That's why all that mattered was that this was close and we ourselves practiced actually really truly doing what it took to win a close one.
So here's what happened, starting with that five minutes remaining.
5:04 to be precise. We're up 23-16. That close score we need. Patriots have the ball.
Now their first score back at the beginning of the game was on a flea flicker that we thoroughly bit on. Sure enough, they pull off another trick play, a halfback option pass they get all the way to our 30. Our defense was aggressive all day, which was actually pretty effective, but dang, keep your eyes open guys!
We get them down to a 4th-&-6, but in our aggressiveness we let Brady slip away to slog for 17 yards. Ball now inside the 20.
2:00 - Patriots still threatening. They run and lose two, 2nd-&-12. Next Brady throws an incomplete pass in the end zone, now 3rd-&-12. Edelman makes a nice catch to the 5, but it is now 4th-&-3, about a minute left.
Sure enough, we blitz, force Brady to throw it quickly. He makes a nice pass, but Bashaud Breeland makes a phenomenal play on the ball and taps it away.
Game over.
Thing is, I'm still not sold on this whole thing. I could write a lot, but here are the main things. We dominated this game in the 2nd quarter and much of the 3rd, but we still looked like we could not put the hammer down. Sorry. We also got very very lucky -- yes! The Patriots were the victims of another team's luck! Oh that that would happen in a playoff game.
On two plays the Chiefs totally lucked out when the officials just messed up calls. Don't get me wrong, there were five calls I made specific note of that the officials egregiously missed that aided the Patriots. Five of them, way too many to consider the refs were not yet again favoring the Patriots. One of them was a flagrant shove of Mahomes out-of-bounds and right into the sideline equipment that very much should have been called. Another was a pile-driving of Mahomes into the turf after a pass release that was also obvious, but again, they just chose not to call it.
But the two plays that really helped out the Chiefs? Kelce caught a first down pass, then went backwards and fumbled it away. The Patriots got the ball, but they lost the yardage they should have gotten -- I don't think the guy who recovered the fumble would've scored -- but the officials just should have not blown their whistles.
The other play was a touchdown by their receiver at the pylon, but the official on the field ruled his foot went out of bounds at the three-yard line. Well, it didn't, it should've been a touchdown. The problem was Belichick had no challenges left, so it couldn't be challenged. Whut? I'm sorry, yes, I'm arguing vehemently in favor of the opponent, in this instance, but sure enough, that kind of thing could happen to us. It has! In the absolute worst ways! How much do we all know it!
The Patriots were robbed of a touchdown they should have had because the NFL simply does not do the right thing and just get the call right. Get rid of all that coach's challenge stuff and have two officials in the booth -- I think I've said this a hundred times in this blog, but really, no one else is on board with this obvious solution? Again, have two officials in the booth with original play judging capacity. It is the simplest thing on the planet.
Just - get - the - call - correct.
But there are so many things that still need to happen out there for us to be successful in the playoffs. Dammit we just have to do better on offense in that 4th quarter. Sorry, but the Patriots just looked sharper, better coached (what's new?), more persistent. Really though, we should've been up 37-16 in the middle of the 4th quarter. I think the reason we finally took them down is because man-for-man the Chiefs had the talent edge. The Patriots needed more from their receivers, they didn't have much of a running game, and Brady has lost a liiitle bit -- but he's still extraordinarily good.
So it is nice the Chiefs are talented, but the discipline? Oh my. Last week we had no penalties, but today we went right back to getting far too many penalties, and several really that cost us. It has gotten to the point when every time the opponent's quarterback throws the ball I'm freaking out waiting for the PI flag to be thrown.
Some of the nice things though, we'll close with that.
Tanoh Kpassagnon had another blocked kick! This one a field goal attempt. Meanwhile Butker was nails for us, making all three of his kicks. We did allow them to block a kick, but Dave Toub will make sure that gets cleaned up. Still, Colquitt got two nice booming punts late to keep the Patriots pinned back, one of them a 57-yarder.
Mahomes made his standard amazing throws. He got one to Hill to get the first down on a 3rd-&-19 -- Hill, by the way, really needs to get the ball more. When he did get the ball he made plays with his still eye-popping speed and quickness. Mahomes touchdown pass was to Hardman deep, again while he was backpedaling.
Breeland had an interception against Brady to go with his game-saving bat. Travis Kelce had a fun wildcat touchdown, employing that fun playmaking we're all hoping Reid can use to greater success in the postseason.
Again a shout-out to our defense. Spagnuolo really got them to be aggressive, blitzing a lot and, believe it or not, it did seem to rattle Brady. For all the ways we let them zip past it, it did work most of the time.
So yeah, will we now keep playing hard and still vigorously PRACTICE WINNING CLOSE GAMES even though we've wrapped up at least one home game here in January? Winning against New England is big in case they stumble some more and we can squeeze into that playoff bye spot.
It was fun watching Mahomes on the sideline just dress down the team to fire them up when they were bumbling around as the 4th quarter started. And right there was Travis Kelce with a bloodied face, right there hopefully being inspired even though it was his careless fumble that almost gave the whole thing away.
Here's to that Mahomes-led inspiration keeping us focused and, yeah, getting our clutch postseason game on full bore. We will need it.
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