Chiefs at Steelers - Week 17 - Record: 15-1

Quick take, it's Christmas, family in, you know. I have a brief moment for this one.

First of all, the broken record to counter the blithering other broken record: Stop with the The refs are favoring the Chiefs! BS. They don't, by miles. Do they get some calls? Like the catch that wasn't actually a catch made by Hollywood Brown in the middle of the 2nd half? The Chiefs were just being smart and getting a play off quick so there could be no challenge.

Now of course I do think ref calls should be made from the booth, and those officials should have indeed waved it off. The NFL should be doing that, certainly. But then, a team (the Chiefs themselves?) should have some signal players can make to the sideline any time they saw it and are sure the officials got it wrong on a catch-not-really-a-catch, so our head coach can throw the challenge flag without having to wait around for the replay to try to be sure to do so -- again before the other team runs a quick play to prevent that from happening.

As far as the penalties go, the refs were all over the Chiefs in this one, and from the looks of our receivers they again neglected to call defensive holds against their guys. Today Jawaan Taylor's number was called, what, how many times? Too many, that's for sure. For the most part he was committing the cited infractions, but then again he was facing off against one of the best pass rushers in the league, T.J. Watt. Most of the time he actually did well enough to give Mahomes time, in this one time enough to toss three TD passes against no interceptions. 

Our defense was solid, our special teams did well, we won by a good 19 points against a somewhat bumbling Steelers team. The dagger play was McDuffie's ball punchout on their tight end -- I mean, that guy, Trent McDuffie, what an extraordinary defensive player all around. 

We ourselves could be a bit more composed, we got three unsportsmanlikes, the first two for just doing butthead taunting kind of things -- neither of which hurt us, but still. It is nice the country hates us 'cuz they ain't us, but please. Let's make it about our dominant play, man. That third one? Travis Kelce slam-dunking the goal-post Tony Gonzalez-style to honor the guy after he broke his Chiefs touchdown record. I think that one gets a pass, for sure.

Otherwise, we got to 15-1 and snatched the No. 1 seed. Dang is that great. There's talk of this being one of the best NFL teams ever -- fun to hear, but we still have a whole postseason to navigate. We'll likely play one of these really good teams we're playing right now again 24 days from now, Texans, Steelers, Broncos. The latter one we play to close it all out two Sundays from now, and we'll be resting everybody there a mile high in Denver so it is a real possibility we'll finish at 15-2. But should we get through all that unscathed there is very likely a Baltimore or Buffalo waiting.

For now, the "Three-Peat" train just keeps on barreling.

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The photo is from Tyler McFarland at the official Chiefs website. Thank you.

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Steelers at Chiefs - Wild-Card Playoff Game

Throughout the entire 1st quarter I simply could not help but think. You know. You know. I hate to say that I thought about it, but I still thought about it.

1995 playoff game. 1997 playoff game. 2003 playoff game. 2016 playoff game. 2017 playoff game. I guess it happened so often I just thought about how it was very possible it could happen again. Ergck.

You know. That playoff game when we do some amazing things, but there are just enough stupid things happening to keep us from winning. Sorry. I just couldn't help but think. I don't think I'm the only one.

Especially when as a 13-point favorite -- the largest spread of any Wild-Card playoff game in NFL history -- we were down 7-0 after a botched Hardman-Williams RPO led to a Pittsburgh defensive touchdown. Hardman actually had a fantastic game otherwise, but Williams wasn't seen again.

Instead the Chiefs went with Jerick McKinnon, who was ballin' tonight. His pass-catching and running vision really got us going in the 2nd quarter, when we scored three touchdowns to make the statement. The third was a long Mahomes-to-Kelce touchdown connection when we were just angling to get a field goal with a few seconds left in the half. That triumvirate of Mahomes-Kelce-Hill took care of business to pull out the convincing win.

You know, it is funny. When we won our first playoff game in eons back in the 2015 season, that win over the Texans, I couldn't blog enough. I wrote and wrote and wrote I was so excited.

Well, now, since Mahomes took over a scant four years ago, we've had postseason wins over the Colts Texans Titans 49ers Browns Bills and now Steelers. It is all tremendously awesome, truly it is, especially in light of all the past heartbreak -- none of these wins will ever be thought of as anything less than wonderful.

But I'm just not going to blog a whole lot about this one. We got the dubya we should have gotten, and now we're moving on to face a Bills team that annihilated the Patriots last night. At least we'll be at home, and we'll need our fans to be especially loud because their QB Josh Allen looked very good.

On to next Sunday at 3:30 (our PST here)!

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Photo is by Steve Sanders at the official Chiefs site. Thank you.

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Steelers at Chiefs - Week 16 - Record: 11-4

During the game the announcers brought attention to the Chiefs being without several of their best players because of the Covid stuff. They emphasized Andy Reid's philosophy, which is far better than mine that's for sure. I like it.

"Next man up." 

The idea: just go with who you got. It's why he's the coach of the Chiefs and not me. It's why he's the coach of our team and not anyone else, period. It's why he's a Hall-of-Famer who ranks among the best coaches ever.

But still. Ergh.

I thought about giving it another take, but I won't -- I posted about it here in may last one and that's enough. Sure enough today we did not have several key guys including Travis Kelce and Nick Bolton. Without Harrison Butker out there our one-game kicker missed a field goal and a PAT.

I'd love to say "I can't wait until this is over" but I just can't. These people should've figured this out over a year ago, but they still have their heads not where they should be, I'll just leave it at that. And that could go on for a very long time about some other variant scare or medical crisis or faux-catastrophe over which they may virtue-signal. Who knows?

While the NBA is itself still too much into the Covid silliness, at least they're making progress in moving on. I'd read that Adam Silver, the NBA Commissioner, has decided to dial way back all that stuff. They initially said they may cancel the Christmas Day games, but wiser heads prevailed and we got to enjoy pro basketball on the holiday. They're still putting players on the shelf, so that's not good, but maybe, just maybe there is a tiny sliver of hope.

As for the game, the uncharacteristically weak lines the Steelers put on the field allowed us to have our way with them. For once against the Steelers, it was us who looked like we had 14 guys on the field against their 9. In fact this is the second win in a row we've had against Pittsburgh -- the last time we did that was in our very first two games ever against them in 1970 and 1971. Otherwise the Steelers have pretty much had their way with us on a regular basis.

Melvin Ingram was clutch against his former team the Chargers last week, today he was clutch against his other former team the Steelers. Again he is a difference-maker out there and has helped make our defense pretty stout. Having Chris Jones back was also instrumental, our defense today was just all over the place.

And I have to put in a good word for Mecole Hardman, who made some fine catches, nice returns, and scored a nifty touchdown. Byron Pringle was a beast scoring two touchdowns himself. What is the deal with Josh Gordon? I hear so much about how not-good Hardman is, but today Gordon had two passes dropped. I'm not necessarily saying he's not-good because apparently he's good for blocking and route running, and I too hope for the world he'll have a breakout game.

So we've won the West for a sixth year in a row. I believe that has never been done, not in the Raiders heydays, not in the Broncos heydays.

Next week we've got a decent playoff preview game against the very good Bengals at their place. Maybe, just maybe we'll be at full strength so we can see how we look as we head into the post-season.

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

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Chiefs at Steelers - Week 2 - Record: 2-0

It has been just under 32 years, just a little bit longer than the number of years it had taken us to win a game with a starting quarterback who was drafted by the Chiefs. Well, Patrick Mahomes took care of that drought on the last day of 2017.

