Chiefs 2019 Mid-Season Report

There was this In the Bleachers comic panel that came out a few months ago. It was so telling -- especially for Chiefs fans. It was good therapy, because of the agony we must endure every playoff season.

Every single one of them, and not just a few.

It is indeed like hell, interminable -- you just never believe it will ever end. As I've written a number of times before, some is the NFL itself loathe to have a small-market Midwest team in its premier showcase event. Some of that is mixed in with the Scorecasting Factor, the proven reality of officiating favoring the team preferred by the higher-ups -- even if they do so unwittingly, they still do it. Please remember, games turn on single plays and if that one single play may be decided a certain way, you are more likely to get the outcome you like. There are other factors that hopelessly derail our postseason chances, but yeah, most just consider that it is putrid luck.

Thus, the comic panel shared here. It sure does seem like the Chiefs are always calling tails. Look, the losing guy is even in a red jersey.

I just have to share with you this. My son played soccer a number of years ago and was on a really good team, should have gone all the way. But yeah, sure enough, in a key playoff game, the official was abjectly wretched and made the worst critical calls costing us the game. Funny, his team wore red. Funny, the coach (a terrific coach, by the way, a young enthusiastic 22-year-old) interestingly, was a Chiefs fan. And the thing is, every time something bad happened he would say, "Unlucky." Just that, he shouted instructions to the team all over the place then -- something bad happens even if a player messed up -- "Unlucky." Bless his soul. Let it go and move on, I like that. 

I guess this is why I put the comic panel there as the featured part of this post. Because in some ways, all of this is just like that. I noted last year that some did cite losing the coin toss to the Patriots in overtime as the reason we lost. No, we lost because of that stupid offsides call the line judge made against Dee Ford. But ya know? I got ya. The defenses had to have both been gassed, and if we had the ball first we should have easily marched down the field and scored a touchdown.

I dunno. There are still too many things that could've happened just to keep us out of the Super Bowl.

There have been so many before.

See, this decade is shaping up to be exactly like the 90s, maybe even worse. Remember what happened in the 90s? The Chiefs were a dominant team, through the whole decade. Really. They had the best regular season record of any in the NFL except the Bills, and won a grand total of three playoff games. Again, the Cowboys, with not-as-good a regular season record for the decade, won three Super Bowls.

The Chiefs are so far holding one of the best regular season records over the course of this decade. I haven't done the math yet, I just don't know if I will, some stats wonk can probably dial it up easily. But I'd venture to say the Chiefs may even have the best record of the decade of any NFL team except for the Patriots. Really. Go ahead and show me I'm wrong. Of the nine years in the 2010s so far (2019 being the tenth season) we've had seven winning seasons. We've been to the postseason six times.

And we have a grand total of two playoff wins.

Really? An excruciating decade like the 90s Chiefs repeated?

And don't tell me about all the teams who rarely get to the playoffs to begin with. I understand, I feel for you. But this isn't about a bad team being justifiably bad, or a mediocre team getting there every once in a while on some fun lucky play. This is about a consistently very good team being dumped on when it counts all - the - time.

Unjustly? Ehh, that's something I've racked my brains about for eons. One decade of going through it is plenty, now we face a second? With the kinds of playoff losses we've had this decade just a recurrence of the nightmares we endured in the 90s?

What about the idea that we've just played "over our heads" each of those times, and playoff action has always just exposed us? Excuse me, but, huh? A legitimate point, but not this often -- it just doesn't happen.

Remember this -- I could certainly cite the legion of excellent players the Chiefs put on the field and regale you with myriad instances of their consistently fine play. But remember this:

In the 2014 regular season we blasted the Patriots (even leading to Tom Brady's benching). They went on to win the Super Bowl. (We didn't even make the playoffs, much because of poor officiating in one particular game late in the season)

In the 2015 regular season we smeared the Broncos, in Denver even (leading to Peyton Manning's benching). They went on to win the Super Bowl.

In the 2016 regular season we bested the Falcons, who went on to the Super Bowl and almost won except for a furious comeback by the Patriots.

