Chiefs Kingdom rooting guide to NFL’s Wild Card Weekend
Palmyra, MO’s finest bringing one home for Chiefs Kingdom
Where is Palmyra, MO, you might ask? Well, it’s just a little town just northwest of Mark Twain’s old stomping grounds of Hannibal, MO. There’s a gas station there called Wilco Fast Break, a Budget Inn, and a restaurant called The Rebel Pig. I’ve never been to The Rebel Pig, but I’d bet anything it’s pretty damn good.
Also hailing from Palmyra, MO? Dolphins quarterback and Kansas State alum Skylar Thompson. What’s he got to do to steal a victory from the Buffalo Bills on Saturday and ensure that, if the Chiefs do in fact make it to the AFC Championship, the game would be played at Arrowhead and not in Atlanta? Well, let me steal a line from Mark Twain himself:
“To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance, and confidence.”
Look, the Dolphins are 100% over their skis in this game. With the way the end of their season went, they should feel lucky to even be in the playoffs. Buffalo has looked like a powerhouse all season long, and they’re a laugh-out-loud preposterous 13-point favorite in a playoff game. But do you think Skylar Thompson cares about that? I hope not! I’m rooting for him to be ignorant enough to not realize he’s playing the Bills and confident enough to chuck the pill all over the pitch on Buffalo’s defense.
Thompson and the Dolphins knocking off the Bills would be one of the more remarkable upsets in playoff history if it happened. Not only are the Bills the better team on paper and on the field, I have to nervously admit that they are giving off major Team of Destiny vibes with the whole Damar Hamlin situation leading into a home game where they return the opening kickoff for a touchdown exactly 3 (Hamlin’s number) years and 3 (still Hamlin’s number) months to the day of their last kick return TD. Most importantly, Hamlin has been fully discharged from the hospital and seems to be returning to a normal life. That is absolutely great news no matter how you cut it, but the Bills are riding a wave of emotion that is now powerfully in their favor when just a couple of weeks ago the exact opposite was true.
We can all dream with Skylar on this one. His Kingdom ties are undeniably strong (he even went to high school at Fort Osage), and with the perfect Mississippi River blend of ignorance and confidence, maybe he can get the job done. I just don’t know how well a single Wildcat is going to hold up against a stampeding herd of Buffalo, even if he does have a Cheetah helping him.