Today Mahomes and the Chiefs took care of the 32-year drought, finally winning a game in Pittsburgh. Since then the Chiefs have lost six straight there, most of them by scores that looked like we'd sent out the third string team.Would you believe it? Our last win there was that final-game-of-the-season special-teams win to get into the playoffs in 1986. Since then it's been very not-good.

We got this one, however. And through the first quarter it looked liked we'd walk right over them, leaping out to a 21-0 lead before our very bendy defense allowed Pittsburgh to rip off some long TD drives to make it close.

But enough of the bad things about our defense. Here were some good things about it.

Kendall Fuller was a pretty good back there, breaking up passes and smothering receivers -- yes I know he wasn't perfect but he made critical plays especially late. Reggie Ragland and Anthony Hitchens are pretty good run defenders -- I don't know if it was more them or more Pittsburgh's weak running game, but we did decently keeping them from beating us on the ground. (Yeah, Ben Roethlisberger kicked our butt through the air, but well, we already knew that...) And Dee Ford had a clutch pass tip to stop a drive after the Steelers were yet again marching down the field against us.

But hey, what can Mahomes not do. I was listening to Mitch on the postgame and he said the Steelers have always done this blitz zone thing that the Chiefs have never been able to figure out. Turns out the Chiefs today threw the ball deep down the middle of the field and that's the way to beat that stuff.

Hmm, everyone had always said Alex Smith doesn't have enough of an arm to get the ball there, and I'd always thought, nahh, can't just be that...

Well, maybe there was something to that.

Now we've got a guy with a cannon for an arm. Let the numbers speak for themselves.

Mahomes threw six touchdown passes today to five different receivers. He had five incompletions. Wow. Again, 6 TDs, 5 INCs. How often does that happen. I have to add that it was very nice to see Sammy Watkins show what he's got. I've always been high on him and knew he'd get it done. He did it in a number of ways today, really good to see that.

Mahomes also set a record for touchdown passes in the first two games of a season with ten. Next highest, Peyton Manning with nine in something like 2013 I believe the graphic said. What other  superlative stat-laden things will they say about him? Yeah, we can rapturously swim it all, but let's just give him some time to settle in and keep learning. There's a whole season and more ahead.

I can't deny that I'm itchin' to shred our defense a new one about letting a team riddled with injuries and an aggravating hold-out (Le'Veon Bell) make this an actual contest, but hey, we knew that going in, not going to get into it. At least they held today -- let's face it we're going to have to endure nailbiter games of 42-37 until Eric Berry is healthy and our young defensive players can establish themselves out there and contribute. And it was in Pittsburgh, a hellhole for Chiefs football for years and years and years.

So for now, let's just savor this one and what our new quarterback can do out there. Very very sweet.
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Steelers at Chiefs - Week 6 - Record: 5-1

I really didn't think we were going to win this game. I just had a feeling that Steelers thing was going to so brutally impact our game yet again -- just all the goofiness that makes virtually everything we do bad and everything they do good -- at least just enough to get them the win.

Happens every time.

Call it that weird spell that afflicts the Chiefs any time they play the Steelers. You see it in every game they play against them. It was on full display in that playoff game we lost to this team last year. It was all over that critical game in 2014 that effectively knocked us out of the playoff race. That thing just hasn't ended. I actually wonder if it has something to do with the Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley, just desperately doing everything he can to ruthlessly punish the Chiefs however he can with this interminably seething vendetta I'm sure he still has against us.

As far as I see I look at the Steelers getting clobbered by a Jaguars team as they did last week (even though the Jags are pretty good this year), I see them with two losses already, I see a team in disarray with this national anthem confusion, whatever little I catch about the Steelers it is all about a very average team... I don't get it...

They meet the Chiefs and no matter what they become a team of supermen.

Every single time.

It was like that game we played against them in 2006 when we just got hammered by them, I mean it was a complete and utter obliteration. I swear they had 14 guys on the field while we only had 9. I'm telling you that's what it looked like today. They constantly showed stats that indicate the Steelers are very average -- except when they play us.

And it isn't just the play on the field. It is the absurdity of the calls that go against us, like the touchdown that Demetrius Harris had -- oh he had it, he had the ball and took three clear steps, but the refs just missed it and Andy Reid just had a brain fart refusing to challenge it. Oh, sorry, all scoring plays are reviewed. So we can't even do anything about that. And even if it was too close to overturn, why? When we play the Steelers when does the play ever go in our favor by the inch required?

Look at that almost interception by Phillip Gaines. Are you kidding me? Why did that insanely idiotic play happen against us?

Because it had to do with the notoriously charmed Steelers.

So here's the upshot of this game beyond the curse stuff.

Alex Smith played a very very subpar game. He missed wide open receivers all over the place. A lot of that was the offensive line. He looked intimidated and the thug approach of the Steelers worked -- there were two roughing the passer penalties against them. Get into Alex Smith's head and you can rattle him. Smith was rattled all day.

The Steelers offensive line is very good. It's nice to have a healthy offensive line. Our refusal to have a Ray Lewis-type in the middle of the field really hurts against a team like this. LeVeon Bell had his typical 800 yards rushing against the Chiefs. Our loss of Eric Berry was glaring today -- he is really that big of a factor in shutting down their running game.

Meanwhile on our O-line our loss of Mitch Morse and LDT showed big-time today. Our running game was poor and it is because that make-shift O-line is being exposed. Zach Fulton had not been snapping the ball well and sure enough, first play of the game -- zzzhoop -- into the end zone for a safety.

I'm sorry but I'm tired right now. I have a lot of work and need some rest, and this game was just draining. Forgive me I'm not going to write a whole lot more.

It's probably pretty good that we lost because the pressure of seeing how long we can be undefeated is off. We can know what we need to do and what it takes to be a consistently winning team. As aggravating as all get-out as this all was, I will end on a positive note.

We still have weapons. We will regroup. It was fun to watch DAT make that catch and will his way to the touchdown. What a play by Eric Murray on that Steelers 3rd down late to give us a chance, awesome. Our special teams, Dustin Colquitt and Tyreek Hill and Jehu Chesson, great work. There were other great Chiefs individual efforts today, there were.

Several good things I can talk about with the Chiefs, yeah -- I mean, that we kept it close for so long while they were truly having their way with us on every metaphysical level has to be a good thing.
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Steelers at Chiefs - Divisional Playoff Game

It is simply not as agonizing anymore.

We're Chiefs fans.

As it is this is the fifth divisional playoff game the Chiefs have ever played at home, and the fifth loss. 0-5 in divisional playoff games at home for the Chiefs, ever. 1971 at Municipal, then in 1995, 1997, 2003, and one more time tonight here at Arrowhead.

All heartbreakers, so yeah, we're used to it.

And sure enough, there was that charmed thing that went the Steelers way, yet again. And the Chiefs suffer the exact opposite, some cursed thing that kills them. We're now 4-15 in the playoffs since January 11, 1970. The Steelers have almost twice as many playoff wins than we have playoff appearances in that time.

This was also another chance for us to win a playoff game after winning the division. As I'd mentioned a while back, the only times we'd done that were 1966, beating Buffalo, and 1993, beating Pittsburgh then Houston. We've never done it any other time. I truly think we're the worst team in the NFL in that department -- both winning the division and at least one playoff game -- only twice for us in our history. (FYI when we won the Super Bowl we were a wild-card team.)

I knew we'd win this game, but I have to confess I'd had few hopes that that stupid idiotic charmed Steelers thing wouldn't happen yet again to keep that from actually happening. I had no illusions whatsoever. I tried real hard in my preview posts to be optimistic, and I think I did well, but my feelings still couldn't be disguised. I'd even said plainly the only way they win is with the stupid idiotic charmed thing.

