|
Ten Things About Last Night’s Game: AFC Championship: NFL 37, Kansas City 31 in OT
(https://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=320752)
Ten Things About Last Night’s Game: AFC Championship: NFL 37, Kansas City 31 in OT
Perhaps, "City of Heartbreaking Loss" should replace "City of Fountains" as our moniker?
10. Well, its the morning after. Apologies for taking so long to gather my thoughts and write this, trying to write and work at the same time. Happy MLK Day, BTW. Hope you got the day off. I think by sleeping on the loss I can approach this familiar feeling of disappointment with a clearer eye and the absence of emotional hysteria. Yesterday was a nine hour commitment for Mrs. B and me. We left for Arrowhead at 1:30 pm, got parked in a Gold Lot around 2pm, ate and napped in the car till 4:15. Stood in line in the cold for an hour and a half trying to get into Arrowhead, and didn’t get to the seat until seven minutes into the first quarter. That’s OK. I had to piss like Niagra Falls and it took me around five minutes just to peel down in my Michelin Man Suit just to get cleared for landing. So it was already 7-0 before I even got seated. I guess I should have just stayed in the can till after halftime. I kept thinking why in the world would the NFL schedule the games in the order they did? Why not let the outdoor venue play during the daytime, when it was as warm as it was going to be, and let the dome team play at night? Didn’t matter, TV contracts rule the roost. 9. Let’s get numbers out of the way early. Here’s some fun ones, Pats vs Chiefs: 94-47: Total plays run. 524-290: Total offensive yards. 176-41. Rushing yardage. 36-18: First downs. 0-4: Sacks Allowed. 44-21: TOP. The Pats had ZERO negative yardage plays from scrimmage. With all those numbers, you’d think Kansas City would have been beaten by around 21 points, especially since they were shut out in the first half. Mahomes scored 31 second half points against Hoodie BOTH TIMES he matched up against the Pats this year. Last time we lost in the last seconds by a field goal, this time we lost by a coin flip. Here’s my favorite “Because Chiefs” stat: Since 1940, teams that scored 31 points in the second half of an NFL playoff game were 64-1. Now the record is 64-2. Because Chiefs. 8. You can make a pretty good case for both sides of the ball being responsible for the loss if you want to point fingers. The offense went scoreless the first half. Mahomes did not look good, and his receivers gave him no help. Mahomes was sacked four times and was hurried about ten more times, so the Pats D line dominated our O Line, especially in the first half. Kelce and Hill combined for four catches. Four. After Kelce’s TD he disappeared, and had a ball boink off his face mask that would have gotten a first down. Kelce was outplayed again by Gronk, and has yet to prove himself the more reliable guy in games that matter. Hill was double teamed 95% of the time, which was certainly not his fault. I still think he’s playing hurt as his speed seems to be diminished over the past couple games. So a guy who was a third string back -Damien Williams- ends up with three TDs, and Sammy Watkins is the guy with over 100 yards. Mahomes has the higher QB rating: 117 to 77.1 because of Brady’s two picks. QB rating is the most worthless stat in pro football. Brady was in control the entire game until the last 30 seconds of regulation. Then he won the OT toss, and Game Over. 7. The defense had only given up seven points until less than 30 seconds left in the half. That’s decent. Brady probably would have had 21 if not for Ragland’s pick in the end zone to keep the Chiefs from getting blown out. Nelson continues to suffer from Bartee Disease and seems to either drop a pick, or get burned for a TD every single week. In the second half they had one fourth and one stop. The defense could not hold a four point lead with two minutes to a trip to Atlanta. Then in the OT they gave up three consecutive 3rd and 10’s. They couldn’t get the Pats off the field, so they did not deserve to win. 6. Kansas City seems to have cornered the market on bridesmaid coaches. We lived through Marty’s failures, and stubbornness to change, and now we have Andy, who has lost five playoff games in his tenure; two by two points, two by one point, and one in OT. He stubbornly allowed Bob Sutton to return this year. As of this writing on Monday morning, Bob Sutton is still employed by the Chiefs. God knows why. Andy is seen by most of the NFL as one of those guys who just can’t win the big one. And like Marty, his “coaching tree” has been more successful than he has been. Every year it’s the same story. He’ll get up and say “This is on me, we need to focus on improving and during the off season we’ll get better.” In fairness, we did at least win a home divisional game -which was definitely an improvement- but man, when you’re two minutes away from the Super Bowl and can’t hold a four point lead at home… that really hurts. 