on the season but lose the next three straight, including one again to Indy at home and the last one against Buffalo. Amazingly we still have a shot to back into the playoffs when Morten Andersen, probably the greatest kicker in NFL history, lines up for an 18 yarder against Jacksonville. If he makes it, Atlanta wins, Jax loses, they're out and we're in. He misses. He misses an 18 yard field goal.
1997 - Pete Stoyanovich makes a key field goal in the divisional playoff game against Denver when a holding call nullifies it. We line up again, and he promptly boots it off the upright. We end up losing 14-10, when if it was 14-13 we could have just kicked another FG on 4th and 1 in those last seconds rather than throw an incompletion to give the game to the Broncos.
1999 to 2001 - The Raiders don't miss any of their game-winning FG's against us at home three years in a row. The '99 version was in the last game and it knocked us out of the playoffs that year.
Fast forward to today's game, when Lawrence Tynes comes in to tie the game after two incredible pass plays to get us right into range with only 16 seconds on the clock. A bad snap messed it up to begin with, but he still should have hit it easily. Don't think there's a hex on us?
Fact is, it should have never come down to that. We were clearly showing we were the better team in this game, and yet we still couldn't get the job done, committing critical penalties and turnovers. We're still in this thing, but we'll have to see if we're true finishers.
I am certain that some obscure Norse god who is freezing his buns off in the coldest part of Valhalla somewhere put some bodacious hex on the Chiefs the day after Jan torched his Vikings with three clutch field goals in Super Bowl IV. Since then, we have had the worst worst worstest of luck in the clutch field goal department. Don't think so? To wit:
1971 - Jan Stenarud (the same) can't get just one of, what was it, three or four field goal tries? I dunno, I lost count--against Miami in the notorious Christmas Day overtime divisional playoff game. We make the playoffs but once (1986) over the next 20 years.
1990 - We dominate the Dolphins in the wild-card playoff game, ahead 16-3 in the 4th quarter. They scamper back and go ahead 17-16. With a couple minutes left we drive all the way down into easy FG range when a holding call puts us back a bit. Nick Lowery then just can't hit the 50 yarder.
1995 - Lin Elliot just can't get any of three very makeable tries in a divisional playoff game we should have easily won over Indianapolis. We lose 10-7.
1996 - We are 9-4 on the season but lose the next three straight, including one again to Indy at home and the last one against Buffalo. Amazingly we still have a shot to back into the playoffs when Morten Andersen, probably the greatest kicker in NFL history, lines up for an 18 yarder against Jacksonville. If he makes it, Atlanta wins, Jax loses, they're out and we're in. He misses. He misses an 18 yard field goal.
1997 - Pete Stoyanovich makes a key field goal in the divisional playoff game against Denver when a holding call nullifies it. We line up again, and he promptly boots it off the upright. We end up losing 14-10, when if it was 14-13 we could have just kicked another FG on 4th and 1 in those last seconds rather than throw an incompletion to give the game to the Broncos.
1999 to 2001 - The Raiders don't miss any of their game-winning FG's against us at home three years in a row. The '99 version was in the last game and it knocked us out of the playoffs that year.
Fast forward to today's game, when Lawrence Tynes comes in to tie the game after two incredible pass plays to get us right into range with only 16 seconds on the clock. A bad snap messed it up to begin with, but he still should have hit it easily. Don't think there's a hex on us?
Fact is, it should have never come down to that. We were clearly showing we were the better team in this game, and yet we still couldn't get the job done, committing critical penalties and turnovers. We're still in this thing, but we'll have to see if we're true finishers.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Broncos at Chiefs - Week 13 - Record: 8-4
I thought we were about to be the first team ever to lose a game by a nanometer, a phantom one at that, just the thing that would happen to the Chiefs. Denver was driving, near midfield, with a couple minutes left in the game, and we were up 31-27. Their running back, Mike Anderson, gets the ball on a fourth-and-one and it was obvious that we stopped him just short. There was no way in the world he got that first down.
But then one of the side judges comes running down from the top of the screen signaling that the ball was past that yellow line the television puts there to indicate where the first down marker is. I was stunned. Did I miss it? Did he just barely get across it?
They measure. In come the chains. The post just barely touches the football. I mean it's a nanometer of that post.
First down.
Aagh. I couldn't believe. And I don't know what the instant replay rules are, so I'm thinking it is unchallengable.
But Dick Vermeil can challenge the call. He does, and what a call. They look at the replay, and they show it again for us all to see, and it is clear that there is no way they got that spot right.
They reverse it, as they should. KC ball, 1st and 10.
We run the ball a number of times-- Larry Johnson of course-- getting a first down along the way, except that we end up with a 4th down at about Denver's 30 yard-line with 8 seconds left. What do you do? I tell you what you do, and it's not what Vermeil did: have Trent Green take the snap and shuffle around until you get tackled promptly giving Denver one last possession. What you do do is give the ball to Dante Hall and have him run backwards fast and then all around for 8 seconds and then kneel. He doesn't have to go so far that if he trips or something Denver can flick a short pass for a TD. I can't figure out why coaches don't do this.
Fortunately, the last Denver hail mary pass play was broken up way short of the goal line anyway, so we came away with a clutch win we needed big-time.
Oh, and did anyone catch TV commentator Phil Simms ask if it can possibly be that we rely so much on offensive tackle Willie Roaf? Yes, it's true! Trent Green was back to his normal slinging self today with that extra cushy protection on that left side.
Three weeks after the Buffalo debacle, we may actually now have a contending team.
I thought we were about to be the first team ever to lose a game by a nanometer, a phantom one at that, just the thing that would happen to the Chiefs. Denver was driving, near midfield, with a couple minutes left in the game, and we were up 31-27. Their running back, Mike Anderson, gets the ball on a fourth-and-one and it was obvious that we stopped him just short. There was no way in the world he got that first down.
But then one of the side judges comes running down from the top of the screen signaling that the ball was past that yellow line the television puts there to indicate where the first down marker is. I was stunned. Did I miss it? Did he just barely get across it?
They measure. In come the chains. The post just barely touches the football. I mean it's a nanometer of that post.
First down.
Aagh. I couldn't believe. And I don't know what the instant replay rules are, so I'm thinking it is unchallengable.
But Dick Vermeil can challenge the call. He does, and what a call. They look at the replay, and they show it again for us all to see, and it is clear that there is no way they got that spot right.
They reverse it, as they should. KC ball, 1st and 10.
We run the ball a number of times-- Larry Johnson of course-- getting a first down along the way, except that we end up with a 4th down at about Denver's 30 yard-line with 8 seconds left. What do you do? I tell you what you do, and it's not what Vermeil did: have Trent Green take the snap and shuffle around until you get tackled promptly giving Denver one last possession. What you do do is give the ball to Dante Hall and have him run backwards fast and then all around for 8 seconds and then kneel. He doesn't have to go so far that if he trips or something Denver can flick a short pass for a TD. I can't figure out why coaches don't do this.
Fortunately, the last Denver hail mary pass play was broken up way short of the goal line anyway, so we came away with a clutch win we needed big-time.
Oh, and did anyone catch TV commentator Phil Simms ask if it can possibly be that we rely so much on offensive tackle Willie Roaf? Yes, it's true! Trent Green was back to his normal slinging self today with that extra cushy protection on that left side.
Three weeks after the Buffalo debacle, we may actually now have a contending team.
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