And sure enough, there it was, in great big blazing and extraordinarily ugly fashion against the Chiefs. There it was, right there.

We get the key touchdown on a Spencer Ware one-yard run after a blisteringly hard drive that included a Steelers guy slamming his head into Chris Conley, almost knocking him out. That TD made the score 18-16. We go for two, and get it, Smith to Harris in the back of the end zone, 18-18 with a little over two minutes left.

But wait.

Eric Fisher gets called for the hold.

There it is. The charmed thing that happens in favor of the playoff opponent.

We're just so used to it, I feel like the the Isrealites in the middle of Babylon, in hell there on earth, really, and God tells them that they're being tested in the furnace of affliction. But He'll do amazing things for them because His name is on the line. Check out the 48th chapter of Isaiah, it's pretty cool.

So yeah, for now, the standard disappointment, but it is way less of a despondency than before. For one, we didn't do enough to win this game, let alone have enough got-it to really show we've got playoff gravitas. We just made too many mistakes, and on drives No. 2 to 6 we did diddly on offense. This meant Le'Veon Bell et al were on the field for far much too much of the game time, and it meant we weren't getting the necessary scores we needed to stay up with them.

Every time we play the Steelers it seems like they have 14 men on the defense. Was the defense of this team their weakness? Was it? Because if it was you sure couldn't tell. Either we sure didn't take advantage of it -- and I believe a lot of it was that -- or they've just got our playbook. Doesn't it seem like that to you? That they just seem to know what we're going to do every time we play this team?

Our failures included just not doing play action way more often. When we did, it worked. We also dropped too many passes. Wilson dropped a key pass that would've been a critical first down. Kelce dropped a pass right in his hands near the goal line, then got mad and pushed a Steelers player for a huge penalty.

Thing is, that last drive when we scored to almost tie it, I have to tell you...

We started to show some got-it, we really did. That last drive was something like 14 plays or something like that, converting two 4th downs, it was thrilling to see us make it a good game. We should be proud of our Chiefs, they played their hearts out then, played like soldiers with their backs against the wall and did well.

Then there was the critical charmed thing for them. And it involved James Harrison, who had that most charmed interception return in that Super Bowl against the Cardinals, who went to the Bengals a few years ago then retired and was charmingly allowed to zip back over to the Steelers -- what was with that? And here he is with some people saying he was able to draw Fisher into that holding penalty -- it was just Harrison charmingly selling it to look like more than it was. That's nice.

The Steelers charmed play won it for them yet again, and it was just as I was afraid it would be.

But what's new.

Some things that did hurt us and kept us from putting away this game early, as we really should have.

The main thing was indeed the main thing that would've hurt us, and it did.

Our run defense. Le'Veon Bell ran up and down the field, and their offensive line was playing very well. Please, Ramik Wilson did all he could and played like a champion, really. But it must be said that losing Derrick Johnson was critical, I don't think anyone would doubt that. The Chiefs D stiffened every time the Steelers got into our territory, but you can't beat six field goals if you're not moving the ball on offense.

Alex Smith missed wide open receivers a number of times. One time they were showing Tyreek Hill so wide open on one play that all I could think was, yep, there's one of the two or three critical missed looks Alex Smith seems to have every game.

There were also some blow-its allowing Pittsburgh to keep getting in position to get those field goals. The most obvious one was an early one when Justin Houston was covering Antonio Brown on that long pass play. What was that? And what was with another linebacker covering Brown allowing him to get the first down catch for the Steelers to seal the win at the very end of the game? Guh?

There are so many other things I can say about this game, and because I just don't want to think too much about the standard disconsolations Chiefs fans must always endure from these things, I'm just going to leave this with just a couple more thoughts. I don't think I'll blog any more on any of this, but I may just because I'll think of things I'll want to write to do the therapy that we all so frequently need.

So I don't know. We'll see.

For now.

We have a good team. I know we're faced with decisions about Dontari Poe and Eric Berry and Alex Smith and all that. But the very encouraging thing is that there is tremendous stability in this organization. I know John Dorsey will make fine decisions to get the players we need to get to the next level. Really, that's a very encouraging thing at this point. There's tremendous promise for the Kansas City Chiefs.

And they're showing some got-it. Much of this game they showed much less got-it than they really should have had, but on that last drive they really had it. I liked it. It was thrilling to see them work valiantly to get the win. Maybe some year we'll have so much got-it, especially in the playoffs, that there is no way we can't win. I truly think we're on our way to that level.

Speaking about the building process this team is in, I can't wait until the draft when in the first round -- here's the key --

We have that quarterback right there for us at that 24th, 25th pick of the draft.

Somewhere I saw a prognostication of the draft that put the Chiefs in position to get DeShaun Watson from Clemson -- oh wow would that be great. With his performance in the college football championship game I'm not sure he'll drop that far, but maybe, just maybe if we can for once get the charmed position to get a guy who will be like Aaron Rodgers (he was drafted 24th or somewhere around there).

Alex Smith actually played his heart out, he really did. I will never dislike Alex Smith (though I confess I have expressed dislike for him before... and, um, yeah, I hate it when he misses those receivers) But he plays like a champion and I will always appreciate what he's done for us. I will appreciate his efforts to take this team deep into the playoffs next year, I really will. I think he's on board for two more years, at least on his contract, I think, but then I don't peek at this stuff because it just drives me crazy.

I'm just pointing out here that I'm looking forward to when we do finally, finally, finally

Get that drafted and developed quarterback to take us to the promised land.

Maybe Alex Smith will next year, or the year after. That's cool, I'm all for it.

But we now need to get that young guy on board right now to be ready to do that in the following years. As it is, as of this day, it has been 10,718 days since the Chiefs won a game with a drafted and developed quarterback at the helm. As I've posited most fully in The Quarterback Project, the only way you are going to win the Super Bowl is

With a D&D guy.

Sure enough, look at the teams in the conference title games. All with quarterbacks the teams drafted and developed, yet again. It is practically an ironclad rule.

I will hope the best for our Smith-led team, I always will.

But we need the D&D guy and hey, not going farther into the playoffs puts us at the 24, 25 draft slot and a better chance to get that guy. I know it's not a lot, but it is some small consolation here.

And another thing about those teams in the conference championship games.

Precisely as I thought.

You've got New England (big market) vs Pittsburgh (media darling), and you've got Green Bay (media darling) against Atlanta (who isn't either of those but the seedings didn't allow for a New York or Dallas to be there). How much will the powers-that-be slaver when they get Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers going against New England with Tom Brady.

Yes, I'm rooting like crazy for Atlanta now. And I'm simply not going to get into the whole very-legitimate-conspiracy-against-us considerations, just not.

Just going to revel in being a Chiefs fan right now.

It's simply because no matter what, it's authentic, it's real, it's whole, it's rich -- it was neat to see so many fans at Arrowhead in spite of the freezing weather. They were there, and our team left it out on the field. We're true and genuine and it is very very good. I think I can join millions of other Chiefs fans in being extraordinarily proud of this team.

And in spite of the silliness yet again that occurred this evening,

We've got great hope.

That's a very good thing.
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Chiefs at Steelers - Week 4 - Record: 2-2

There is just something more.

There is. There is something about all this that goes far beyond which team has what talent, how a team is coached one way or the other. There just is. For those of you who read my blog and continue to read it, I'd like to think that you've given at least a bit of credit to this.

Call it the Steelers being charmed, call it the Chiefs being cursed, something like that, but any time our Chiefs go to Pittsburgh that thing whatever it is is just amplified like crazy.