5. Eric Berry should be on an operating table THIS MORNING. The Chiefs gave him millions of dollars this year. Berry played when the spirit moved him, and when he did play in three games, Chiefs went 0-3. I like Eric Berry and admire him. But the old saying is “You Can’t Make the Club from the Tub.” If he needs to get his heel fixed, fix it TODAY and get him on the road back to health, or part ways. Houston was invisible. He had two tackles, no sacks, no impact plays. DT did that too during his career, disappeared in playoff games. Dee Ford will be cast as a scapegoat, but the rest of the defense was just as culpable. Chris Jones had NO tackles, and when he managed to touch Brady, was awarded the biggest bullshit roughing penalty of the season. Ford will most likely be our franchise tag player. Hopefully he’ll learn and grow. 4. If we go Little Mary Sunshine, what good was there? Well, I read a stat where the Pats roster guys had played in over 130 AFC Championship games between them. The Chiefs roster? ZERO. So, our 53 man squad all got to experience what it takes to win an AFC Championship game against a veteran team who’s been there, done that. We took them to OT. Mahomes did all this in his first year as a full starter. This is his first full tour of duty, and he lost the Super Bowl by a coin toss. At 23 barring injury, he’ll be ruling the AFC West for a long time. Butt Kicker was money in bad weather. He’s also young and could be our kicker for many years. Those are all very good things. 3. Who do you fear in the AFC West? Oakland. Nope, they’re a train wreck. Denver? Nope, not until they get a QB and their defense is aging fast. Bolts? Phyllis will be eligible for a senior discount at Denny’s very soon. If we can get a defense, we could be the next Patriots. The spotlight now turns to GM Veatch. His Speaks draft looks like a disappointment. We got bupkis from Speaks and T-Pass this year. On this draft, he better pick ALL defense. We need two corners, a safety who can help in run support, a middle line backer who can thump, and more depth at the other linebacker positions as well. Looks like our pick with the Rams on the Peters trade won’t be all that, because the Rams will be at the end of the draft this year. They must dump Sutton, and get a defensive minded guy in here who can do better than giving up over 500 yards and 37 points at home in an AFC Championship game. Tick tock, tick tock… 2. So today I have that too familiar feeling that I’ve lived with my whole adult life. No Super Bowl for Kansas City again this year. Oh well, maybe we’ll be this close again 25 years from now. I’ll be 84 years old then. I probably won’t give a flip by that point. I may not even remember who the Chiefs are or why I should care. But if you remember after the second Bolts game, I said in the Ten Things that the Chiefs would not go to the Super Bowl this year, because they can’t stop the run, and they can’t get good teams off the field on third down. That’s exactly what happened, and so here we are. Am I crushed? No, actually I’m strangely satisfied with how everything went down this year. We made it to the final four. We got the home playoff loss monkey off our backs last week. We got an AFC title game at Arrowhead and took the greatest NFL dynasty team of the last 20 years into overtime with a rookie QB. They fought like Hell, didn’t embarrass the city, and came up a bit short. I can live with that. 1. Many have said the Royals equivalent to this year was 2014 when Alex Gordon stood 90 feet away from tying Game Seven at Kauffman. The Royals came up short in an improbable season. Then in 2015 they came back with a vengeance and crushed it. I have a good feeling that if Veatch can fix this defense, or at least improve it from being worst to mid pack, we can make this whole thing work. Chiefs were worst in the league in penalties. That goes to coaching, and Andy Reid is responsible for fixing that. Both championship games went to overtime. Both big market teams won with help from the zebras making calls or non-calls to steer the games during critical moments. Take that as you will. The NFL got a Los Angeles team into the Super Bowl with a mega-billion dollar stadium under construction that they seriously need to succeed. Remember, the NFL owes you a football exhibition for entertainment purposes only. Were you entertained? Because…… Chiefs. At least the Lamar Hunt trophy got to visit Kansas City for the first time. Maybe one will live here someday. Have a great off season, and thanks for all the kind comments over the past season about the Ten Things. Maybe Next Year. Maybe Next Year. |
Thanks George. Love the write ups every week.
|
If we had won you and beuhler would've both probably been tackled by sauto after the game.
