Chiefs muddy the waters and lose control of their own fate

“It could all be so simple, but you’d rather make it hard. Loving you is like a battle, and we both end up with scars…”

The Kansas City Chiefs are wed to the struggle. There’s something inherently off-putting to them about controlling their own destiny. It could be informed by our old-fashioned
clichés about meritocracy. We love an American success story wrought with heartache. There’s something romantic about snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Adversity builds character, right?

After a gut-wrenching 19-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Kansas City’s gotten its wish. The Chiefs fell to the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff picture and now need the division-leading Oakland Raiders to falter to reclaim a chance at a first-round bye in the postseason. Contrary to the prevailing narrative on social media, that’s not entirely out of the question. Oakland faces the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and they close up the season, on the road, at Denver.

It’s possible that they drop one of those games. With so much on the line, teams do occasionally slip and succumb to the late-season pressure. It happened yesterday at One Arrowhead Drive. That said, this clearly isn’t the ideal vantage point.