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12-29-2019 05:29 PM |
The Chiefs stole the AFC’s No. 2 seed Sunday, and their sideline erupted in chaos
Guys, this was amazing. I don't know if they showed any of this on TV, but this was unreal.
It was like Arrowhead had ESP and we were all telepathically communicating.
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/nf...238813348.html
Quote:
The initial update came from a member of the team’s communications staff, for the record. At 2:56 p.m. Sunday, with the Chiefs holding a 10-point lead against the L.A. Chargers in the final minute, a player who usually hopes like hell to remain anonymous turned to a man holding a phone.
Hey, what’s the score of the Patriots-Dolphins game?
The Chiefs weren’t supposed to know. Weren’t supposed to be receiving any updates and certainly not seeking them out. The score had been removed from the stadium scoreboard. KC coach Andy Reid wanted his players concentrating only on their own game.
But as they wrapped up their 31-21 win against the Chargers, they couldn’t help themselves. Had to ask. Had to know.
The Dolphins just scored to take the lead. Eighteen seconds left.
The crowd erupted during a commercial break. Some players mugged an assistant coach. Receiver Tyreek Hill propped himself onto the shoulders of a much bigger offensive lineman. Receiver Demarcus Robinson turned toward teammates remaining on the field and appeared to relay the information, though he would later plead the fifth on that.
The Chiefs’ sideline, in a word, had become chaos.
Cornerback Charvarius Ward thought maybe a fan had run onto the field. Center Austin Reiter assumed they announced an update over the stadium’s public address system. They did not.
Just an old-fashioned game of telephone.
“OK, so they didn’t announce it?” Reiter said. “I was confused when the crowd roared. I was like, ‘I know we scored, but that was 30 seconds ago. What’s everyone getting riled up for?’”
On TV, Kevin Harlan, assigned to announce the Chiefs-Chargers game, provided play by play for two games simultaneously. Eventually, his colleague, former Chiefs quarterback Rich Gannon, asked, “I’m getting confused — what game are you calling?”
“I’m calling both games!” Harlan replied.
Inside the stadium, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes attempted a scientific way of gathering a score, just as he’d done most of the afternoon. A banner scoreboard rolled through fantasy numbers and individual statistics for players throughout the league.
Mahomes saw Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had one touchdown and one interception late in the game.
“Trying to add that together and see what the score was,” Mahomes said.
As the game in New England went final — Dolphins 27, Patriots 24 — the Arrowhead Stadium JumboTron offered only one clue. It showed a fan dressed in Dolphins gear. The Chiefs had officially moved into the No. 2 seed in the AFC, earning a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Another eruption. More chaos.
By the time reporters walked into the Chiefs’ locker room some 15 minutes after the game, the buzz had yet to simmer.
“(Bleeping) Fitzmagic!” someone could be heard yelling, referring to Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s nickname.
“Fitzmagic, man,” Mahomes said.
“I thought I loved Fitz before,” said Chiefs defensive end Demone Harris, who played with Fitzpatrick in Tampa Bay. “He’s the G.O.A.T.”
Coupled with their own victory, Miami’s upset in New England essentially offered the Chiefs a win, ensuring their advancement to the playoffs’ second weekend. And it also provides a week to heal, Reiter noted while pointing at his bloodied foot.
And maybe some free time?
Big Slick celebrities David Koechner and Rob Riggle strolled through the post-game locker room, part of the celebration.
Koechner approached Mahomes’ locker.
“Hey, church next Sunday,” Koechner said to the quarterback. “You’re free, right?”
“I’m free,” Mahomes replied. “Church on Sunday.”
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The Chiefs stole the AFC’s No. 2 seed Sunday, and their sideline erupted in chaos
(https://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=327633)