In the 2017 regular season we handily defeated both the Patriots and Eagles, both of whom went on to play each other in the Super Bowl.

Okay, okay, I'm belaboring the point. Sorry. But remember this whole Chiefs-fan-Chiefs-blog is really only one thing.

Therapy.

And I do appreciate you joining me. Group therapy is good.

"Hi, my name is David and I'm a Chiefs fan."

"Hi David."

Thanks for being there.

In fact I must interject, my devotional just this morning was from Ecclesiastes. What a great lesson for us here. "And I saw all the toil and achievement from one person's envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after wind." So true, and count me guilty! I must tell you I do hold on to a greater perspective in all this, and I wrote about it here. And really, ultimately, everyone who wins in these sports things are winning just because the coin toss went their way, let's face it. Healthy perspective in many ways.

In the meantime, as we zealously indulge ourselves in this engaging diversion, there are very good things about the Chiefs we can cherish now, no matter what happens. Since this is a Chiefs blog, might as well still highlight those things. Here's the deal with this year's team, going forward. Very good things. In fact three of them are key, tremendous Chiefs assets, we all know:

We've got Clark, we've got Brett, and we've got Patrick.

Yes, sorry, I did not mention Andy. Once again, I hope we go to Super Bowl after Super Bowl with Andy from here on out, I really do. He is a phenomenal enough playmaker to do it, he really is. But I honestly don't think we will until either (a) he gets a smidgen of play calling adjustment ability especially late in games, or (b) we just get another coach.

With Clark, maybe that will happen. He has at least shown that he's going to take care of business when he needs to, and maybe he'll soon make the right call with regards to getting us to the point when we're not dropping game after game after game because we just don't know how to "put the hammer down" late in the 4th quarter. He did the right thing most recently in letting Bob Sutton go and bringing in Steve Spagnuolo to run the D, and he did it in properly summary fashion. Clark does that, that's very good.

With Brett, we have a general manager who also knows what to do to take care of business. He really does his homework. Besides all the other fine moves he made, an example of one of his best was snatching up Charvarius Ward for practically nothing. This kid has learned and grown and while he still needs to keep it up, his play has actually been very nice. On the same token he was extraordinarily wise in not picking up someone like Jalen Ramsey for what would have been most of the entire farm -- just not worth it. I'm also eagerly looking forward to more amazing draft work from Brett, and hoping we just go crazy drafting a lot of strong defensive players.

With Patrick, well, you know.

Thing is barring some other unforeseen insane thing that happens to us -- and here's to having our turn to not have anything like that happening -- we'll have Mahomes at the helm for at least the next decade. Yeah I'd like to win ten straight Super Bowls, definitely. I'm with you. But even with Brett putting a fine team around him, right now I'm just hoping for one. really. If we can get at least one, that'd be really nice. Last year in a similar post as this one I'd already written about hoping we can at least get that one. Yeah, it just seems we've had so many chances, how many more can we have?

Print by Anthony Oropeza

So even with Mahomes, I'm keeping my expectations tempered, realistically. Can Patrick lead us to multiple Super Bowl wins? Of course he can. Can we win the Super Bowl this year? Of course we can. The Ravens appear unstoppable, they do, but we've beaten them before and playoff games almost always hinge on one crazy wild play or sequence that swings a game in your favor. Oh are we so due for a number of those.

And the rest of this season? A very good thing about Andy Reid is his coaching skill against teams in our division. We have three of them in the remaining five games, all at home. We also have a meeting with the Patriots in there, so that'll be a nice tune-up for playoff action.

Overall, even if we don't take it this year, or the next... to tell you the truth, this upcoming decade looks to be very promising, I know. Detractors disperse, please. And really, I'm preaching to the choir. Most Chiefs fans are hopeful, very much so, and for very good reason. They always buoy me in my therapeutically-massaged funk, even if vicious in reminding me that each season is a new one and there are very good reasons to be expect great things in the Kingdom no matter what happened in the past.

You know, last year during the regular season the Chiefs had something like ten straight coin-toss wins. Typical of their regular season, just dominant. Then in that one postseason coin toss we needed, we lost. Well, maybe the same thing will happen here sometime soon, only in reverse. All the horrific postseason "coin-toss" losses, one after the other after the other...