Yes, I agree, I don't think we're as talented as we think we are.  We have young defensive backs who got schooled tonight. We have an offensive line that plays very inconsistently. We have a quarterback who will just not play the game that he truly can. And I'm not denying at all that Pittsburgh's three B's, Roethlisberger, Bell, and Brown are extraordinary players.

But a difference of this much? I truly don't think you can say it is just because of some difference in the two teams. Thing is, it is just too huge and

It just happens all the time.

In 2006, the Chiefs lost in Pittsburgh 45-7, and the whole game it felt like they had 17 players on the field on both sides of the ball. That was a year the Chiefs made the playoffs, and the next greatest point differential in a Chiefs loss that year was 13. In 2014, the insane things that went against the Chiefs were just too numerous to count, though I did try to. Go ahead, read my blog post from that game, you'll see.

Remember, this was a Steelers team that got shellacked last week 34-3. This was a Steelers team that had two of its key defensive leaders out of the game completely.

And so this one started fine. We made some fine plays, then stalled. We stopped the Steelers just fine, then got the ball back and

Spencer Ware fumbled it away. They got a touchdown.

Then Alex Smith threw a tipped pick. They got a touchdown.

Then Dustin Colquitt shanked a punt. They got a touchdown.

Our guy Tyreek Hill returned a punt for a touchdown, but it was called back after a very questionable call by the officials on an illegal block. Late in the 3rd quarter the Chiefs FINALLY sent Hill on a deep route and Smith threw a strike, but their D-back just barely got his hand in to push Hill's hand away just as he was about to grasp it. Really, that should be a PI, but, well,

That's just it.

There's that thing.

When Colquitt finally got a beauty of a punt off and Tyreek Hill et all were right there to down it inside the 5, the ball still squirted into the endzone -- it just skipped right past everyone. Guh? When the Chiefs got into field goal range with 8 seconds left in the 1st half, it started pouring rain -- really pouring. Sure enough, the holder slightly mishandled the soaking-wet ball, and Santos' kick bounced off the upright.

As I wrote after the last Chiefs game in Pittsburgh, you can't make this stuff up.

That's because, as sure as there are sure things...

There's that thing.
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Steelers at Chiefs - Week 7 - Record: 2-5

Yay! We were up by 10 with about five minutes left, and we didn't choke! How about that!

I mean, I'm not kidding you. There we were, up 23-13 with about five minutes left, and I am truly thinking that we could let this get away again. That we're just established as the team that, whenever you are up, you can never count yourself in it. That we'll scratch and claw and find a way to lose.

Well, since we won, it is time to talk about the fine things this team did.

Yes, we were playing against the Steelers 3rd string QB, and the Steelers did turn the ball over three times when they'd only done that four times previously all season. But only one of them was because of the inexperience of Landry Jones.

The other two were pure Chiefs, baby.

Eric Berry made a diving catch on a batted ball off the hand of a Steelers receiver, and Jones fumbled the ball late when Tamba Hali finished one of his patented speed rushes off the edge. The former led to a touchdown, the latter sealed the win late when Pittsburgh was threatening yet another Chiefs choke.

What else was splendidly Chiefs-worthy for the first time in seven weeks?

Charcandrick West. I knew this kid could be good. He's fast, elusive, and strong. It is easy to see how he's been handling the running duties and not Knile Davis. He ran for over 100 yards today. I really like seeing this because I truly think the Chiefs have relied too much on Jamaal Charles. Believe me, I'd very much rather Charles be in there, but I'm hoping we can start to showcase more of our weapons. With West looking very good against what I gather is still a pretty good Steelers defense, this is a very nice development.

Our offensive line. They did a decent job, they did. Sure they aren't perfect, sure there're a lot of things they could improve on, but, hey, see just above -- 100-yard RB games aren't just the work of the guy carrying the ball.

Alex Smith. Oh he did throw those ducks that still had me screaming at the television. He did allow himself to get sacked just before the half to keep Cairo Santos out of field goal range, that was particularly gruesome. But hey, he did make some excellent throws at other times, particularly to Travis Kelce. One of them was on a key 3rd down late. Hey, a clutch 3rd down conversion, awright!

Chris Conley. He's starting to show what he can do. He made some nice receptions, though one deep one should've been squeezed and wasn't. His second best was his tough TD catch -- wow another one to a WR! -- late in the game that gave us the nice pad in the score. His best was actually a spiffy catch and power run that got the ball deep into Steelers territory that I'm pretty sure was in the mix helping to lead to our first TD.

Our defense. Yeah, just a shout out to the whole team. Our D-line was a bit more bendy than they were last week, today trying to stop Le'Veon Bell, but a TV graphic was really interesting and not altogether surprising about the fine work of these guys: Adrian Peterson, Matt Forte, other good RB's we've faced -- all kept under 100. That's cool.

Our defensive backs were very strong, too, even though they were facing that 3rd string QB. At one point Antonio Brown pushed off Marcus Peters so obviously that the curse could only account for the side judge standing right there not seeing it. The Steelers scored their only TD right after that, but it tells me that Peters and the guys are doing pretty well, when someone like Antonio Brown feels he's got to do that. Sean Smith almost had a pick that was defended well by the receiver.

I like how this team isn't giving up. I like the toughness they showed. I like seeing the camaraderie. I believe all of this helped them get the W today.
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Chiefs at Steelers - Week 16 - Record: 8-7

There is something that I really started contemplating much more deeply last night, before the Niners-Chargers game, something that got much more calcified in my mind during that game. I watched it hoping the Niners would beat the Chargers, and for a while it looked like they would. I usually don't do that, watch any other game, but last night I did. I really shouldn't have because it was kind of depressing, even though it really didn't have much impact on what the Chiefs have had facing them. They'd still have to beat San Diego next week.

But watching Philip Rivers at work yet again.

Damn.

How on earth does this team ever lose a game with him at quarterback? I'd even heard he had a really bad back or something viciously bad with his physical constitution, needing surgery, all that. And yet he still carved up the 49ers. Just blistered them on the way to a major comeback win. I'd heard the Chargers had a couple other clutch wins earlier this year.

That's because even with all the stuff with the Chargers this year, whatever injuries and weaknesses they have...

They got it.

A lot of that is just that they have a quarterback who's got it. No matter what, no matter how he's already thrown an earlier pick or a wasted a play on an incompletion or gotten sacked, he still hangs in there and makes some big play sometime. I mean, I really don't know why the Chargers ever need to punt. If Rivers had a whole four plays to get 10 yards, they would never lose.

Why in blazes am I speaking about Philip Rivers and the Chargers when this is a Chiefs blog?

It is simple.

While there are a number of teams in the NFL who got it, I very regretfully have to confess that, yes -

The Chiefs don't got it.

Yes, I am writing in the emotion of the moment right now, I understand that. I'll be fine, thank you for your concern. But even before this game I'd been thinking about this, just thinking deeply about when we can authentically say at any time in our history that we got it.

What in blazes am I talking about with this got-it thing? I believe most NFL fans would understand what I'm talking about. It is that extraordinarily powerful intangible that just courses through an entire organization. It starts with the top management and just filters through everyone on the field. And yes, I do believe there is a profound spiritual, supernatural dynamic involved.

For instance, a team that has got it and has for some time is the New England Patriots. That may be obvious, but recently I found out something after coming across a blogger who pointed it out: That New England has had pretty average drafts over the past several years -- really no better than anyone else. What they do is deftly find undervalued players and know exactly where to plug them in.

