Well first off, those of you who have been reading the site for a while may be asking yourselves, “Where the hell have you been?” This is a good question, and the answer has both kept me from being able to contribute to the site as well as given me a wealth of insight into a hated rival that inexplicably beat our Chiefs last Sunday. I moved to Denver.
Well, that also isn’t exactly true. I moved to the Metro area because I got a job in Boulder (any readers live in Boulder?) which as it turns out is a beautiful city full of some of the strangest folk you’d ever like to meet… Anyway, a lot of you probably thought after my last couple of posts, I ducked out because the Chiefs started to win and my uber-pessimism looked a little silly. Well, actually, no it didn’t. We will get back to that later.
Living within 20 minutes or so of Sports Authority Stadium has its advantages and drawbacks. The largest drawback is the incessant, non-stop, ludicrous and asinine coverage of one “QB” Timothy Tebow. Seriously, does anyone understand why this guy gets so much media attention? We get it, he’s cool with God. Unfortunately that has nothing to do with a person’s ability to be an NFL quarterback. Since moving to this area I have heard his last name more than the words “the” “and” and “a” combined.
The benefit of living here is it has made me feel better about the Chiefs. Sure the Chiefs have the same record and just lost to the Broncos, but really our B-Squad has the same record and just lost to the Broncos. Doesn’t that make you feel better? The Broncos with pretty much their top talent on the field are doing as well as the Chiefs have without Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry, and Tony Moeaki. This season maybe over (and it most definitely is), but at least we have something more to look forward to than running the high school option and hoping that it gets us some wins…
If the four-game win streak convinced you that the Chiefs were back in business, and that the division would be ours again this year, then the last two weeks hopefully have saved you some crushing disappointment and tempered your expectations. Kansas City pulled out some exciting and impressive wins, but if you were watching closely you should have seen this derailment coming.
First we squeaked one out against the Vikings before they found their savior on the sidelines in QB Christian Ponder. I was excited listening to this over internet radio while we were unloading the moving van and it pumped me up to finally get a win. Still, despite the fact it was nice because my new boss is a Vikings fan, we barely beat the freakin’ Vikings…
The next week was the biggest indicator for me that the Chiefs were not going anywhere this year. Sure the Red and Gold came back from a huge deficit (17 points, twice) to win by completely blanking the opposing offense in the second half on the road, but it was against the Colts. The Colts now are like Cinderella after midnight. They’re like Stanley Ipkiss without the mask. They’re like the Colts without, well, Peyton Manning. The thing that bothered me was that the Chiefs had to come back from such a deficit to win that game, which proved a keen observation when the Saints put up 62 against them two weeks later.
If the Monday Night game was our Super Bowl, the Raiders match was like a D1 school’s tune-up game. Without D-Mac and with a backup QB (later followed that week by signing Carson Palmer, who hadn’t played in a year), it was simply a field day for the Chiefs. This game made me feel better than any win close to memory because I remember being blanked by the Raiders when Priest Holmes was injured in a massive downpour of rain. Revenge is a dish best served cold, with six interceptions. Still, of the 28 points scored, half were scored by the defense, so with four turnovers and all other posessions the KC offense only put up two touchdowns.
Then came “the” game. Halloween. Monday Night Football. A game I watched us lose, then win. God Bless You, Philip Rivers! I was reminded of the year before when my brother and I sat at Arrowhead for five entire quarters. A game I watched the Bills win with an OT field goal before Haley pulled a page out of Mike Shanahan’s book and negated the their win with a timeout. Weird. I think everyone can agree that there was a wild excitement after the game, and it was the climax of the Zombie Chiefs.
Well that pretty much sums it up. I thought we may get another win or two against the Dolphins or the Broncos, but we didn’t. Looking forward past the undying land of Lorien, we as Chiefs fans must now go down the great river to danger and peril. Now we play good teams.
I really hate to be a downer, Addicts. I really do. But if you’re thinking we pull this thing out, you are deluding yourself. I would be more than happy to humbly eat these words with a side dish of crow, but I just don’t see us faring well through the rest of November and December. Without Cassel, who has his own question marks, and the rest of our corps group I am reminded of a year where we coined the term “Thigbone.” That year was exciting, but wholly disappointing. Fortunately, I know there is no quit in our head coach. As long as the players keep fighting, we may avoid a 4-12 season, but the division is out of our hands going forward.