Chiefs Catch The Comeback Wave

Le retour. The comeback.

It doesn’t happen often but, when it does, the outcome is either magic or tragic, depending on which team you’re pulling for. On Sunday it was pure wizardry, magie, for the K.C. Chiefs and the same case could be made for their season.

A comeback season.

Wow, now that sounds more like it. Could the Chiefs comeback win on Sunday mark the beginning of a run in which they are able to overcome their previous three losses and make a push for the playoffs?

Entering the 2010 NFL Playoffs, the Baltimore Ravens had only 4 losses and the Jets 5, but, every single other team in the playoffs had twice as many loses as the Chiefs have now and the Seahawks tripled the Chiefs’ current losses with 9. Nine times, they lost and still made the playoffs.

The Chiefs can make the playoffs.

The Chiefs are getting better. Don’t doubt it. They are. The last two games say they are getting better and it’s not just because those games were wins. They played better in the San Diego game too, almost good enough to win.

Admittedly, Matt Cassel will have to play at this same high level for the Chiefs to fulfill their comeback destiny but, the play of other players says this is a possibility.

Is there anyone playing better in the league right now than the esteemed Monsieur Dwayne Lorenzo Bowe? If you’re looking for slight-of-hand, look no further than the Great Bow-dini. That catch had me jumping out of my Balzac.

Is there a better OLB in the league right now than Tamba Hali? For Tamba, this is nothing new. He has played consistently well throughout the highs and lows of this season and has become the Chiefs most dependable on-the-field leader. You get the feeling with Hali that if Arrowhead exploded tomorrow he’d still be showing up on Sunday’s to sack some terrorists. He makes the Energizer Bunny look like the Zunndapp Janus at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The Chiefs can make the playoffs.

If Jackie Battle continues his battering-rampage, then the comeback the Chiefs are hoping for may largely rest upon his legs. 6.3 yards per carry reminds me of someone else who plays for the Chiefs. Next year, it won’t take a bunch of witch’s tricks or voodoo dust with Jackie and Jamaal healthy at the same time but, it will be a powerfully potent potion. We’ll hope Jones does a disappearing act.

The depth at wide receiver we so dearly needed last year appears to be there now. Not only is Stevie Wonder Breaston making Grammy Award worthy catches but, more importantly he’s snagging some meaningful yards at precisely the right time. Also, Keary Colbert looks like someone who can be depended upon to make big catches when Thing One and Thing Two (Bowe & Breaston) are boxed in.

While the defense struggled in the first half… their performance in the second half is the stuff of comeback legends and doesn’t get enough credit for this come from behind victory. Even without Eric Berry, the defense looked very good against the Vikings and are coming together to play as a unit now. Don’t forget, the kicking game is better too. Ryan Succop has finally figured out how to put the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs and is on a FG roll.

The Chiefs can make the playoffs.

It should be called “The Comeback Season” everywhere. The Buffalo Bills came back from being 21 points down to the N.E. Patriots to win. The Lions were 24 points down to the Cowboys to come back and win. And there have been others. Comebacks are in the air.

The Chief being down 17 to zip could have been overwhelming for a team on the brink of their season slipping into oblivion. Conversely, coming back form 17 down can be just as energizing to a team’s vision and purpose as any other single event in sport. I remember thinking, when Bowe made his magical mystery grab in the end zone, “that’s the kind of catch that can have a huge effect on everyone on the team.”

I’m old enough to recall watching “The Catch” live on TV. Dwight Clark went high at the back of the end zone to catch a pass thrown from Joe Montana. This took place on January 10, 1982 against the Dallas Cowboys who were already known as America’s team but, before Joe Montana was… Joe Montana. It was a playoff game and it was before the 49ers had ever won even one Super Bowl. “The Catch” was a breakthrough moment for them. Un moment enorme.

Dwayne Bowe has become just that good. He can will his team to victory.

The Dwight Clark catch propelled the 49ers to a win in the playoffs and Dwayne Bowe’s catch can propel these Chiefs to a comeback season.

Why not?

AA Staff Writer Lyle Graversen pointed out in his weekly article called “A “Suck For Luck” Deathblow And Other Monday Afternoon Musings”,

"…watch the Chiefs offense from the time they fell behind 17-0 until they cut the lead to 24-21. The offense during that stretch was FANTASTIC. Because KC was forced to throw the ball two things happened. The first being that we got some big plays from Bowe and Breaston. This isn’t a shock since most would agree that they are the team’s best playmakers."

I’d like to re-emphasize that if you compared all of the Chiefs units: run defense, pass defense, run offense and pass offense… that the unit with the best playmakers on it is the passing offense as Lyle has pointed out. The point? The Chiefs have the weapons to take over games with their passing offense and that would not only open up the game for the run offense, but, it would make playing defense a whole lot easier, when you’re playing with a lead.

Todd Haley has played this kind of ball before, in Arizona. He may be about to go pass first again. Add Baldwin to the mix and things could get downright nasty for opposing defenses.

Don’t think the Chiefs can get to the playoffs this year? Perhaps some perspective would help. Remember August of this year? The Philadelphia Egos, aka The Dream Team? They’re 1-4 right now and yet on Mike and Mike in the Morning, Chris Carter was asked on Tuesday if the Eagles could still make the playoffs and he said, absolutely. How about the Jets? They’re 2-3 too but, no one is counting them out of the playoff picture. Rex Ryan says they are showing progress. ;o I don’t know about you but, I’m counting my blessings that Rex is not our coach. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-2 but, I’d say the Chiefs have shown more youthful spunk in the trunk this year than the aging gracefully men of steal.

If you’d really like an even broader perspective… just think… you could be cheering for a team that has just made Tiny Timmy Tebow your starting QB. I can hear him in the huddle now proclaiming, “I’m throwing a Hail Mary…… to myself…… God bless us every one…… on two…… no, three…… well, it doesn’t really matter. Just snap me the ball and move out of the way.”

Kelly Gregg looks like the loaded gun up front that we hoped he’d be and he made some awesome bone crunching tackles this week. Justin Houston is gaining invaluable experience and playing progressively better. The Brandons are still, how you say, le magnifique. The gentleman sitting across from me at Cronies sports restaurant in Ventura, California, where I watched Sunday’s game, said, Glenn Dorsey is playing better than ever now and I can’t disagree with him. Tyson Jackson is showing progress and our third down pass rush package finally looks like they’re getting good pressure on the QB on a regular basis.

There are a lot of reasons to believe this season can be a big one for the Kansas City Chiefs.

There are a lot of reasons to believe the Chiefs have caught the comeback wave.

The Beach Boys said it best, “Catch a wave and you’re sittin’ on top of the world!”

Surf’s up dude. Code for, “Go Chiefs!”