Or ar least gotten a hug. |
I feel for you GB. You had to watch it first hand.
|
I was with you until the bullshit conspiracy stuff at the end. Thanks for the time and effort you put in to these every week. Enjoy the offseason as the future of the Kansas City Chiefs appears to be bright.
|
They alternate the night spot each year.
|
In, good season
|
Sobering.
If we end up pulling it off next year, it'll be the 50th anniversary of SB IV. |
I always figured you were WAAAAYYY older than 59.
|
I'm crushed. For about 10 seconds I thought we were legitimately going to the SB. Then they announced Dee Ford lined up offsides. A penalty that did not affect Sorenson's interception at all.
I'm legitimately crushed because I am not convinced we will be in this position again. It's so difficult to get to this point. You have to take advantage when you do...and we didn't. Good write up though. It's going to take some serious time before this one subsides. |
Good perspective! I’ve been waiting for the ten things all morning to help bring closer to a heart breaker. Have a good off season.
|
Well done, GB. Thanks
|
Quote:
|
Thanks for doing this game after game, year after year. I know a lot of people including myself really enjoy reading it.
|
Mahomes has the higher QB rating: 117 to 77.1 because of Brady’s two picks. QB rating is the most worthless stat in pro football.
That is totally false. It’s the most important. It directly correlates to winning %. Brady’s two picks made the game close. Without them we get blown out by 2TD. Seeing the diff Mahomes makes after the shit parade we’ve had here at QB makes me a bit surprised you’d argue this. |
Quote:
Yankees make the World Series after 911 Saints win the Super Bowl after Katrina. Boston wins the World Series after the marathon bombing Houston wins the World Series after Harvey flooding. Rams make the Super Bowl after major wild fires and turned around a bad franchise 3 years after moving to a major tv market. https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KqsM...8_PM__2_.0.png |
Quote:
And Royals win WS over a New York team. Wait, what? |
This right f'ing here:
"6. Kansas City seems to have cornered the market on bridesmaid coaches. We lived through Marty’s failures, and stubbornness to change, and now we have Andy, who has lost five playoff games in his tenure; two by two points, two by one point, and one in OT. He stubbornly allowed Bob Sutton to return this year. As of this writing on Monday morning, Bob Sutton is still employed by the Chiefs. God knows why. Andy is seen by most of the NFL as one of those guys who just can’t win the big one. And like Marty, his “coaching tree” has been more successful than he has been. Every year it’s the same story. He’ll get up and say “This is on me, we need to focus on improving and during the off season we’ll get better.” In fairness, we did at least win a home divisional game -which was definitely an improvement- but man, when you’re two minutes away from the Super Bowl and can’t hold a four point lead at home… that really hurts." Yep, see what happens when you don't have a bridesmaid quarterback too? KC is now in contention. The Eagles got rid of Reid for a reason, why do the Chief's fans think it will be any different here? I know I'm beating a dead horse, but Reid is Marty on steroids. ****, i don't give a FLYING **** how good your regular season record is. I remember in the 90's wanting Marty gone....I'd hear, "but but but, look at his regular season record!" **** that, I want to know what your play off record is. Anyway, I want Reid gone. Do I have the answer on a replacement? No. I just know in my heart of hearts that the Chief's won't win the big game with Andy. Quote:
|
I said in another post.
