Bills at Chiefs - AFC Championship Game - Something of a Take

Okay, briefly because it is late and I'm tired. Dang these tight Chiefs playoff games are exhausting to watch! Just a few things in my brain right now. Maybe more to share later.

One, something I'm not seeing among all the pundit takes, but it seems to me, especially with now an incredible NFL record 17 straight one-possession score wins, that this Chiefs team doesn't just try to and plan to work like maniacs for the full 60 minutes like most teams, this Chiefs actually does it. Their relentless play for the last 5-10 minutes of game time takes advantage of a weary opponent and because they are that ruthless with their play during that time it does seem to be successful in intimidating them to a very costly degree. In that then, this Chiefs team deserves to be called dominant even though the score differential may not reflect that. Hey, this is the NFL and for the Chiefs to do this is unheard of.

Two, something I think will be talked about is the odd play-calling of the Bills coaching, not just at the end of the game, but throughout. The Bills played really well for the entirety, and let's be honest, they were winning at the line of scrimmage -- on both sides of the ball. The main issue was their neglect of James Cook who was gashing us all night long. What happened? Why wasn't he the focal point of their offense late in the game?

Three, something that isn't talked about enough but should be, something I've shared a number of times before in this blog, but just the genius work of Brett Veach to shape this roster. Yes, Mahomes is great, yes, Reid is great, yes, Spags should be in the Hall of Fame just as the best defensive coordinator ever. But Veach has just done amazing work keeping the guys we need to keep and getting the guys we need either in the draft (that 2022 version - still amazing), in free agency, or just plucking guys like Kareem, D-Hop, and JuJu who have been terrific contributors.

There's more, but for now there is this.

One more thing. Yes, it appears there will be the standard whining and moaning about the reffing. That unsuccessful 4th-&-inches run by Allen late in the game, when, yeah, it did look like he got it, was crushing for the Bills. But yeah: Oh no. We can all hear it, how the Chiefs get all the calls, yadda-yadda. This whole thing requires more of an address, much of it already shared ad nauseam.

Anyway, lots to talk about until the Super Bowl!

Back-to-back-to-back, baby!

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The photo is from Evan Sanders at the official Chiefs site. Thank you!

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Bills at Chiefs - AFC Championship Game - Initial Take

Oh wow. How much the Bills fans must hate Patrick Mahomes. How much the pro football world must hate Patrick Mahomes. So many people seething right now. I wonder how much people are going to blame the refs, I imagine that comes with a real dynastic run.

Whew. This game was what we thought it would be. A dogfight to the end.

The Three-Peat grail is still within reach. 

It will still be a chore. Next up is a rematch with the Eagles, and now they have a phenomenal running back in Saquon Barkley.

Just pounding this out real quick, a bit short of breath. Much more to come!

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"Chiefs Derangement Syndrome" - Preview of Bills at Chiefs AFC Championship Game

I felt I should put in a brief post for tomorrow's AFC Title Game against the Bills. It'll be brief, which is kind of funny because all those days in the past when we were even in the playoffs I tended to blog like a madman. When we won that divisional game in January 2016 against the Texans I wrote gobs since we hadn't won in 22 years previous.

Now we can't lose.

It isn't necessarily that we won't lose tomorrow, the Bills are a viciously good team. But we have won eight straight postseason games which is among the longest postseason win streaks ever. They just pointed out this morning that the spread for tomorrow's game went from Chiefs up 1.5 to Chiefs up 2.5. A few people out there think the Chiefs are just better.

I like our chances, but again, with teams pretty evenly matched and the Bills looking for blood, anything can happen. We'll see.

But with the Chiefs winning quite a lot, many out there like to blap about how much the NFL and the officiating is favoring the Chiefs. "Chiefs Derangement Syndrome" - what a crack-up. 

Along with all the delusional hysteria associated with that are also the many contrary takes and accompanying videos of the Chiefs getting absolutely jobbed on so many calls it isn't even funny. I just saw one featuring four different plainly ridiculous calls or non-calls that went against us in the Baltimore playoff game last year that, when you look at it, really, we should have won that game going away.

Regarding the Texans game last week, I originally thought that yes, Justin Reid was offsides on a Texans kick attempt. Nope. Video replays showed he got off the line right at the exact moment the ball was snapped. Thing is Reid is a really smart player and, yes, he used to play for the Texans. There were others, like the holding call against Trey Smith that wasn't anywhere close to one. He's just so good at pounding his defender that the refs feel like the must rein him in.

