Chiefs Bring Comic Relief To National Television (Again)

Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-US PRESSWIRE

There are no moral victories in the NFL.

Don’t talk to me about how well the Chiefs traded with the Steelers on primetime television last night. They wound up losing 16-13 on another costly Cassel turnover in overtime. Kansas City showed signs of life, but they’re still just north of comatose right now. The Chiefs got a stellar performance from their defense on Monday night, but couldn’t capitalize on it. This football team spoiled yet another opportunity to win a big game against a contender.

The Chiefs, at their best on Monday night, proved they can compete with any team in the NFL. They held a brief 10-0 lead over Pittsburgh in the first half. The Chiefs, at their worst on Monday night, proved that not even their best football can stave off their old self-destructive ways. Kansas City was a comedy of errors, on a national stage, again last night. It was like the first week of Last Comic Standing auditions. We saw a brutal and unfortunate series of events. There was the “group celebration” for a defensive touchdown that didn’t count. Then there was Dwayne “Clifford Franklin” Bowe’s case of the dropsies. Or how about the one where rookie Devon Wylie caught a kick 6 yards deep in the endzone and decided to bring it out? The showstopper, of course, was Matt Cassel’s game-sealing interception in overtime.

There comes a point where all you can do is laugh, to keep from crying. There are only so many ways to express frustration in the vernacular of human body language. I think Chiefs fans are fresh out of ways to be visibly disgusted. The facepalm doesn’t do an inexplicable interception justice. Rolling your eyes at missed field goals (inside of 35 yards) isn’t satisfying anymore. As of late, seeing this team beat itself time and again, only elicits laughter. Make no mistake, it’s not funny. I’m sure most of you take no pleasure in watching a fallen football team self-destruct over and over again. That’s not what this is. Laughter’s been called the best medicine, but it’s also a telltale sign that someone is at their wit’s end. At the moment, such is life in Chiefs Kingdom. This team is a joke.

Pioli and company have made a laughingstock out of a talented group of players. In four years under this administration, the Chiefs have become the National Lampoon of the NFL. We’re now having a weekly dialogue about when Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel will be fired. This football team has finally become a national talking point, for all the wrong reasons. Today, few people are talking about Derrick Johnson’s standout 12-tackle performance. No one cares that Justin Houston had 7 tackles of his own (including the sack of Roethlisberger that knocked him out of the game). Neither is there any discussion of Jamaal Charles’ 100 rushing yards and 1 touchdown. The only conversation to be had at the watercooler today, is the one about the collective stink of an organization in the middle of a six-game slide. Problem is, after two nationally-televised losses, those watercoolers are everywhere. Someone in Maine is shaking their head at the Kansas City Chiefs today.

Things don’t figure to get any easier for this team. They have another short week and a Sunday showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals ahead of them. The “Save Our Chiefs” bunch will spearhead a stadium blackout on Sunday. The Chiefs may have to work feverishly to avoid another blackout on television. Brady Quinn was magically cleared to play according to a post-game report from Adam Teicher. He could get the start this weekend, but if he falters he may soon take his place back on the bench. I expect to see a quarterback carousel the rest of the year. Hopefully Stanzi will get a few reps. This is a watershed moment for the organization, may as well see what the kid has. There are but seven games left in this wayward 2012 campaign. There’s little to be gained at this point, but Chiefs’ brass should do some arsenal inventory. A house cleaning is coming and for fans of this organization, that’s no laughing matter.

Until next time, Addicts!