The Chiefs play the Patriots on Sunday and there’s a conspiracy theory that I thought needed to be addressed. What if neither team wants to win?
The Kansas City Chiefs visit the New England Patriots on Sunday, and there’s a certain conspiracy theory floating around that I thought needed to be addressed: What if each team is more interested in playing their cards close to their chest than actually winning in Week 14?
Let me first say, don’t take this too seriously. There’s no need to read this article and then stay up until the late hours of the morning arguing with people on Twitter about how I’m either out of my ever-loving mind or on to something. Conspiracy theories are fun and that’s exactly what this is.
So here it is. Is there a world where neither of these coaches actually want to win this game? I don’t mean that, in a vacuum, with both coaches and rosters being extremely competitive, neither would want to come out on top. That’s obvious; of course, they would. I’m talking about the strategic aspect of essentially hustling the other team by hiding your best strategies and plays to save them for a potential rematch in the playoffs.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has shown throughout his entire career that he is a gifted play caller. He designs some of the most unique plays with a penchant for shifting defenders in ways that leave multiple receivers wide open. Yet, for the past several games, it’s appeared he’s lost his touch. Has he suddenly lost the ability to utilize some of the best talent on offense the league has seen in several years?
I’ve thought for some time now that Reid has been concealing what he called his “Pat Plays” at the beginning of the year. Why would he do this? Doesn’t he know that regular season wins lead to home field advantage which is integral to a Super Bowl? Sure, home field advantage would be nice to have, but we had that last year and lost.
The Chiefs were utterly brilliant on offense during the regular season only to be stopped by a familiar foe in the Patriots and their physical man coverage in the AFC Championship game. It was almost as if Reid had focused too much on the regular season and gave his only true nemesis in the AFC all the game film he needed to devise a defensive strategy to win.
What if, instead, he is saving that brilliance for the playoffs, knowing that with a very improved defense, the Chiefs’ brilliant offense could play anywhere at any time and still come out victorious? It really doesn’t seem that crazy. If the Chiefs bring what has been an improved pass defense with an offense comparable to last season into the playoffs, I’m not sure there’s a team that really stands a chance no matter where they play.
What about seeding? Well, at this point it is obvious the Chiefs are winning the AFC West for the fourth straight season. Only a monumental collapse could stop that from happening. With that, they will be one of the top four seeds. Could they truly catch the Patriots or Ravens for the top two seeds? I’d say that’s highly unlikely.
What that means is, at best, they’d have a home playoff game in the Wild Card round, and then likely be on the road from then on. Again, if the Chiefs bring an improved pass defense with an offense comparable to last season’s brilliance, would that really concern you as a fan?
In the same vein, head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots are likely not catching the Baltimore Ravens for home field advantage. Yes, in a perfect world they could, but the Ravens are on a tear and have an easy schedule to close out the season. Belichick could simply win the last few games against the AFC East, wrap up the two-seed, and still get most of the benefits of home field advantage without having to sacrifice some of his best strategies.
In truth, I think this is an incredibly difficult strategy for two reasons. The first is that these men are competitors and would find it incredibly hard not to try and best one another. The second is that they can’t predict the future. This strategy would be betting on a lot to go well outside of their control. That’s not usually something type-A personalities resort to, which I’m sure both are to have achieved what they have in their careers.
Still, it is a thought worth considering as we sit down on Sunday afternoon to watch a clash of the two AFC juggernauts.