Chiefs’ Bitter End Shouldn’t Ruin What Was A Hell Of A Ride For Fans

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Three weeks ago I wrote on this site that I feared there was a strong possibility that the Kansas City Chiefs might not win another game.

It was a strange time to be writing such an article. The Chiefs had just won in convincing fashion over the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins. The team appeared to be playing well and fan confidence seemed restored following the team’s recent three-game slide to the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers.

I am sad to report that my worst fears were realized yesterday, albeit not in the manner in which I expected them to be realized.

Things turned out to be much worse.

The crux of my argument was that the Chiefs hadn’t beaten a really good team all season, save the Philadelphia Eagles, who at the time were being led by Michael Vick and were not a good team. Until the Chiefs showed they could win a big game against a legitimate Super Bowl contender, I said, they themselves would be nothing more than a cute story, this year’s NFL pretenders. They’d had the chance to knock off Denver and failed, I mused, and the upcoming game against the Colts at Arrowhead was yet another opportunity to proved they’d grown up and were ready for primetime.

After the stinker to the Colts at Arrowhead, I feared my prophesy was coming true. The next week, KC lost to the Chargers, though it was not how I envisioned things going. The Chiefs played mostly backups and their backups actually played well and nearly won the game. While it was still loss number two, I was beginning to feel that maybe the Chiefs were preparing to prove me wrong in the playoffs.

And for one glorious half of football, they did.

Sometime during the middle of the game, I gleefully admitted that the Chiefs had grown up and were ready for “Big Boy Football.”

Then the wheels came off.

There is no sugarcoating yesterday’s loss. It was the second-largest collapse in NFL playoff history. It was embarrassing. It was a horrible end to what should have been a joyous season for Chiefs fans.

There is a lot of anger and frustration in the Chiefs Kingdom today. I’ve seen fans, members of the same brotherhood, cursing at each other in the comments here on AA. People are being called idiots or worse. Fans are threatening to never watch the team again. They’re done. They’ve had it. This organization is a joke. Fire Sutton. Fire Reid. Fire Andrew Luck’s neck-beard stylist.

I’ve often wondered why I find myself feeling so miserable after the Chiefs lose. After all, I didn’t lost anything. I’m not on the team. I’m just some shrub sitting in his living room watching, for entertainment purposes, while drinking entirely too much beer for a Sunday afternoon.

Over the years, I’ve realized that it is all right to be bummed out. I invest a lot of my free time into reading about, writing about and supporting the Kansas City Chiefs. I ran Arrowhead Addict for three years and during that time, not a day went by that I didn’t write something about the team. Each of those days, you, the Arrowhead Addicts, stopped by to read what I had to say. We were all giving up part of our day to the Kansas City Chiefs. When they win, we win with them. When they lose, well, we take it hard.

The Chiefs losing always sucks and losing in the manner in which they lost yesterday sucks a little bit harder.

Okay, a lot harder.

But don’t turn on your fellow Chiefs fans during this time of strife. Embrace them.

As Andy Reid might say, we’re in this together, doggoneit.

I don’t know about you, but I had a blast watching the 2013 Chiefs. Andy Reid and John Dorsey brought a winner back to Kansas City and before they’re done, they might just bring a championship back as well. These guys came to win and I’d say their work this season has earned them a little bit of equity with the Chiefs Kingdom.

Heck, I’m already looking forward to next season. When is the draft? When is free agency? Time the bolster the safety and receiver positions. Time to keep developing Knile Davis, Marcus Cooper and Erc Fisher.

It’s time to look forward. Looking back is too painful.

Here’s to the 2013 Chiefs. Thanks for a heck of a ride.

Now get back to work!