It's time for a win, for once.

Well, for once now. I can't conclude this without a mention of appreciation for our one, we are fortunate this Thanksgiving to have had that one we do have, Len Dawson and the rest of his excellent team's one. That's important. And sure enough, this year is ours in that it is the 50th anniversary.

1969.

Nice.

Still looking forward to looking through Michael MacCambridge's new book about it.

Again, here's to the next one we have.
___

Chiefs at Chargers in Mexico City - Week 11 - Record: 7-4

I'm going to make this post here at the start of the 2nd half. It's just one of those late night games that I've got to blog now. No worries. Here're all the things I'm seeing so far. Don't worry, we have a bye this week and with Thanksgiving week time off I'd like to take a few minutes and offer up a mid-season review. Sorry, but it will not be complimentary.

In fact already on the drive I'm watching now, Yelder fumbled the ball away, but we got rescued by a Melvin Ingram penalty. Then a bit later McCoy fumbled yet again, but somehow miraculously recovered it. This is not championship-team-caliber football. This looks kind of like the Vikings game when we messed up a lot, but still won. If we pull this one out we can thank the Chargers for messing up so much themselves.

Anyway, I got the idea the Chargers have injuries on the O-line. This means we should be able to stop this Chargers offense, have something of a pass rush. So far we did get a big play from Frank Clark's "strip" and Derrick Nnadi's interception. We also got a nice pick from Tyrann Mathieu, but other than those big plays, alas, we have not been stellar on defense. Our run defense is still very very soft. The Chargers have tons of offensive yardage but have only managed three field goals.

We should hammer the Chargers, we really should. But so far we look just like we did last week. Just not able to take care of business like we should. And THE PENALTIES. Memo to Andy Reid: THIS TEAM IS NOT DISCIPLINED. With this offense -- why on earth are you committing so many penalties?

Interlude: As far as the rest of the season goes we should run the table. With the talent on this offense we should get to 12-4. Even though we should put away the Chargers here -- and right now, after Darrel Williams scored, the Chargers have to punt -- it'd be better if it's close and Reid can practice his 4th quarter work... It'd be nice if it were close for every game for the rest of the season so Andy can practice his 4th quarter management. As we saw last week all too well -- only the 4th quarter matters.

And in the playoffs, Andy - has - got - to - manage - the - late - game. Do you think this team is going to beat a Ravens or a Patriots in the playoffs? Wull, yeah, with this offense -- but then Mahomes had a horrible 1st half: only 63 passing yards, his worst 1st half so far in his short career so far. And we've lost Tyreek Hill to a hamstring -- how long he'll be out we'll have to see.

How about this idea -- hat tip to my work colleague: How about running the West Coast offense that Alex Smith did pretty well?  And give our defense a little more time to rest? With this offense? But ugh, on one play when the Chargers intercepted a pass, we sent everyone deep. Whuh? Come on, bring someone back underneath! For that matter spread Mahomes around! When he runs he makes things happen!

Know what else I'm seeing? Yes Mahomes is amazing. But you know what Philip Rivers does that if Mahomes can do we would be utterly unstoppable? He just gets that ball in those tight windows.

Oh, there you go. Mahomes with the deep nice touch to Kelce, then Kelce with the toe-drag at the side of the endzone to score. Now it is 24-9. So far anyway, the blowout we thought it would be. Bad. Bad bad bad because we so need Reid to work like crazy on his skill at putting the hammer down in last minute when we need it the most.

Briefly I've also wondered how much the altitude is going to affect us, affect the Chargers. Errgh, maybe it has affected Philip Rivers throwing a duck -- and then affecting Tyrann Mathieu who dropped the easy pick. Errrrrrghck. Our run defense has picked it up a bit, so -- the altitude affecting them a bit more?... I knew Mexico City was high, but they said earlier that it is 2,000 feet higher than Denver's stadium!