Pretty decent social media pundit Trey Wingo pointed out that the reffing can be not-so-good in every game, it is just the Chiefs get so much attention and they are so successful that people notice it more in their games, and rage against it more any time the Chiefs benefit. I saw a take that showed how bad it was in the Buffalo-Baltimore playoff game on Sunday.

To wit:

A Buffalo tackle was called for a hold that totally wasn't, much like the Trey Smith should-have-been-no-call. A Buffalo defensive back totally PI'd the Baltimore receiver, but they called it against the Ravens guy because in that split second time frame it may have looked like a Baltimore penalty to the official. Again, yet another reason they - have - got - to - have - officials - in - the - booth - with - monitors - to - make - original - calls - to - correct - on-field - officials - who - just - can't - see - it - like - all - of - us - watching - on - television - can.

This just isn't that hard, really. Please.

One more from that game. A Buffalo guy rode Ravens QB Lamar Jackson out-of-bounds way past the white area, and dropping him with a hip tackle to boot. No call. 

Interesting that people complained in the Texans game about our QB Patrick flopping once when the defender got a bit too close to the edge of that white boundary out-of-bounds. Well maybe -- thing is, who cares? It's not a penalty. Maybe people think Mahomes is doing too much to get calls, but that's just stupid.

I will say one thing. Let's just face it.

The Chiefs are a really good team. They just are. We in the Kingdom know that so well and are simply reveling in this stratospherically golden age of Chiefs football. And often when you are that good, you just get the calls. It isn't that most of them are not fair. Roll the tape, 97% of them are legit. The point is, when you're as damn good as this team is, things happen to make wins.

It isn't hard to see it out there.

As far as tomorrow's game goes, I like our chances simply because we have the receivers to get the job done. Last week we hardly, if at all, threw to Hollywood or JuJu or D-Hop. But those guys are so good that they must be accounted for, which left things open for Travis Kelce who had a monster game as you remember, as well as Xavier Worthy who if you forgot had five catches himself.

We've got as good a shot as any tomorrow, again, as long as something goofy or stupid doesn't happen. Otherwise we should be good to go.

Bring it on!

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The photo is from Steve Sanders at the official Chiefs website. Thank you.

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Texans at Chiefs - Divisional Playoff Game

I'm going to put in a brief post mostly to simply make the statement that does need to be said because millions of fans who've made the Chiefs their No. 1 NFL enemy are still convinced of this.

Sorry, but no, the officials did not win this game for the Chiefs.

Did two-thirds of the Texans play well enough to win? Absolutely. Give them their due. Did the officials miss a couple of calls that favored the Chiefs? They did, most notably the Justin Reid off-sides on the missed Texans FG attempt and the hip-drop tackle by Bryan Cook. That last one, if called, would have been one of the rare times they would have called it, though, because even though it is a new rule, I've rarely seen a defensive player penalized for it this year.

It isn't that they shouldn't. They should.

But that's a key point regarding the two personal foul calls some think shouldn't have been called, ones that did indeed favor the Chiefs. The first was the roughing the passer call on their fine linebacker, one that was indeed, roughing the passer. Sorry, it was. The second was when another of the LBs dropped on top of Mahomes after he made an awkward slide. I kind-of agree that it really wasn't so violent as to be worthy of the call, but you still can't do that.

Otherwise, while two-thirds of the Texans played terrific ball and made this a real game, that other third that is the special teams did not play well enough to beat the Chiefs who have a pretty good special teams. To wit:

The Chiefs kicker made three FGs and two PATs. 100% of his kicks, total. The Texans kicker missed a FG, a PAT, and had a FG attempt blocked. By Leo Chenal of all people! Again with that! The guy is a kick-blocking maniac!

The Chiefs opened the game with Nikko Remigio almost pulling a Knile Davis, taking the kick to the house. He didn't quite make it, but still took it to all the way down to about their 20.

It was also sad that former Chief punter Tommy Townsend had a chance to pin the Chiefs back late in the game when the Texans were still in it. He plopped the ball to midfield allowing the Chiefs to control field position.

Couple more things.

First, the main one, and it is not an unusual one. Two words:

Travis Kelce. 

He pretty much took the team and its wilting offense and put it on its back. He made big plays when needed, scored a much needed touchdown -- you know, standard Travis Kelce playoff stuff.