I shut it off at 17-7. I just couldn't. Heart rate through the roof and mad at the world. Missed the comeback. Missed OT. Missed the refs-you know. I am disappointed but have seen this reel too many times before. Took the arrowheads off the truck and desperately need a car wash. But with the snow coming, it is useless. Just focused on the fact that kid 1 is on her way back to Fargo and it is snowing. Dads worry. As always GB-God Bless that you do this every week. I hope everyone warmed back up and made it home safely. The future is bright. Mahomes will learn and we still need a D. If we have a mid level D-we win this thing. onward and upward. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Good read as always George. Yeah, maybe next year.
|
The worst part of the off season is we have to wait for 9 months until the 10 Things return. Always appreciate the write up. I have nothing to add, except I won't be watching the annual Brady Bowl. Perhaps I'll watch the Lord of the Rings for the 100th time. I mean, if I'm going to watch something I've seen a million times, at least it should be good.
God Bless brutha. See ya next year. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
:hmmm: Let's see........ We can look at it from the perspective of we can afford a mental error of lining up in the neutral zone IF we have defensive talent along with good defensive scheming and coaching because we have made enough stops to ensure we have more points on the board at all times.....never allowing yourself to be in vulnerable situations like mental errors in the most crucial times that affect the outcome.
or we can view it as even in spite of all our defensive deficiencies(lack of talent, lack of scheming/lack of good coaching) our lethal offense who was 1/2 hamstrung most of the night was still able to put up 28pts to pull ahead in the last remaining moments of the game thus still affording horrible trench play on both sides of the ball. BUT this IS the precise situation we were in and we knew our defensive deficiencies going in thus you MUST be razor sharp in not committing mental errors of which you DO HAVE CONTROL OF regardless of lack of talent. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!! It is both views IMHO. We shouldn't have never let our defense get to this point BUT because we did and we knew this going in the only thing we could do and have control over is making sure we are mentally sharp on every play. So Dee Ford can be blamed for us not going to the SB! |
Another great "10 Things." Thank you. I'd like to say I'm satisfied with the season, but then why did I only sleep for 30 minutes last night? This one will sting for a while. It was a total team loss, but Dee Ford can still **** off!
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Next year Super Bowl or bust. I'm talking busting something over Andy Reid head especially if he keeps Sutton. Get the banner FIRE BOB SUTTON fly over Arrowhead. SEA OF BLACK in the stands.
|
Thanks GB!!!
Maybe next year...:deevee: |
thanks blowfish. wish there was one more 10 things for this season. this is a real treat, almost a reward in a way.
i know i don't post a whole lot here, and most of it is with a sarcastic (albeit lame) wit. but i, like every other fan here really felt we could win this one. my dad's been sick lately and lives about an hour from kc (and another 90 minutes away from me). i called back home yesterday to check in on him and my mom. the old man's not doing much better than when i visited with them last month. was informed that hospice is now involved. i told him yesterday that this was the time to win and he got a laugh out of it. i don't know why im going into detail, i think i just need to vent. what im trying to get at is thank you for 10 things. thank you guys for your humor. thank you for being chiefs fans along with me, a complete stranger, on a message board. until next season. can't get here fast enough. |
Good read as usual. :thumb:
Dee Ford be damned. |
Well done as usual George and it was a very entertaining season.
A couple points I might mention. Andy Deferring after winning the coin toss made me go crazy. Mahomes is human and was obviously nervous in the 1st half after having to sit on the bench and watch Brady. Belichick did exactly the same thing he did against the Chargers the week before on that first drive. Belichick won that toss and took the ball, Andy should have done the same thing IMO. 2) Andy calling a time out at the end of the first half when Brady still had the ball. I agree with it with any other QB, but not with Brady. He then took them down for their second score. I would imagine they would have just run the clock out if it wasn't for Andy's TO. |
I don't think Berry will ever return close to his previous form, and as last night showed, a broke dick safety is worthless (he couldn't even cover another broke dick, Gronk).
Even if Berry were to have his surgery today, a 6-8 month recovery time will make his availability for training camp and even at the start of the regular season a question mark. |
I have a question ...