And that Mathieu dropped pick? Allowed the Chargers to later on that drive score a touchdown. Nkay, good -- it's closer now. 24-17. Reid can now practice his close-game close-out.

Nkay, already Reid fails yet again. With eight minutes left we're moving the ball, get to midfield, and his playcalling becomes just inexplicable. He can't dial up a play on 3rd-& not-long to get that 1st down. It is just impossible for him to do.

The Chiefs just got a nice three-&-out with the help of a super stop by Frank Clark. Now can we grind and chew clock and here we go again: 3rd-&-3 how about Andy taking care of business here. 

And no. Mahomes does what he did to fail in the previous 3rd down fail. He just steps back and dumps it incomplete. How about we get Mahomes to step back a bit more and throw that ball to that fine wideout in that tight window just past the marker? HOW HARD IS THAT?

PLEASE ANDY REID WILL YOU BE THE HEAD COACH YOU CAN BE???

Okay, now Rashad Fenton makes the clutch play and picks Rivers deep. What a sweet play. Rashad had to fight to get it. Very very very nice.

Now there're four minutes left for Andy to put the hammer down. I'm not listening to the game on ther radio as I sometimes do, but how many times so far tonight have Mitch and Kendall said "It's time to put the hammer down!" 7, 8 times?

Now 3rd-&-6, and... Mahomes just runs. Gets the 1st down. Nice. The announcer just said one of the most profound things ever. "The Chiefs need to play with some attitude."

Okay, Chargers have burnt all their timeouts and we have another 3rd-&-NOT-LONG-AT-ALL.

Well, so much for "having attitude." Nghckfnckghngh. Mahomes just strolled left and dropped. It looked like we didn't even know what to do out there. How about just "You go there while we make everything looks like we're going over here. I'll throw it to you." Bam.

Two minutes left, score is still 24-17. So yeah, I just feel like if we do win this we've just lucked out again. Ergh. Too many ::Ergh::s I know.

So Rivers has 1:53 with no time outs. Ball is deep in his own territory. Put the hammer down put the hammer down put the hammer down put the hammer down...

4th-&-4 after Rivers passes the ball into a very tall Chris Jones helmet. And on the next play he still gets the 1st down.

Remember last year? We're up good, at home, Thursday night football, then the Chargers score a touchdown in the last minute, then get the two-point conversion and win 29-28. Hmmnmnmmnmmmnn...

Sure enough right now Rivers completes a 50-yard pass. Are you even kidding me. (Never mind that the receiver totally pushed off the defender, and the refs stopped the clock when the receiver was clearly downed in-bounds)

Our defense is gassed. Their offense is moving the ball and it could be yet another miracle finish for the Chargers. Remember that game in 2013 or so? The Chargers had a miraculous last minute win after each team scored back and forth. Remember that game in, I believe 2008? We were up by 12 -- by 12! with under two minutes left and still lost.

So yeah. Even if we pull this off, there is no reason in the world Andy should have let it get to this point. We're playing at 7,000 feet and our defense has to be exhausted. 24 seconds left and the Chargers have the ball at the 14-yard line.

And wow. Daniel Sorensen intercepts the ball at the goal line. Oh my.

We saved it. We saved it. 

Still.

Ngckghcknghckgtckmngk.

You know what I mean.
___

A Tale of Two Teams (Or, The Four Horsemen of the Football Apocalypse)

This is a tale of two teams.

It is a tale of the Packers and... the Chiefs. It is a tale of the Patriots and... the Chiefs. It is a tale of the Ravens and... the Chiefs. It is just as much a tale of the Steelers and... the Chiefs.

Before I commence, here is my post about yesterday's debacle. This post here is really an addendum to that. New stuff, but still kind of the same stuff. The same therapy-oriented stuff. Yeah. I'm with you. ::Siiiigh::...

Since 1989 when the Chiefs started a run of playoff appearances that any team would covet, 15 in all, (7 in the 90s, 6 so far this decade with another likely this year) under the tutelage of three Hall-of-Fame head coaches, those other four teams just mentioned have 12 Super Bowl titles. They've got a half-dozen or so other Super Bowl appearances and many great playoff victories. Each one of those teams individually have, really, had not many more playoff appearances than the Chiefs have over that time period. (Just FYI, the Patriots have had 20 appearances in that time. Just not that many more than the Chiefs...)