Second, the Texans pass protection just seemed to wear down late. George Karlaftis did not -- the dude has a motor running at 100% for the duration. I believe he sacked CJ Stroud three times in the 4th quarter. Spags also did his blitzing thing at just the right times to stuff the Texans, when again, they generally played really well.

Their running game was great, especially with Joe Mixon handling those duties. Their receivers, particularly their best WR Nico Collins and their fine tight end, were making impossible catches late in the game to keep them matriculating.

I will never not appreciate a Chiefs win, especially in the postseason, but I kind-of feel bad for the Texans. They played like crazy, were in this game, and could have easily won. Really. As it is this is the 5th time in five a Houston pro football team has lost to the Chiefs -- or the first time it happened, to the Dallas-yes-Texans.

Remember?

1962 AFL Championship: Dallas (later Kansas City) 20, Houston Oilers 17, in OT.

1993 AFC Divisional: Kansas City 28, Houston Oilers 20.

2015 AFC Wild Card: Kansas City 30, Houston Texans 0.

2019 AFC Divisional: Kansas City 51, Houston 31.

2024 AFC Divisional: Kansas City 23, Houston 14.

Ouch. I know how much that hurts, it was agony when we simply couldn't beat Indianapolis in the playoffs, remember that? Or do you want to forget too.

It wasn't that Houston was expected to win this game, but still, the fact they played so well, it has to hurt. Houston still must really not like Kansas City.

Meanwhile we just learned that the Washington Commanders upset the heavily favored Detroit Lions, a team that has never even been in a Super Bowl. 

Wow. This NFL football thing can be a bitch. Back before the Mahomes era we knew that so very well. But that's the nature of this thing, it just is.

Can't deny that we may feel the wrath of this next week when we face one of two excellent teams, the Bills or the Ravens. Whichever one wins tomorrow will be out for blood playing the Chiefs, they definitely won't let us off the hook in that one. So many things need to be much better for us next week whoever we play if we hope to make a truly legit run at the three-peat.

On to our seventh straight AFC Championship Game!

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The photo is from Steve Sanders at the official Chiefs site. Thank you.

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Texans at Chiefs - Quick Preview - Playoff Game

With extended family again for the weekend but will be watching the game with them! Don't know if I will get to a Chiefs Game Today post today when I'd like to, just a heads-up that I will soon! Thank you for your readership.

Go Chiefs!

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Chiefs at Broncos - Week 18 - Record: 15-2

Well that was fun.

We had nothing to gain with the No. 1 seed sown up, and the Broncos had everything to gain by trying to win a playoff spot. We had very few of our best players in there, and the Broncos had the full complement of a team that is actually pretty good to begin with.

I actually had a slight vision of Carson Wentz making this something of a game, but as good a quarterback as he is, even he can't do much with a team of 2nd and 3rd stringers. Here were our six possessions up to the end of the 3rd quarter:

Five three-&-outs, effectively, and one decent one that was really just made up of a single long pass completion to Nikko Remigio. That drive ended with a missed Butker field goal.

Meanwhile, with a fine QB fully motivated the Broncos torched us. It was 31-0 at that point. After that it never got any better.

We can chalk this up to all these factors just putting this one fully in Denver's favor, but it is hard to take a butt-whooping this bad. These are still NFL teams with NFL players. Maybe this will be a motivating factor for us to be ready to go with our best in two weeks, but still.

Our tackles today were guys we were really hoping would be on the A-team, DJ Humphries and Wanya Morris. Neither did very well. How many times did Wentz get sacked? I lost count. And our top kicker, Harrison Butker, who the last couple of years was automatic from anywhere on the field and never gave us any worries winning everything for us at the end of game after game, missed another field goal.

On the television I watched some of the Rams-Seahawks game with the playoff-bound Rams having nothing to play for and not playing all their best guys while the Seahawks were playing their best, and it was close the whole way. The Rams were actually playing NFL caliber football however many scrubs were in there.

The Chiefs today?

A complete embarrassment. Doesn't matter how much the Chiefs Kingdom pundits say they don't care or it doesn't matter or whatever whatever, this is still a Chiefs team on the football field, and, um, wow.

Again, this may just be a wake-up call to get us working extra hard over the next two weeks, that's really the only thing positive from this ugliness. Doesn't matter what the reality of the stakes and all that, it was ugliness, pure and simple.

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