The other thing is the quarterback having got it. Does Tom Brady got it? Absolutely. Philip Rivers's got it. Aaron Rodgers definitely does. Andrew Luck, I think does and will win big in the playoffs sometime to show that.

Ben Roethlisberger, the quarterback we faced today, he's got it.

And this Pittsburgh team we played today, they got it.

Sorry. I'm really sorry --

The Chiefs don't got it.

And here's the worst part.

I really don't think the Chiefs have ever had that got-it to be considered anything, really. Ever, in their history.

What about the 1969 World Champion Chiefs? What about those Chiefs teams of the entire 60's?

Okay, they may have had a little got-it. Len Dawson definitely had it, yes. But as I was thinking about all this, I just thought that Chiefs team was so talented for that one short run, I mean, really, even though their franchise had three AFL titles, there were several years they weren't even close to making the AFL postseason.

They had fantastic players to dominate, finally, in 1969. Yes, I can't say they didn't have some got-it, it's almost axiomatic that you can't win a Super Bowl without it, but here's the point.

Other than that, really, when have the Chiefs ever got it so you just know they're going to compete?

Really, when?

Right now we're looking at another 21-year drought of not winning a playoff game. Did you catch that?

Just for the record, as of now we still have a slight chance to get into the playoffs this year. We do indeed need another 2006-like miracle. We need to win next week but we also need Baltimore, Houston, and Buffalo all to lose. And even then, we're almost certain to face Indianapolis again, and you know what happens whenever that happens.

Now, I'm not going to be completely down on our team and its chances. What I am saying is I look at our current 20-year playoff win drought and think, "What, another one? We had one from '70 all the way to '90 (21 years)! How could any team have two 20-year (plus!) playoff win droughts in their history?!!"

A team like the Chiefs can, that's who, a team who just cannot ever get any sustained period of rich, vibrant got-it so they can actually be meaningfully successful.

From my thinking, I consider the Chiefs only had two times they had any even remotely sustained got-it, and even then it wasn't much. Feel free to disagree, that's cool. But this is just what I think.

In the early 90's we had some got-it even during the years around having Joe Montana. Those two years he was on the team we probably had the most got-it of any time in our history. But then we had the whole Marty Schottenheimer thing going, I mean as wonderful as the guy was, he had not-got-it tattooed all over his body.

The other time was when we had Dick Vermeil, Trent Green, Priest Holmes, and that splendid offensive line, in the early/mid-2000's. Our weak defense kept us from winning any playoff games, but hey, we got to taste it. Guess there's that.

I will add that I'm positive we would've had tons of got-it after that nice taste in 1981, but only if we'd kept Marv Levy and drafted Jim Kelly or Dan Marino. I'm never one to cry too much about that no matter how much so many Chiefs fans still do, point here is we could've had the got-it if that happened.

But then, there presents one of the important components of all this. You know what it is.

Having that drafted and developed quarterback.

Well, we've already gone over that to death, and there's no question that Ben Roethlisberger's got it while Alex Smith, well...

Let's get right to it shall we. This was indeed a classic game demonstrating the classic distinction between the Steelers got-it and the Chiefs not-got-it. Please know, I hate this, I really do. I want the Chiefs to have it as much as anything. But I also look at the truth.

To start, just some history. The Steelers have had got-it ever since the Chiefs lost whatever amount they had back in 1971. Every single year since then the Steelers have definitely had got-it.  This game was just a brazenly ruthless microcosm of that truth. Point of fact, head-to-head against the Chiefs the Steelers are now 20-9. The last time the Chiefs won a game in Pittsburgh was, get this, that final game of the '86 season that propelled us into the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. Remember that game, with all the terrific special teams play that got us the 24-19 win? Ahem: last time we won there. Since then we're 0-5 in Pittsburgh, including today.

Oh, and that one shining moment for the Chiefs in Steelers-Chiefs history? Our 1993 playoff win over them (on January 8th 1994)? Are you all "Woo-hoo!" about that? (::Whimper:: We settle for so little...) Since that day. we've won one playoff game, and that was just the following week against a thoroughly dysfunctional Houston Oilers team. Otherwise, after that, we've had zero playoff wins while the Steelers have had ::gulp:: 17. The Chiefs have had eight postseason victories in their entire franchise history. Here they are. Hou (62) Buf (66) NYJ Oak Min (69) Oak (91) Pit YAY! Hou (93). Tha's it. If I were to put down all of Pittsburgh's postseason wins, the Internet would explode.

To the game.

I noted the Chiefs got-it parts, as well as the not-got-it parts. And please, I am trying to be fair. But you'll note that the got-it/not-got-it distinctions go beyond simply plays-made or plays-not-made. These two teams were reasonably evenly matched if you just looked at talent and that kind of stuff. Each team had certain facets it did better than the other.

Point is, it came down to the Steelers distinct abundance of got-it and the Chiefs lack thereof. Watch.

The got-its for the Chiefs:

- Albert Wilson. I liked how they used him and got him in the mix a lot. He showed he could be a fine go-to guy. I liked that.

- The fake field goal. Fine, well-executed, and surprising. Cool, we're being imaginative, and boldly so. A very good thing.

- Keeping Roethlisberger off the field for solid amounts of time. We actually may have been able to pull this game out by successfully using the strategy that won us the San Diego game earlier, keeping their got-it QB off the field. And we could've if... well -- to the not-got-it's later.

- One single scramble play by Smith, inadvertent, of course -- Andy Reid would never read this blog and discover what'll make his team dynamite: that designed scramble play I've been enthusiastically talking about, but, oh well. The one time Smith actually got cleanly away from the rush, he ran for a first down. If he were in more open space and taking his time with his receivers running arranged routes, it'd've been even better, and done more often it'd've been great for many more plays.

Annnd, that's it. Please, I don't want to take anything away from the fine passes Smith did throw, the catches made by Kelce and Bowe and others, De'Anthony's quickness, the decent pass rush, our tacklers holding their good back to less than 100 yards, or any of the other fine things we did -- all standard fine things. But face it, we simply didn't finish, and on a scale of necessary got-it points amounting to anything we can start counting on for extensive playoff success, which is a total numerical value of abooouut 473, the Chiefs got-it total value today was about 13.8, I'd say.

Now for the Chiefs not-got-its. Good thing you don't need paper for a web blog. Just so you know, there's so much of it I'll just go in general chronological order as the game progressed.

- We only got a FG from that fake FG. Kelce almost ran it in for the score, but he was stopped at the five, and we couldn't convert from there. So even one of those good potential got-it kinds of things was totally not-got-it. Got-it teams score touchdowns after those things.

- We sacked Roethlisberger deep in Pittsburgh territory, he fumbled, we recovered (a turnover for us! Yay!) The officials called it an incomplete pass, but he definitely fumbled. They then got to punt, we drove down, but only to get a FG. Very not-got-it, especially since Reid could've used his review-the-play opportunity, but didn't.

- A Roethlisberger pass was batted high in the air, but in very not-got-it fashion there was no Chiefs defender around to pick it. Later in that drive the Steelers got one of their touchdowns, helped by a holding call on our D-back after we'd already done great keeping them at bay close to our goal line.

- Alex Smith was sacked a bunch of times again today, what's new. Thing is, both Rivers last night and Roethlisberger today did something Smith just doesn't do. And they always do this. They can throw the ball on a rope to their receiver even when the pocket is -- to use a phrase -- right in their back pocket. Roethlisberger threw one of his touchdowns today as he was getting crushed, ironically hitting one of his wide receivers. That the Chiefs can't do this is so not-got-it.