My point is the Chiefs have been, for the most part, just as dominant as those teams have over those years and -- with the exception of some thrilling games and fun wins and fine play by excellent players for which we should all be very proud --

Have nothing to show for it.

The reason I bring up those particular teams is just to point out what they've done recently. Right now, yet again, all are playing winning football. But some things they have done that the Chiefs haven't done demonstrate why those teams will continue to win into the postseason and the Chiefs -- well...

• Yesterday the Packers took care of business against a team they should have taken care of business against, the Panthers. They won 24-16. I know little about that game, but whatever happened, they took care of business in a close affair. Look back at two weeks ago when the Chiefs played the Packers, were down by 7 and punted the ball away on 4th-&-3 with, what, about 4 minutes left, and never saw the ball again. The Packers just took care of business and made the 1st downs like they were supposed to late in that game.

• Yesterday the Patriots did not play, had a bye, but with the exception of a few random slip-ups -- that crazy last second pass-and-pitch play the Dolphins had to beat them last year comes to mind -- the Patriots take care of business. All the time. Do you remember in 1996 when Sports Illustrated predicted a Chiefs-Packers Super Bowl? Well, the Packers made it -- against the Patriots. The Chiefs didn't even make the playoffs. I'm kinda thinking the same thing will happen this year, Patriots-Packers -- sadly after all the rabid talk through the year about the Chiefs being a Super Bowl shoe-in.

• Yesterday the Ravens destroyed the Bengals -- I mention this because the Chiefs should have destroyed the Titans yesterday. Point being, the Ravens took care of business early and often, just like the Chiefs should have. I truly fear meeting the Ravens again in the playoffs. That quarterback they have, Lamar Jackson, is getting better and better -- and right now, I'm sorry but he'd have a field day carving up our soft-butter defense.

• Yesterday the Steelers were ahead of a fine Rams team 17-12, and with a couple of minutes left, plenty of time in the NFL, the Rams had the ball just needing to score that touchdown -- and sure enough, the Steelers got the stop. Yesterday the Chiefs had a Titans team way not-as-good as the Rams in the exact same predicament and we let them score a touchdown -- we made it look so easy for them. The Steelers meant business. We didn't.

This is the tale of two teams.

Two teams: the Chiefs and any one of those other teams, teams who don't have any more talent than the Chiefs have, or even have had, annnnnd...

Well, really, you know the story. Yesterday's set of games was just another chapter in the saga.

To give Andy Reid credit, to give all the players credit, yesterday's game just seemed like yet another time we just got hammered by the Four Horsemen of the Football Apocalypse. Yes every team goes through it, they do, they get the worst visits from the Four Horsemen. I know. It's just... the Chiefs. As good a team as they have, it's just... you know.

What are the Four Horsemen? You know what they are:

Turnovers. We'll start with that one. This year the turnovers have killed us, when we've always seemed to be the ones who take advantage of them the most. In the Colts game LeSean McCoy's fumble. Critical. In the Texans game another fumble by McCoy. Critical. Yesterday the one that stood out was Damien Williams' fumble they returned for a touchdown. We're up 10-0 easily driving for another score and that happens. And it is also the turnovers we're not getting. Frank Clark not making that easy pick-six is the best example. We even were blessed with a poor call getting a turnover when their QB lost the ball but did pin it to his side, had possession, but we swooped in and took it -- the officials gave it to us when they shouldn't have. Even when an official makes the wrong call in our favor do we end up losing.

Penalties. The 1st half penalties were crushing. Again, this is legitimately on Andy Reid. We cleaned it up in the 2nd half, but still, instead of being ahead 28-3 at the half, as we should have been, the game was tied 13-13. Please. One of those penalties was an illegal pick by Tyreek Hill he didn't have to make, negating a touchdown pass reception by Travis Kelce. Instead of 7 we got 3. This is not even to mention the intentional grounding by Dustin Colquitt. A splendidly skilled placeholder for years and years and years, he commits a penalty like that at the totally completely thoroughly wrong time, one that gave the Titans a much shorter field to aid them in scoring the winning touchdown. Such is the Chiefs...

