MELLINGER: Dear Chiefs fans: C'mon, it's not that bad ...

[pugsnotdrugs19]

LINK: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/sp...223324950.html

ARTICLE:

Spoiler!

BY SAM MELLINGER
December 19th, 2018

This will be hard for some of you to understand. That’s not said negatively. Just factually. Because some of you came to follow the Chiefs because of Patrick Mahomes. Which is fine. Kansas City is not accustomed to rooting for trendy teams. These are strange times we live in.

But here’s a quick primer for those who started rooting for the Chiefs once they began playing a wizard at quarterback: Your new team is a habitual heartbreaker. The darkness in the stories you hear from your new brothers and sisters is real. They are not whining. They are speaking their truth.

And, you know, while we’re on the topic, here’s something for those of you who fell in love with this team long ago — you’ve never cheered for a team like this.

More specifically, you’ve never cheered for a quarterback like this.

You know that, of course. That’s been obvious since Week 17 of last year, if not earlier. But if last week’s loss shook your confidence, it’s worth pointing something out.

If this same Chiefs team — flaws and strengths, studs and duds — wore different uniforms and played in a different city, you would be jealous.

If this Chiefs team wore Colts uniforms, for instance, you would be terrified with all the scenarios of Mahomes driving a figurative knife through your metaphorical heart with a game-winning drive capped by a Tarkenton scramble with a sack-avoiding cartwheel and left-handed no-look pass threading four defenders.

This is, basically, what Kansas City has waited decades to see.

The Chiefs have the best quarterback in a league that’s never been more dominated by quarterbacks. They have the best offense in a league teaching fans who can’t remember the 2000 Baltimore Ravens that, actually, Offense Wins Championships.

These Chiefs have lost three games, by a total of seven points, each literally or essentially coming down to the final play. They are 3-2 against teams currently holding an AFC playoff spot, with two of those wins on the road.

The losses came against the New England Patriots, who have lost three of five, and the Los Angeles Chargers, who lost to the Chiefs at home and have led the Chiefs for just 4 of 7,200 seconds this season.

The Chiefs have flaws. Oh brother, they’ve got flaws. They have a defense fronted by Chris Jones and Dee Ford and Justin Houston with a solid group of cornerbacks and they’re still somehow terrible.

They have averaged 39.7 points in their losses. The defense scored or set up three touchdowns and the offense gave up two touchdowns in those losses, but still. If you can’t relax with 40 points, you can’t ever relax.

This team has problems keeping its quarterback clean, and has consistently amplified its problems tackling (worst among projected AFC playoff teams, according to Pro Football Focus) by being the NFL’s most penalized team.

So even without a playoff collapse presented in regular season form last week, you wouldn’t have to think too hard to come up with ugly scenarios.

But the AFC lacks a singularly dominant team. Usually, when that happens, the fallback logic is that the hottest team wins. Well, the Chiefs are well-positioned to be that team with a win this weekend in Seattle.

The Seahawks are a terrible matchup for the Chiefs, the league’s best rushing team against the worst rush defense. But they are also beatable, and a home underdog against the team so many here in Kansas City are freaking out about.

Win this weekend and no matter what the Chargers do the Chiefs can clinch another AFC West title and first-round bye with a win over the Raiders in week 17 (the NFL’s version of a layup).

Do all of that and they will be going into the playoffs with the league’s best quarterback and offense, and a defense that is at least getting healthier and presumably a little better with the return of safety Eric Berry.

That’s enough to fight with.

Look, the Chiefs might ruin your January. That is in play. Berry could be injured at any moment, a two-score lead disintegrated in 5 minutes, and a badly timed penalty or missed kick will stir up a lot of ghosts. The new fans will be quick learners on that. Welcome to the heartbreak, suckers.

But the longtime fans can learn something here. Meet in the middle. Open your eyes, and see a quarterback and team capable of scoring an average of 37.7 points against six projected playoff teams.

Unless you are old enough to remember 1969, this is the closest the team you root for has ever resembled the team you’ve wanted it to be.

If you’re giving up hope because of one loss in a year without a dominant team, well, nobody can fault you for protecting your heart. But they might also ask a simple question.

What are you waiting for?

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by mac459

That drive sucked for the offense, but to frame it like you are right now as entirely on the offense is wrong.

The defense could have stepped up and made a stop on the drive, could have stopped the conversion.

Laying the blame entirely on one side of the ball is short sided by everyone. The blame can be placed at both sides, excusing either side is wrong

Score 28 you should win what 80% of the time?

14 point lead with 5 minutes left you win what 98% of the time?

Score 40 you should win 95% of the time.

Score 50 and you win 99.9999% of the time.