- And I'm not all over Alex Smith on this point. Let's face it. Our offensive line is offensive. It just is. And I thought we had a No. 1 overall pick a couple years ago -- with which, yes, we got an O-lineman. Not putting it all on Eric Fisher, he's actually been okay. Rodney Hudson too. But losing Jeff Allen to injury and Jon Asamoah and Branden Albert to free agency I really believe has killed us in this area. It is so not-got-it to have one of the best O-lines in NFL history in early 00's and have diddly postseason success from that. Sheezzz...

- With under a minute left in the first half with the Chiefs deep in Steeler territory, De'Anthony gets a pass and is stopped just short of the 1st down after the officials had said he had it. The spot was reviewed and overturned despite the TV ref saying there just wasn't enough evidence to overrule it. We face 4th and inches, go for it, and Charles is stopped on a vanilla run up-the-middle destined to fail. No points. Talk about not-got-it.

- I believe this play was one of the plays run before the half, I forget, but I'll mention it here anyway. We're close to their goal line as we were often today (note how many touchdowns we got...), Smith throws a back-shoulder pass strike to Bowe in the end zone. I'm thinking as it is right there in his clutches, there it is, finally the WR TD, that's it, finally finally finally. Of course, Bowe can't pull it in enough to keep the defender from getting his hands in enough to swat it away. I mean it was firmly in Bowe's hands for a good second -- until... well, you know...

Intermission. Well, in football it's called half-time, but the intermission here simply for a breather from the breathtaking nature of the got-it/not-got-it contrast between these two teams. It is uncanny. More commentary later about that, but now, the second half. (The insane thing is that the score was still a very close Pittsburgh 10, Kansas City 6)

- Travis Kelce almost does another fumbly thing after being down, just like he did in the Arizona game! This time it was even more convincing he was down with possession, yet the Pittsburgh coach wanted a review. Thing is, we ran a play just as the coach threw his red flag, and for the two seconds of that play's initial progression it was clear it started opening up as our best running play of the game. Nope, the play was whistled dead. Tomlin threw the flag just in time, it was reviewed, and the Kelce play stood anyway. See, you can't make this stuff up. And yes I know every team has these idiotic things happen to them, but the whole got-it thing comes down to this: not allowing those things to critically hurt you like they do the Chiefs, and not having them happen too much like they do with the Chiefs. The scathing reality here is the contrast between a team that has got-it by the truckloads, the Steelers, and one that notoriously doesn't, the Chiefs. It just couldn't be more pronounced than it was today.

- Todd Haley is the Steelers offensive coordinator, and they put up an infographic showing his offense as No. 1 in NFL. There ya go. I mean really, do we need to go on with this? I will because I'm just a masochist that way.

- Jamaal Charles fumbled deep in Steelers territory, and they reviewed it, and it was a fumble, but so close that the TV ref was saying it was not a fumble. But because, apparently according to the explanation anyway, it was so fast and the moving of Charles body was so continuous, you couldn't say it wasn't a fumble. Really, I'm not kidding you, I laugh when I write that because it is so not-got-it.

- Albert Wilson broke wide open deep down the middle of the field, and sure enough, Smith misses him.

- We had a total of 28 yards rushing late in the game. Again, offensive offensive line. Charles could go nowhere. Thing is, when we play these got-it teams, they just seem to know what we're doing. Maybe they do! But then that is definitely a hallmark of being a got-it team, really, just being a step ahead of the opponent. The Chiefs have done that about three or four games in their history I think, maybe five. But to have got-it means you can do it for long, long periods of time. ::Sigh:: I look forward to the day we'll be able to regularly do that on game day, some eon from now... Coming into today's game I knew nothing about the Steelers defense. I discovered it wasn't ranked very highly, but then, sure enough, got-it team versus not-got-it team: they were just sharper, faster, quicker, smarter...

- The penalties. We just got nailed with so many penalties, and I'm not even saying we didn't deserve them, but most were close, even questionable. To be fair the Steelers had a taunting penalty against them that was stupid and shouldn't have been called. It gave us a 1st down after a pathetic 3rd and 17 play, but yeah, they didn't have to worry, we didn't do anything with it. But again, againagainagainagainagain... erghck... this is a profound distinction between that team and ours. The not-got-it team just suffers much more from its penalties. In fact here's one, from earlier. Smith gets shoved in the backfield long after the play ends and they're flagged for roughing the passer, wholly justified. But Kelce does some goofy pulling a Steeler lineman off the pile. Unsportsmanlike. Offsetting, replay the down. Who does that hurt more? I mean, you gotta be kidding me!

There's more, really, there's actually more. There're about half-a-dozen notes of other things I'm just too lazy (and too worn out!) to get down here.

The final was 20-12, but it wasn't even that close. It was almost as if the Steelers knew they had the got-it thing going and just toyed with us. They could've swatted a swooping eagle at 70 yards with their left guard's nose hair. Meanwhile we looked like we were straining a gnat from our asses just to do anything but simply had the overwhelming not-got-it mercilessly crushing us.

And here's the final touch. The network reviewed the final game from last season, Chiefs-Chargers, as if that was extra motivation for them. That was when our loss to the Chargers kept the Steelers out of the playoffs. Thing is, the Chargers had the help of a miserably blown call by the officials, and damn it it wasn't as if we weren't trying to win. It is as if today the Steelers brutally exploited our not-got-it as punishment for having such woeful not-got-it in that game last year.

That's nice.

I mean. This thing is one cruel mnkhfnnkger.

And you know? One final bruising anecdote to the whole Steelers-Chiefs nightmare. Remember back in 2005? Remember that season? If you don't it is typically vomitous got-it/not-got-it. I remember being in a pizza place for my son's soccer team post-season party, and seeing that graphic up there on the TV set there, you know the one, about who's got what playoff spot so far. It was after 12 games. There were the Chiefs sitting comfortably at 8-4, and the Steelers were on the outside at 7-5. In my tiny tiny tiny little brain I actually thought, "Cool, we've got this, we're in and the Steelers are out. Cool, for once already."

Wellll, the Chiefs went off the following week and barely lost to Dallas then lost again to the Giants, but won their last two games to finish 10-6. The Steelers ran the table, winning every single game in the regular season (to bump the Chiefs from the playoffs) and then every single game in the playoffs including a charmed Super Bowl win over the Seahawks aided by the notoriously bad officiating that destroyed Seattle's chances. There ya go.

It is one really cruel mnkhfnnkger.

So here we are, shades of 2006, sitting at 8-7, wondering what the hell happened to our season, and sure enough hoping and hoping and hoping and hoping that we really actually truly fabulously start having major got-it next week.

As it is, we need a Chiefs win, a Browns win (over Baltimore), a Jacksonville win (over Houston), and a New England win (over Buffalo)* just to get a playoff game we can never seem to win anyway. Yes I feel very resigned right now, but hey, I did back in 2006, and then, the miracle happened on New Year's Eve.

The reason I feel most resigned is I'm just tired of just not seeing the got-it happen for us, I just am. Not seeing it for long long long agonizing periods of time. Uhh. I will keep hoping it comes and stays, I really will. I always will, no matter how ugly this all gets, no matter how much I have to write all this for the therapy.
_

(*Apparently Buffalo only needs to lose once, and as of this writing they are behind Oakland by a small margin at the half. How about that. Gotta be a Raiders fan now.)
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Chiefs at Steelers - Week 10 - Record: 1-8

Thank goodness for this blog. Ahhh, some more therapy.

Would you believe that as we started our overtime drive, I actually thought, "Hmm, we haven't had a single turnover tonight! Yowza!" (Well, I didn't say "Yowza" in my head, but I did think about how neat that was.) Then, of course, after conjuring some splendid last-ditch-final-drive-in-regulation magic to get us into game-tying field goal range, Matt Cassel turned back into

Matt Cassel.