Injuries. This is just the breaks of the game, I know, but still. All of us have had visions of Super Bowl glory dancing in our heads all year long -- but of course there isn't a Chiefs fan who doesn't add the thought as long as we stay healthy. And the Patrick Mahomes injury isn't even the worst of it. What is really debilitating is both our offensive and defensive lines have been devastated by injuries this year. Emmanuel Ogbah has been terrific, he's out for the year. Alex Okafor had been out for weeks. Chris Jones was out for a while. Frank Clark is playing injured. Over on the O-line we've been clobbered. I won't go into all the gruesome details, but the worst is having Eric Fisher out for so long and squinting every time we have to watch Cam Erving try to block out there. So yeah, ::Errghck:: -- that it could happen that we'd just have one good year when injuries don't hurt us too much. ::Sigh:: Guess not.

Crushing calls. Both from the officials or our own coach. About halfway into the 3rd quarter of this one I actually thought -- seriously, I actually did think, "Damn. Three of the Four Horsemen have been killing us today. I'm sure that fourth one will rear its ugly head in the 4th quarter sometime."

Yep. It did.

In the Chiefs Game Today blog post yesterday I pointed out how agonizing it is to once again watch Andy Reid fail to close out a game in the 4th quarter. Now please, it must be said again. I don't mind emphasizing it: there is no question Andy Reid will always be revered, for good reason. He will always hold a cherished place in the annals of Chiefs Kingdom History. That's a given, he deserves it, nobody will ever dislike him.

But just as sure, for Andy Reid not to make the right calls to get that 1st down at that time we had the ball in Titans territory with under two minutes left and a five-point lead was -- well, I covered it in that last blog post, and I've already regaled everyone with the searing agony of watching all the time a Packers or a Patriots or a Ravens or a Steelers do what Reid should be doing. Please, I'm not even saying I'd do better, I'm not Monday morning quarterbacking. I don't know what Reid should have done. Still, again, if those other coaches are doing it, whatever it is, why isn't Reid?

So that's Andy Reid. What about the officiating calls that so often devastate us in the most mind-numbing ways?

I do hear until I'm deaf "The calls even out." For the most part the officials did fine yesterday. But dammit don't tell me about officiating evening out when that Titans rusher was clearly offsides at the end of the game to block our field goal attempt. Yes I'm 1,000% with you that it never should have gotten to that point if Andy Reid knew how to manage the last two minutes of a game. Still, yeah -- no, the guy was offsides and no trying to spout about how he timed his jump just right changes that. No ridiculous official proclamation from the NFL that it was the correct call changes that. If that guy was not offsides then neither was Dee Ford in that playoff game last season.

The Four Horsemen just can't cease attacking the Chiefs in the most brutal ways. And yesterday -- ::Ouch::

I will add a positive here, and it is that we are still in position to at least get into the playoffs. That's not a bad thing. We'd like to think Andy Reid is learning, and even with my doubts we can hope that he is. We'd also like to hope that with Reid being the player's coach that he is that the players themselves won't get too down on his inability to close games for them. Maybe the Mahomes-esque inspiration and leadership will power up in the hearts of these guys and they can take care of business through the rest of the season.

We have several games against division rivals coming up and Reid always seems to do better against them, for good reason. That's cool.

Here's to seeing these afflictions just making our players, and Reid himself, stronger and better as we finish the regular season and maybe even watch them make that stout playoff run we've always been hoping they'd have.
___

Chiefs at Titans - Week 10 - Record: 6-4

This was definitely a game we simply could not afford to lose. It always seems to be like that when we play the Titans.

Opening game, 2014. We lose to a thoroughly lousy Titans team that would go on to win only one more game the entire season. We miss the playoffs by one game. That was the game we could not afford to lose. That very first game of that season, that was the blow-it -- a season that later featured a complete thrashing of the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots. Go figure. (Well, we now figure, that's what this post is all about.)

