Chiefs’ First Game Is Critical
By author
On opening day, I want all of you, (your family and friends too), to muster the absolute best and greatest fan energy, mojo, and good voodoo you have towards your beloved Kansas City Chiefs to win “that first game”.
“That first game” is so critically and vitally important to the Kansas City Chiefs. The failure or success of the entire year will arguably rest on “that first game”. (Please re-read that last line one more time). Am I being too dramatic? Over the last ten years, history has dictated just how important “that first game” is:
Year “That First Game” Yearly Record
2010 Win- KC 21 SD 14 10-6
2009 Loss- KC 24 Bal 38 4-12
2008 Loss- KC 10 NE 17 2-14
2007 Loss- KC 3 Hou 20 4-12
2006 Loss- KC Cin 30 9-7
2005 Win- KC 27 NYG 7 10-6
2004 Loss- KC 24 Den 34 7-9
2003 Win- KC 27 SD 14 13-3
2002 Win- KC 40 Cle 39 8-8
2001 Loss- KC 24 Oak 27 6-10
2000 Loss- KC 14Ind27 7-9
More after the jump…
Quite simply, when we lose our season opener, we are almost guaranteed to have a losing season. Based upon the abovementioned, it is without question that the most important game of the year is “that first game”. I invite all of you in the comments section to hypothesize as to the reasons for it, but I will add that heading into the season, expectations and energy are high, and when you fail in that first game it is such a psychological let down that it affects your play for the remainder of the season. Momentum is a huge factor in professional sports, especially football. So, if you start out losing, it gives the other team(s) the impression that they can beat you too, as you beat up yourself. It is a vicious cycle.
When the Chiefs won “that first game” against San Diego last year, it unquestionably set the tempo for the rest of the year.
Luckily, this year, we have the Buffalo Bills up for “that first game”; at least things are looking good, right? Any thoughts, am I spot on, or is my reasoning fallible?