His first typically wounded-duck pass dropped right into the hands of a Steelers dude after which Pittsburgh summarily kicked the game-winning field goal.

Eeee-yeah. That's nice.

Well, look at it this way. We're still on track to get the top studly QB in the draft.

Otherwise, a final valiant attempt to win the game does not erase the contemptible embarrassment that is this Chiefs team. It isn't just that we drop easy passes and get stupid penalties or even that we look like we drop passes and get penalties because we're so bad. (I counted three different times we were penalized on plays replays showed just really weren't penalties.)

It's that we're an embarrassing team.

Now, first remember, that I love my Chiefs. I will always love my Chiefs. I will root whole-heartedly for all Chiefs things. Always and forever. I could sing the song right now but won't because this is a blog post. With only writing, no sound. And good thing because I'd embarrass myself. Anyway...

I have to confess I was really embarrassed to be a Chiefs fan tonight, just because of our insipid behavior, displayed in bright colors for a whole national television game-watching audience to behold.

About halfway through the third quarter, Dwayne Bowe caught a nice screen pass and ran it in for a score, one that would've given us 17 points. The way our defense was playing that might have been good enough for the win.

But before he crossed the goal line he foolishly held the ball out behind him in the defender's face to show him up. Sure enough, the sports gods duly punished us. Flag on the play, Branden Albert, holding. And no, that wasn't one of those not-a-penalty calls. Albert did hold the guy. So it all comes back, we go nowhere, and Succop misses the chip-shot field goal. Great drive, mindlessly stupid unsportsmanly move, then our due justice: zero points.

That wasn't even the worst of it. When the Steelers got the ball back, backup QB Byron Leftwich threw an incomplete pass on one of those plays where the quarterback gets hammered and loses the ball as his arm is going forward. The whole time it looked as such. But Justin Houston picked up the loose ball and ran it in for a touchdown, upon which the entire Chiefs defense gathers in the end zone to juke and jive with an idiotic looking hip-hop dance, resulting in a very justified flag for excessive celebration. 15-yard penalty.

Upon further review the play is an incomplete pass, but because our team decided to work real hard to be the best in the NFL at embarrassing themselves -- at least they should be good at something -- the penalty was still assessed on the play and Pittsburgh got a very generous first down. Yeah, that's right, we got an excessive celebration penalty on a play that didn't even exist.

This, folks, is the Kansas City Chiefs.

So yeah, Romeo Crennel may be a very nice man. I really don't know the guy, but he does look like a very nice man, he really does. A wonderful, good, fine gentleman. I mean that, I'm not being facetious at all, from what I see I like Romeo Crennel.

But he should be fired right now.

We have fine players out there. Dang, we played even with the Steelers, dang it, even with Roethlisberger in there. We should be better than this, and yet we're thoroughly embarrassing ourselves in every aspect of the game because our coach just isn't doing the job, big-time. Ironic, isn't it, that last year's Chiefs-coach-who-must-be-fired, Todd Haley, now the Steelers' offensive coordinator, was watching on the other sideline. I can't believe he wasn't smiling reeeal big on the inside.

As the season progresses, or regresses as a more appropriate description of this still unfolding train wreck, we'll surely get more into the leadership situation of this team. The more I think about it the more I wonder just how ugly it really is. And I don't think there's a Chiefs fan who hasn't been thinking how far it goes, far past Scott Pioli.

But more on that when I have time. It's late, I've got work tomorrow, so until next time...
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Steelers at Chiefs - Week 12 - Record: 4-7

I'm pretty sure it was a first for the Kansas City Chiefs: two back-to-back prime-time television appearances. Check it out, I think it was indeed the only time in our history we've been on Monday night, then Sunday night the next week.

Oh that we'd be good enough to deserve that, and just as importantly to have it happen again like it does all the time for the Patriotses and Steelerses and Giantses and Cowboyses. That ::Sigh:: you heard from me should resound across the galaxy. I can't imagine the next time we'll get even a single prime-time slot.

What to say about this game? Our defense was truly beast in this one, and I am even happy to give at least the smallest of shout-outs to Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson. Oh, they're still not what they should be, but they joined a truly inspired group to stick it to Pittsburgh, who got but a single field goal in the second half.

But our offense? It isn't just lame but sickening. When was the last time we've scored a touchdown? 1932? I think it was in September of that year if I'm not mistaken, just before FDR was elected president. Someone check that for me, but I'm pretty sure it's been that long.

And here's the thing. We aren't even close to scoring a touchdown. I think we've been in the red zone this year about as many times as the poles shift and thousands flock to Antarctica to sunbath. Seriously, whenever we're even in the red zone from any kind of extended drive, I'm ecstatic about our amazing achievement and marvelling at how incredibly impossible it is. How awful is that. That this is what I have to cheer for.

Our defense played the game of their lives last night. Our line stood them up, and they harrassed Roethlisberger mercilessly. Our linebackers were crazed animals out there, Derrick Johnson and Justin Houston in particular were stellar. And our D-backs, Flowers et al, just smothering blankets, that's all, they just suffocated their receivers. What a joy to hear the NBC announcers Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth gush about how great we were playing.

Except that, just like the wretchedly putrid Chiefs luck, the last words from those guys were something along the lines of, "What an awful putrid wretched ugly pathetic pitiful weak horrible [about 57 other negative superlatives here] play that was." That's what fans across the country were left with about the Chiefs. A phenomenal defensive performance poisoned by the impression of Chiefs abject ineptitude.

And it was well deserved. Very well deserved.

For you see, the Chiefs simply cannot win unless everyone plays splendidly. It is unfair, but without a Hall-of-Fame quarterback in there and a coach who gets us over that last hurdle to be a contending NFL franchise, we simply cannot afford to have anyone not play up to speed every down.

Sure enough, this week that guy was Dwayne Bowe.

Virtually every single week all Chiefs fans are singing the praises of this very gifted football player. But last night he did us in.

With a chance to win the game on a last minute drive, he signaled to QB Tyler Palko that he was going to extend his pattern deeper. Palko saw it, threw in that direction, yet Bowe cut his route too shallow. And after the ball was thrown still within his reach, he gave the most piddly effort with a jump that barely got his feet off the ground, he kept his arms down, and he allowed the ball to sail right into the hands of a Steeler defender.

For Bowe fans who protest, Bowe earlier had dropped a pass that was an easy touchdown when he allowed the D-back to dictate the coverage. It was an easily catchable ball that would've allowed him to crawl into the endzone for a touchdown.

This is why without that future Hall-of-Famer at quarterback we can't win anything. Just not going to happen. Sure Palko is a back-up, but it's not going to happen with Cassel in there either. We picked up Kyle Orton after Denver decided to make the Tim Tebow experiment permanent, but is he the answer? Really, look deep in your soul, is he really going to make a difference?

The reason it is so important in this instance is that you need that guy to read those coverages and have such a focused connection with his receivers that he'll have solid completions to them all the way through each touchdown drive. Lots of them, every game. I did like some of what Palko did last night, he was playing gutsy ball, and actually showed some spunk. But he never really got that connection, and even with the Bowe last-play-awfulness, he still threw into quintuple coverage.

So as it stands, we're in the middle of a stretch when we play all four of the "final four" NFL playoff teams from last year (Pit, Chi, NYJ, GB). That's by virtue of being a division winner last year. Yhee.