Playoff game, 2017 season. We're up 21-3 at halftime to a very mediocre Titans team, and somehow find a way to lose 22-21.

Today, it was just as ugly. Just as typically ugly. Right now I feel the way I did during the middle of that 2017 season when we had a stretch of games against not-that-great New York state teams, remember that? The Giants then the Bills then the Jets -- a season we were playing great, buuut we lost them all. And sure enough at that time I had the opportunity to do exactly what I'm going to do now, although I truly believe it is still just as justified as it was back then.

Share my standard Andy Reid what-the-hell-are-you-doing rant.

Here is this version. It isn't a whole lot different than the others, but I reeeally don't think there aren't quite a lot of us who share these sentiments.

I really do not believe the Chiefs will ever win a Super Bowl with Andy Reid at head coach.

Yes we've all had these thoughts before, but they always seem to be muted by the times we watch him do his playmaking and his management of the team as a player's coach. We behold how wonderful he is at those things and simply brush off any detractions.

But sure enough, what happened today was inexcusable, and sure enough it was yet another one of those "Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. Fool my thrice shame on me some more. Fool me four times it is ridiculously shameful. Fool me five times is shamefully criminal. Fool me..." I really think we're up to about 23 times of being fooled, to be honest with you. All Chiefs fans should be serving life sentences for the most feloniously shameful foolishness.

Here's why, for the 57 thousandth time.

Reid cannot manage things at the end of a game.

Sure we have Patrick Mahomes. Sure we have Tyreek Hill. Sure we have ___ (any of all the other playmakers we have). But when we need the head coach to make that one call that will win us the game because WE'RE TRYING TO WIN THE GAME DAMMIT AND NOT TRYING TO JUST NOT LOSE -- it gets really gruesome.

Here's the evidence. This year we've lost all four of our games by a touchdown or less. Does that sound familiar? It should. The Chiefs have lost eight straight playoff games decided by a touchdown or less. Thing is, Reid is responsible for five of them. Sorry, but there were definitely things that could have happened with the sideline judgment that would have avoided:

A 1-point loss to Indianapolis after the 2013 season when were ahead 38-10 in the 3rd quarter.

A 7-point loss to New England (2015) when Reid was just outcoached by Belichick again. (Reid's 4th quarter management of the 2004 season's Super Bowl was abysmal.)

A 2-point loss to Pittsburgh (2016) when the opponent did not score a single touchdown the entire game.

A 1-point loss to Tennessee (2017) when we scored zero points in the 2nd half.

A 6-point loss in OT to New England (2018) when Reid was just flat outcoached by Belichick YET AGAIN.

In this game we were up 29-20 early in the 4th quarter, right after Mecole Hardman's streak to the endzone after a terrific pass from Mahomes. It should have been over at that point. We should have been "putting the hammer down" then. Up by nine with 11 minutes left.

And sorry, not getting the job done was on Reid.

So, note to Andy Reid, a reminder for about the 83rd time: "Step it up and be a clutch leader. Lead this team to win, don't just stuff your face in a play sheet to not-lose." ::Sigh:: To be honest I really don't think he will ever do that.

This game is just another brick in the wall. So here's the bottom line. I reeeally hope Clark and Brett are paying attention. I think every Chiefs fan feels this way. Again, I've seen nothing online or on the twittersphere or anywhere, but I know it.

Here's what's what:

Andy Reid, there is no excuse for you to being doing this, none. You have one of the most phenomenal offenses ever in the NFL. Yes today we had stupid turnovers (well, really, just one, but it was really costly as it was returned for a touchdown). Yes we had unfortunate injuries (but fortunately people like Tyreek Hill and Mitchell Schwartz came back in). Yes we had a slough of penalties (but that, really, is on you anyway because this team is simply not disciplined enough, it really isn't). Yes our special teams fell apart at the end of the game (but why are we relying on them so much in instances when it looked like they were frantically trying to make up for situations that shouldn't exist anyway?)