What was the demeanor of the team on the sideline? Did it change after halftime? Did they seem shellshocked to start the game? FAX |
Thanks for all your write ups Gblow. I’ll miss em in the off season. Was hoping to see you at the CP tailgate but figured you’d be smarter to do what you did. It was cold. I agree with point #2. I’m disappointed. Not crushed. Pats do what they do. Looking at our D this year it was no surprise. PMII Did one hell of a job in the second half. Play calling was uninspired, though. Looking forward to watching a lot of nationally televised games next year.
|
I blame George for not farting loud enough on third downs obviously Patriots would convert 3rd and ten all day.
Shameful George you should give up your seats to me I'd blow them away with my farts. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Thanks George. God Bless Ya this offseason, be well!
The future is bright, but the pain still hurts. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
I was asking about the behavior/demeanor of the guys on the sideline. You're right there and I was curious if you noticed something ... attitude-wise. To me, we seemed emasculated from the jump. FAX |
Quote:
|
Thanks for the Ten Things all year George. I've said it before but it's always good to hear from the perspective of the fans at the game since I can usually only watch on tv. I'm always looking out for you when they show the players near the tunnel.
My dad is 74 and has been rooting for the Chiefs since their inception. He went to a bunch of games at the old Stadium. We watched this game together with my 17 year old son. I can feel a new tide coming. Thanks again for being there as well as everybody else that showed up last night in the cold. Thank you |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
Mahomes-3 TD’s/0 INT’s 117 rating Brady 1 TD/3 INT’s rating in the high 50’s |
Quote:
|
Quote:
Cowboys were looked at as chokers and “can’t win the big game” for years until they finally won SB VI Colts drafted Manning in 1998, went 13-3 in 1999 and didn’t make the AFC title game until 2003 where they lost to New EnglandROFL. 2004 they lost a road divisional to NE. 2005 was a heartbreaking one and done. Couldn’t “get over the hump” until 2006, Manning’s 9th season We never know. Maybe we go 7-9 next year, maybe we go 14-2 and win the Superbowl. |
George, I'm with you all the way INCLUDING your acceptance of the facts of NFL life coupled with the reality of business. Thank you for the write-ups this season, I always enjoy getting your perspective, the perspective of a fan who has literally seen it all in person.
Pat's time, and by extension the Chiefs, will come. Even Brady's kale pajamas and hyperbaric chamber can't stop the march of father time. If the Chiefs had fielded even a modicum of something resembling a competent defense( not ranked 31st overall ), we would probably be singing a different tune today. |
Thanks for another great season George.
We made it farther than I think any of us expected but it's still disappointing. It was right there. There's just never any guarantee you get back to this point. You have to stay healthy, you have to have a GM who is finding the right players to improve the defense, etc. But with Mahomes we'll at least be in the conversation. When the Royals came so close and lost, it really did light a fire in them and the next season they came to training camp early and were completely locked in and on a mission to finish the job. They were as focused as any KC team we've seen. Honestly even compared to other championship caliber teams... there aren't many examples of something comparable to that lineup having 9 guys all locked in at the same time in the playoffs. Almost every single player on that team carried their weight. Hopefully this creates the same thing for the Chiefs. I said it a while back over in that Tom Brady thread but the Pats aren't going away. Their offense is not reliant on big passing plays, it never really has been. The Patriots just play smart and are able to find your weaknesses and exploit them. And as long as they have Belichick they'll have good defensive gameplans. The Chiefs absolutely have the talent to beat them but it's not really about that, it's about being focused and disciplined and making adjustments as the game progresses. You just have to be locked in against them every play and not make simple mistakes or they'll get you. I'll say this though, Andy Reid has done an amazing job making adjustments against Belichick. Yes having Mahomes helps, but even two years ago when we beat them at Foxboro the Chiefs scored 28 second half points. The two times we played them this year we scored 31 in the second half. That is some impressive work against maybe the best defensive coach in history. I've been complaining about the defense all year and how it's going to kneecap us so there's no reason to beat a dead horse, but hopefully Veach and Reid take it seriously and make some serious changes to that side of the ball. Or we'll be here again next year. |
Quote:
Great write up as always. |
Quote:
|
You deserved better, George.
|
I just wish Veach had a greater sense of urgency. Dante Fowler caused the game-changing pick for the Rams. There were multiple good or elite DBs available in-season and he made a run at none of them. Having Reid or Earl Thomas back there changes that defense.