For what it's worth, maybe, just maybe in April we'll draft high enough and we'll be lucky enough (hahahahahaha) that the next best quarterback will be a guy only a few notches down from Andrew Luck in talent, or even better, the equivalent of Tom Brady talent who our new coach can develop.

Oh that we'd just have that luck. Then maybe we'll get back on prime-time before the next ice age.
_

Steelers at Chiefs - Week 11 - Record: 3-7

I don't think there is any question this win was one of the greatest regular season wins in Chiefs history. We've been so bad, and yet today we defeated the world champs with a new GM and coach working their asses off to get us back into NFL contention. No question. This one means a lot no matter what has happened or will happen.

Thing is, this one had connections with a whole lot of other Chiefs-Steelers games. Here we go...

Old game: 1986, last regular season game. Remember that one? The Chiefs take on the Steelers at home and get into the playoffs for the first time in 15 years on the strength of three fabulous special teams touchdowns.

This game: Jamaal Charles opens the affair with a spectacular kick-off return for touchdown, and Ryan Succop wins it with an overtime field goal. Our punter Dustin Colquitt has been fantastic and our kick coverage has been stifling. Our special teams does it again to Pittsburgh.

Old game: 1993, first playoff game. Remember that one? Again at home against the Steelers, we're down 24-17 late when Joe Montana hits Tim Barnett in the back of the endzone to send the game into OT when Nick Lowery ends it with a field goal. 27-24 final in OT.

This game: Was this a carbon copy of that game or what? Down 24-17 late, Matt Cassell hits Jamaal Charles swirling out of the backfield to tie, then OT, then the game-winning FG. 27-24 final in OT.

Old game: 2006, middle of regular season, we play the then also world champ Steelers in Pittsburgh. We get slaughtered. I don't even think we moved the ball a yard, and when they got it they scored a touchdown instantly. It was embarrassing.

This game: Let's face it, the Steelers still outplayed us up and down the yard. Their running game was way better, their passing game was way better, their defense was way better. But then...

Old game: 2009 Super Bowl, Pittsburgh vs. Arizona. Sure it wasn't the Chiefs, but remember, the Cardinals offensive coordinator for that game was Todd Haley. He made the Pittsburgh defense look silly, and Arizona should have won the game except for that very last play of the first half. Remember it? Kurt Warner throws a very ill-advised pass at the Pittsburgh one yard line that is intercepted and run all the way back for a touchdown. Instant 14 point swing. That really meant the game right there.

This game: The Steelers are up 17-14 and threatening again when Ben Roethlisberger was pressured and threw a pass right into the hands of Andy Studebaker, who ran like no linebacker I've ever seen zooming right down the field only to be grabbed from behind all the way down at the Pittsburgh seven. We kick a tying field goal--bam, instant 10 point swing. That was the difference in this game, taking advantage of the few big plays just like Pittsburgh did against Arizona and against Seattle in their '05 Super Bowl win as well. Ahh, turned the tables on those guys--very nice.

Old game: Any 2000's playoff game between the Patriots and Steelers. Scott Pioli was working for the Patriots front office helping build their team.

This game: Now Pioli is with the Chiefs and doing all he can to put guys who can play out on the field. His grade so far is an A+. Sure a lot of these guys are picked off the reject pile, but he's done phenomenally so far. Think of Chris Chambers for one. Remember when this guy was a stud for Miami? Now he's magically on our team and he came up with two utterly clutch catches yesterday, the latter one being all him snagging Cassel's short pass and streaking well into field goal range in OT.

I caught this interesting fact during the game. It testifies to why the Steelers are world champs and the Chiefs are struggling. The Chiefs have no one on their roster from the 01-04 drafts. No one. The Steelers have seven. The reason this is an encouraging stat is that we no longer have Carl Peterson mailing it in, we have Scott Pioli working diligently to make sure we've got the best team we can get. Right now just starting out that means finding small gems in a mountain range of shale. The Chris Chambers, the Andy Studebakers.

I can't wait until he starts finding them in the draft.

Yeah, yeah, I'm excited right now. I still do know we gave up five sacks, I still do know we let Roethlisberger pick us apart all afternoon, yeah yeah. Same ol' same ol.'

But today we played with heart and desire and steeled (or I should say chiefed) determination. We were down any number of times but we got back up and got the clutch big play. (Oh I can't neglect to say how fun it was to watch Derrick Johnson sack Roethlisberger and a lineman together in one tackle--how great was that!)

Everyone on the team was playing like a winner no matter what. It's there, it was so great to see--it's there. Next up is just putting it with the talent.

Very sweet.
_

Chiefs at Steelers - Week 6 - Record: 2-3

I really hate it when the NFL makes a new rule in the middle of the season. This past week they declared that the home team could put 14 men on the field and the visiting team could have only 8. No wonder we couldn't move the ball and they did whatever they wanted on offense.

Wait, you mean there was no such rule change? Oh, that's embarrassing. From what I saw, I thought that had to be why we got utterly shellacked.

Seriously, at its best, we just were the wrong dumb animal on the wrong truck route. It didn't matter who the Steelers were playing, they'd played relatively poorly all year and were at home-- anyone would've been made roadkill yesterday.

At its worst, the answers to the key Chiefs questions were, for today anyway, a resounding "No." The questions:

1. Will our offensive line hold up? Needless to say we couldn't do a damn thing on offense. Larry Johnson got diddly running the football. I'm sorry, but at this point I just don't think that's because Pittsburgh's defense is so good, which it is of course. It has a lot to do with the O-line not having people like Willie Roaf up there. To our credit we were down 31-0 before we breathed, so why try to get much yardage on the ground at that point?

2. Will our defense continue to play as well? Um. Yeah, well... I now just wonder if the Denver game was an aberration. Take that out and the game against the weak 49ers and our defense has given up a few TD's, short or long field. Pittsburgh simply drenched us.

One cool thing about this game was something my wife told me about today. I had turned off the game at the half because I just couldn't take it any more-- that and because my son's flag football game was starting. But today she said that she'd seen a highlight clip of Troy Polamalu running with the ball and being taken down from behind-- by his hair.

I'm sorry but that is great. I have no problem with Polamalu being a terrific player. But he looks like a goof out there. Say "Who's got the ring," say "Who's the All-Pro making a gazillion times what you'll ever make" as much as you want. The guy looks silly with his hair flying all around like that. So when our guy tackled him with the hair, well, Troy, tough darts. Put your hair in a bun already.

I took a peak at the game play-by-play, and I noted that Larry Johnson made the tackle and then he got an unsportsmanlike penalty. Now, was it for tackling by the hair? If afterwards he'd taunted him or kicked him or something, then yeah, that's fine, he should get the penalty. But was it for the hair? If it was, then that is inexcusable, especially when other players have practically ripped our guys' heads off and gotten the comparative slap-on-the-wrist. Really, if you are going to have your hair flying around, just like an arm or a leg waiting to be grabbed, then what's the issue? But then I just don't know what happened.

Finally, I just have to add, that I only wish the Chiefs could have the up-and-down system the Steelers have, through-and-through a fantastic organization. I don't for a second want to demean the Chiefs organization. But I just see the difference. You could see it on the field.

The key is that the Steelers finish. They just don't have the best players in the world, but at least they finish. Sure enough on the field yesterday I saw too much of the 2005 Chiefs, running around like keystone cops, overpursuing, missing tackles.

I only say this to tip my hat to the Steelers, and also to hope that our problem, really, was just that we drove a thousand miles-per-hour into a buzz saw yesterday. It'd be nice if all these games against the best teams in the AFC (San Diego next week-- whew!) will make us a better team.

And that we'll know how to finish.