See the issue is with this talent and your playmaking we should've been ahead 21-0 in the 1st quarter. By the middle of the 4th quarter we should have had a comfortable 49-27 lead. Even with the rotten stuff there - is - no - excuse. With this team with this talent?

And we're frnckgckngcking 6-4???

So, here it is. Even with all of that, you can rectify that with one more valiant attempt to get the critical 4th quarter call right. Please, we beg you. Please, in the 4th quarter rally the troops to go for the jugular. To take no prisoners. That last series when we had the ball in Titans territory, up by 5 with a little under two minutes left? Super Bowl teams make the 1st down and send us home happy, especially against a team we moved the ball against pretty much at will all afternoon.

Instead it looked like everyone out there on the field was just expecting us to lose. I'm sorry but it just did, and that comes directly from your obsession with NOT-LOSING. I mean, please, today's 4th quarter was a collapse of epic proportions, it really was.

I wonder. Mahomes had 446 passing yards today. Really, how many quarterbacks with over 440 passing yards have ever lost an NFL football game? I'd say a few, but I know it isn't many, in all the annals of NFL history I'd bet it is very few. We had twice as much yardage as the Titans, and still lost. We had twice as much time of possession, and still lost. We got 1st down after 1st down by barely trying, yet couldn't seem to get one when we needed it because you played --- to --- not --- lose.

Well, let's just say this, from every Chiefs fan on the planet.

Go for it Andy Reid. You have our wholehearted support: win the Super Bowl this year. And please, you will have no excuses if you don't, not with this talent, not with your -- granted it is extraordinary -- playmaking ability. There is no excuse.

But we promise you, all of us know as much as we know the sky is blue and the sun is hot: you will at some point HAVE to make a critically beneficial 4th quarter call that will win us a game by a close score. You will, guaranteed.

If you do, we will screech with joy and we will want to carry you off the field with all the well-deserved accolades. We've got you. You're there. Way to go.

But if -- okay, this is for Clark and Brett -- if Andy doesn't, then see-ya, and let's see Eric Bieniemy in at head coach. He's already got all the Reid playmaking stuff in his hands, working with him for so long, and then, and then, not only do we get that but we get a coach who -- let's hope -- will...

Ahem...

PLAY ----- TO ----- WIN.
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Vikings at Chiefs - Week 9 - Record: 6-3

For whatever you can say about our very very very bendy defense, they did come through at the very tail end of the game when we needed it.

With the score tied at 23 all, the Vikings had the ball with a bit over two minutes left in the game. And wouldn't you know it. We got a three-&-out. And it wasn't just any three-&-out, it was a dominating one. One play that stood out was Daniel Sorensen's smothering of a swing pass for a loss on 2nd down, especially significant since the Chiefs were abjectly miserable stopping the screen pass all day long.

What can you say about our offense. My word, will it be nice when we get Patrick back. Again, again again again, nothing against Matt Moore. He's done wonderfully, he really has. But those weapons on offense we have.

Tyreek Hill being Superman all over the field, I mean the guy is a phenomenal football player. Our first touchdown was a leaping grab after which he kept his feet under him to propel him into the endzone.

Sammy Watkins with one-handed snatches all over the place. I've always considered the time Watkins missed because of that hamstring injury was a blow to our offense against teams like the Colts and Texans.

Travis Kelce being stout and getting a long clutch reception late to get us into field goal range for Butker to win it.

And Damien Williams. Reid started McCoy, but I wonder how long he is with the team. I hope he's around and they don't just jettison him -- we may need him later -- but it is clear Williams has shown he's the cream of our running core. His 91-yard sprint was a thing of beauty. After a superb weave through the line he turned on the afterburners. When Tyreek joined him as he neared the endzone it looked like the US Olympic track team finishing a close one-&-two in the 400 meter, sweet.

Our run defense did okay actually, but again, there were just too many times we got caught out of position, pursuing too ferociously taking us out of plays. Maybe this is just a by-product of Spagnuolo's defensive scheme, because there were times we made major clutch plays. If you can believe it we held their terrific back Dalvin Cook to under 100 rushing.

It was nice to see this team show they've got some ganas and rise to the occasion late to take this one.
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