Chiefs have no excuse not to make the Super Bowl
The Kansas City Chiefs have two playoff games to play and it is totally reasonable to believe that they will win both of them and advance to the Super Bowl.
Ten years ago, I got a gig as the editor of a little Chiefs blog called Arrowhead Addict. It wasn’t a full-time job or anything but I was absolutely beside myself that I was getting the opportunity to write about the Kansas City Chiefs and get paid for it. I took up that post in December of 2009. The Chiefs were just wrapping up another miserable season but it was an exciting time full of hope. New GM Scott Pioli had brought “The Patriot Way” to Arrowhead, Jamaal Charles was emerging as a star and the team had traded for New England QB Matt Cassel, who we all hoped would be our franchise QB when the team’s rebuild was complete. Initially, that early optimism seemed warranted. In 2010, my first full season covering the Chiefs for this website, KC won the AFC West for the first time since 2003. Sure, the Chiefs got curb-stomped by the Ravens in the Wild Card game but it seemed the future was bright. The expectations of the Chiefs Kindgom were reasonable.
Unfortunately, that bright future ended up featuring fellas like Tyler Palko, Peyton Hillis, Romeo Crennel, Brady Quinn, Jon Baldwin and, in a plot twist, Kyle Orton. Chiefs fans were angry. They protested. They wanted heads to roll in the front office so the team could finally win again. The anger was reasonable. I moved on to other roles within FanSided, occasionally dropping by Arrowhead Addict to share in the misery (and occasional victories) with old friends.
Then Andy Reid came to town. He brought Alex Smith. The Chiefs got back to their winning ways. Sure we all still wanted the team to win a Super Bowl but as fans, hell, it just felt good to be winning again. We plodded along, knowing Alex Smith, as much as we loved him, wasn’t quite an elite QB/difference-maker the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers. We knew a Super Bowl with Smith was possible but we were also perfectly aware that a lot of things would have to go right for that to happen. We fans were measured. We were reasonable.
All of that seems like a lifetime ago. The arrival of Patrick Mahomes and his MVP season changed the mentality of Chiefs fans. We could now confidently say our team could beat anyone. It was Super Bowl or bust!
The night before the 2019 AFC Championship game against the Patriots, I was incredibly nervous. For the first time since 2003, I really believed the Chiefs could go to the Super Bowl. In an effort to relieve some stress and provide a little perspective, I dropped by Arrowhead Addict and did a little writing. The post was titled “The Chiefs might lose to the Patriots and that’s ok.”
It didn’t go over so well.
I knew all of Chiefs Kingdom was super excited for the game against the Patriots. I also knew that the Chiefs were going up against one of the greatest dynasties of all-time and they were doing so with a seriously flawed defense. I thought the Chiefs could win but I thought I would try to be reasonable and provide a little perspective in case KC couldn’t get it done. I wanted to let everyone know that as much as a Chiefs loss might sting, the future of the team was beyond bright. We had the MVP. We had a Hall of Fame coach. We were going to be in this thing for the next 10-15 years.
Of course, nobody wanted to hear that. I don’t blame them. Who wants to talk about how the team might lose before they even play the game? I was being a big time Donnie Downer. Well you aren’t getting any of that from me this year. When the Super Bowl kicks off on Sunday, February 2, the Chiefs should be on the field.
Look, I mean no disrespect to the Houston Texans or the Tennessee Titans. They are both good teams. The Chiefs lost to both of them earlier this season. But that was then and this is now. Right now, the Chiefs are the best team left in the AFC playoffs and it isn’t particularly close. The Chiefs have the best coach, the best QB and they have home field advantage the rest of the way. Brady is vanquished. He’s gone. The eventual NFL MVP, Lamar Jackson? He’ll be watching the Super Bowl from the comfort of his own home. There is no Peyton Manning or Pittsburgh Steelers lurking around the corner.
No. It’s Bill O’Brien, Mike Vrabel and Ryan Tannehill.
There are no excuses. If the Chiefs execute and play their best games, Clark Hunt should be raising the trophy bearings father’s name next Sunday evening.
This is it, folks. I’m 36 and the Chiefs have never had a better road to the Super Bowl in my lifetime. Forget the demons of home playoff losses past. Get ready to celebrate.
Your Kansas City Chiefs should be going to the Super Bowl.