But yea the offense is just killing this team.

[O.city]

They're like what, 3 plays from being undefeated?

**** it's just frustrating that it seems like "because Chiefs" is going to ruin another season.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Score 28 you should win what 80% of the time?

14 point lead with 5 minutes left you win what 98% of the time?

Score 40 you should win 95% of the time.

Score 50 and you win 99.9999% of the time.

But yea the offense is just killing this team.

I will say though, they're built to be an offensive team. They need to shoulder some blame there.

Like the Rams game, they scored a lot but they also turned it over and lead to 21 pts.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by O.city

They're like what, 3 plays from being undefeated?

**** it's just frustrating that it seems like "because Chiefs" is going to ruin another season.

Yup and they are the only team in the leauge that can say that.

I just HOPE Berry can stay healthy because you could argue with him the whole season we are undefeated right now.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Yup and they are the only team in the leauge that can say that.

I just HOPE Berry can stay healthy because you could argue with him the whole season we are undefeated right now.

I think so. I don't know for sure, as they'd probably have still dropped a game, but they'd def have beaten the Rams and the Chargers with a healthy Berry.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by O.city

I will say though, they're built to be an offensive team. They need to shoulder some blame there.

Like the Rams game, they scored a lot but they also turned it over and lead to 21 pts.

The defense is not built to be this bad, the safety play is abysmal and the attempt to trade for Earl Thomas at least shows they know it.

For the life of me I cant figure out why Lucas isnt on the field.

Im fine with blaming Reid for Sutton. It was epically stupid to keep him, but coaches being too loyal to their coordinators isnt a new thing nor is it unique to Reid.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Score 28 you should win what 80% of the time?

14 point lead with 5 minutes left you win what 98% of the time?

Score 40 you should win 95% of the time.

Score 50 and you win 99.9999% of the time.

But yea the offense is just killing this team.

So the offense was 0% to blame or at fault for any of the Chiefs losses this season?

There is a difference between saying the offense is "killing the team", which of course it is not, and saying that as good as they have been, they still had missed opportunities to win in the Chiefs three losses.

Against the Patriots, not throwing an INT in the end zone.

Against the Rams, not turning the ball over 5 times, including back to back INT's at the end of the game.

Against the Chargers, failing to even get in field goal range, when they were set up with a big kick return in the first half and then failing to sustain a drive and clinch the game on their final offensive drive.

If you weren't a mental defect you'd be able to understand those nuanced critiques of the offense.

[O.city]

He was definitely too loyal. It sucks but it was obviously the wrong move.

[crayzkirk]

As a long time fan, I think that I suffer from Chiefs PTSD. Every loss during the Marty years where the team was dominant for 55 minutes only to go into a shell and lose by being conservative starts bubbling back up to the surface when I watch the Chiefs. Yes, I know that Mahomes makes this team different however I still feel the same way. When a penalty happens at the wrong time, it brings back the times from the past where the Chiefs were on the wrong end of a bad call.

For all of the success the Chiefs have had over the years in the regular season, they have not had the same level in the playoffs. Most of those memories are not positive ones and expecting fans to be able to ignore their feelings is unrealistic.

[O.city]

I also just can't ask one side of the ball to be perfect. The other team gets paid too.

[O.city]

All 78k of us sat there last Thursday night and watched the same kind of shit play out that we've seen for my whole life.

Enough talk about this being different. The "because Chiefs" stink may be so pungent it even consumes a franchise QB.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by O.city

They're like what, 3 plays from being undefeated?

**** it's just frustrating that it seems like "because Chiefs" is going to ruin another season.

You know who seem to be particularly miserable this year? Broncos fans. As in, the ones whose team won the Super Bowl only a few years ago.

Sports fandom is a game of varying levels of misery. Pretty much all fans think the sky is falling no matter who they root for. Our brand of misery is more sustained than others, sure, but it's really not that different than the misery of everyone else.

Most teams in the league right now would LOVE to have the team we have right now, warts and all.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

So the offense was 0% to blame or at fault for any of the Chiefs losses this season?

Goddamn you seriously have zero reading comprehension.


Yea I guess you are correct, if the offense isnt perfect we lose, and thats on them.

Pat should have zero interceptions and we should have no offensive penalties or dropped passes this season.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by O.city

I also just can't ask one side of the ball to be perfect. The other team gets paid too.

That's the Chiefs reality the rest of the season until they fire Bob Sutton.

The offense has to be close to perfect and has to minimize the opportunities for the defense to blow the game.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

if the offense isnt perfect we lose, and thats on them.

JFC you finally figured something basic/obvious out... congrats.

You are still a mental defect.