Mahomes, Hill, and Jones will never be cheaper. Windows slam shut quickly in the NFL, look at Atlanta, and Jax. |
Quote:
Our time is coming. |
Quote:
As for payback ... although I understand your perspective, I'm hopeful we get another shot at the Cheaters BEFORE Tommy Two Yards and Billy Badass retire. FAX |
Quote:
I think we have a good shot to get back to this point but if we spend 4-5 years trying to fix the defense like we did under Vermeil it's possible that's about as far as we get. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
KC is the best in the AFC, aside from the Patriots. Beating them changes nothing. We have nothing to prove to the Pats. I hope Gronk, Brady, and Bill retire after the Superbowl |
Thanks George. I hated reading this one. No fault of yours though.
|
:grouphug:
Quote:
|
I wish we had one more of these great write-ups to come for this year.
|
Thanks George - I'm in the process of trying to get over the game and be happy with the season. Your post helps.
|
Quote:
I learned this from 55 years of football playing and watching - "Never count your chickens BEFORE they come home to roost" Mahomes is the real deal - but so was Marino, Luck, Rivers, on and on and on. There is ALWAYS the possibility that Pat will never see another championship game. Hopefully - that won't be the case - but one player does not a "team" make. The Chiefs defense is a train wreck, to say the very least. From the coordinator to the trainer - they are terrible and here is the part that disturbs me the most - fat Andy knows this, too. I would LOVE to be Andy's friend and associate because (apparently) accountability seldom comes into play with him and his "associates". Bob Sutton needs to be packing his office up right now and a new coordinator should be searched for NOW. I sincerely hope that it will happen - but sadly - I don't expect it too. I expect Buttons to be back next year and minor changes to be made on Defense. They will go into the season at the bottom of the list, yet again and it will fall on Pat Mahomes to continually "bail them out" by scoring touchdown after touchdown after touchdown. At some point - that luck runs out. In other words - same old, same old. Welcome to 1979........."Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" - Santayana Great job George! Thanks for a season of great writing! |
6. Kansas City seems to have cornered the market on bridesmaid coaches.
Hahaha |
Thanks for another year of 10 things, George.
With the Chiefs/Chargers game getting moved out to Mexico, I won't be able to attend this year's Chiefs home game in LA. So, its been two days of groin kicks by the NFL. I might make the trip to Arrowhead with the wife this season if the shutdown ends before the summer months. Oh well, here comes the offseason. Let's fix that awful defense. |
For about 15 seconds, I thought we were going to get a Super Bowl Edition of Ten Things.
When I saw the flag at the sideline/LOS, my assumption was an illegal formation or shift by New England. I even mentioned it to Tiny Evel and the guys sitting behind us. But Dee Ford is a ****ing dumbass, we lose the coin toss, and because, Chiefs. I really thought I'd be OK with a loss considering I never thought in a million years there would be an AFCCG at Arrowhead this year back in September. But the fact that we were the most little league mental error imaginable away from going to the SB has changed that. I'm ****ing crushed. While the future appears bright because of 15, there are no guarantees. Look at Marino. Hell, even Aaron Rodgers has only won one. I'd love to think we'll be back, but there are a million reasons why we may not be. All because Dee Ford is too ****ing stupid to line up onside. Would have been easier to take had he jumped, or made a physical error like roughing or hands to the face. But he lined up wrong. And the season is over because of it. Sad. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Well, I'm sure at some point he'll be a tortured man playing piano in some airport Holiday Inn Lounge drinking himself to death and living on tip money.
|
Quote:
We love you, George. God Bless. |
Quote:
Best to you and the wife George. And thank you for another year of great write-ups. They truly make CP a better place. |
5. Eric Berry should be on an operating table THIS MORNING
As far as I'm concerned he should be on a bus out of town this morning. He started 3 games. We lost every game. He was taking the spot of someone else that could have done better. Gronk had the game of the year vs him last night. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
If fans aren't completely over this guy at this juncture, they should probably switch hobbies because they are clearly too stupid to watch football anymore. |
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:13 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.