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Resurfacing the Classics:
Games that Chiefs fans should rewatch, Part 1(2009-14)

Seth Keysor


It’s quite the world we’re living in today. With many states on something of a lockdown, businesses closed or operating at a limited capacity and people confined to their homes, it’s a strange and, let’s be honest, scary time.

First things first: It’s going to be OK. It really will. Take advantage of this time to love and enjoy your family, and take advantage of this opportunity to help out your neighbors as much as you can.

Even with those two things, however, many of us figure to have plenty of extra time on our hands. With people stuck at home — many of whom aren’t working at the moment — the next challenge is how to avoid becoming stir-crazy. Then the NFL went ahead and did the football-loving world a massive favor, making NFL Game Pass available for everyone.

For those who are unfamiliar, NFL Game Pass is a marvelous tool. It contains (almost) every NFL game played since 2009. It also features coach’s film (with a wider camera angle and a “Madden cam” angle) for many games, allowing the viewer to see what analysts see. There’s also exclusive content such as NFL original programming, film sessions and more.

The biggest draw, at least for me, is simply the library of games. Suddenly, fans now have more than 150 games available that they can rewatch. But with all this availability, it may seem daunting for fans to pick and choose what games they should go back and enjoy all over again. With that in mind, it seems as good a time as any to take a stroll down (recent) memory lane.

Because so many of the Chiefs’ best games were from the 2019 season, I decided to set that incredibly special season aside. Chiefs fans know they’ll have fun rewatching the Chiefs come back from 24 points down vs. the Texans in the divisional-round playoff game, or winning the Lamar Hunt Trophy in a roaring Arrowhead Stadium. Then, of course, there’s the dramatic Super Bowl win. So for the purpose of this list, we’ll focus on the 2009 (the beginning of the library) through 2018 seasons. In part 1, I’ll provide seven games from 2009 through 2014 that stand out as enjoyable games to watch again now having our newfound access. We’ll go in chronological order, as trying to rank these games would be difficult.

2009: Week 17, KC @ Denver:
DJ and Charles show us the future

The 2009 season was not too fun for Chiefs fans. The first year of the Todd Haley and Scott Pioli era didn’t lead to the turnaround many had hoped for, and new quarterback Matt Cassel wasn’t able to replicate his 2008 success in New England. Both the offense and defense sputtered, and the Chiefs stumbled into the final week of the season on a five-game losing streak.

But Week 17 against the Broncos proved to be a portent of things to come for a pair of future Chiefs greats. Running back Jamaal Charles and linebacker Derrick Johnson took over the game on their respective sides of the ball with signature performances, the former rushing for 259 yards at more than 10 yards per carry and the latter picking off a pair of passes that he returned for touchdowns. Charles and Johnson are two of the greatest Chiefs to ever suit up, and it’s the best kind of nostalgia seeing them get started.

2010: Week 1, SD @ KC: Party in the rain

The 2010 season was always destined to be fool’s gold, with a disappointing end and a team that was more flawed than it initially appeared. But no one knew that under the lights of a newly renovated Arrowhead Stadium. All Chiefs fans knew was that Charles was a star, the rookie class — which featured Eric Berry, Dexter McCluster, Kendrick Lewis, Javier Arenas and Tony Moeaki — looked electric, and the defense gave Philip Rivers more than he could handle when it mattered most. The climax of this game in a torrential downpour as Arrowhead roars is a moment that stands the test of time.

2012: Week 3, KC @ New Orleans: Charles burns, Houston dominates

There was little to like about the Chiefs’ 2012 season. The franchise hit one of its lowest points in history, going 2-14 under a baffled Romeo Crennel and destroying the optimism of Chiefs fans in a way that didn’t fully really heal until February 2020.

For one week, though, the Chiefs gave fans hope in a performance for the ages from a pair of superstars.

Charles ran the ball for more than 200 yards that day against the Saints, with one of the signature runs of his career as he streaked into the end zone from 90 yards away. In the meantime, outside linebacker Justin Houston single-handedly slowed down the Saints’ offense enough for the Chiefs to stay in the game by sacking Saints quarterback Drew Brees three times (one of which was in the end zone for a safety), hitting Brees another four times and knocking down two passes. It’s easy to forget just how great a player Houston was at his apex, and this game serves as a reminder of the way he could take over games.

2013: Week 1, KC @ Jacksonville: Dawn of a new era

While many Chiefs fans associate the drafting of Patrick Mahomes in 2017 as the turning point in Kansas City, the truth is it started four years earlier. Owner Clark Hunt brought in head coach Andy Reid after the 2012 season, and this game marked the first of Reid’s tenure in Kansas City. The difference in the way the offense was run was apparent from the very first touchdown, and it was clear that the era of inept Chiefs football was over. This game also features signature performances from Johnson, Houston, nose tackle Dontari Poe and another all-time great Chief in Tamba Hali. This game was the spark, even if we didn’t know it until years later.

2013: Week 15, KC @ Oakland: The day Charles broke fantasy football

There isn’t much to say about this game other than “Jamaal. Charles.”

Quarterback Alex Smith completed 17 of 20 passes for 287 yards and 5 touchdowns, but Charles was the star of this game despite rushing for a mere 20 yards on 8 carries. Charles did his damage through the air, catching 8 passes for 195 yards and all five of the touchdowns Smith threw that day. The Oakland defense was completely befuddled by Reid’s screens, and Charles flashed his speed to the point of such exasperation that years later, offensive linemen who were playing in the game still talk about it.

Fans spend a lot of time playing the “Remember when …” game. But when former players are doing it, that’s a sure way to know that a game was special. It’s also one of the greatest fantasy football performances in history, especially given that it came in a crucial week (in my case, it helped me win a championship). Somehow, the fact that it happened in front of an incensed Oakland crowd makes it even better.

2014: Week 4, KC @ New England: Bringing the noise and getting Tom Brady benched

142.2 decibels.

Almost every Chiefs fan knows that number by heart. Most of them also know when Arrowhead Stadium officially became recognized as the loudest in the NFL. It came during a Monday Night Football contest against the New England Patriots that stopped being a contest long before it was over. Reid completely outfoxed longtime nemesis Bill Belichick, Charles returned from injury to score three touchdowns, and the Chiefs poured on the points against New England.

However, it was the defense that provided most of the highlights that night, with Houston and Hali sacking Patriots quarterbacks (not Brady, as he was eventually pulled when the game became a laugher) three times and a swarming secondary knocking down seven passes and picking off two others. An already-roaring Arrowhead was brought to an absolute frenzy when safety Husain Abdullah (an underrated defender the Chiefs never really managed to replace until 2020) picked off Brady for a pick-six that put the game so far out of reach that Belichick pulled Brady from the game the following drive.

The Patriots are the Patriots, and that season ended with more frustration than joy in Kansas City. But for one night, the Chiefs were the best team in the world, and Arrowhead was as untouchable as it had been in the ’90s.

2014: Week 11, Seattle @ KC: The man who could fly

It was cold at Arrowhead on Nov. 16, 2014; a cloudy day with some wind made the mid-20s feel a bit chillier, even for a guy from Minnesota. Arrowhead was packed, though, as the Chiefs were riding a four-game win streak and hosting the defending Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks and their legendary Legion of Boom defense. If the Chiefs wanted to be taken seriously as a contender, this was a game they had to win.

That day, I was on hand for one of the singular greatest performances by an individual player (not named Mahomes) that I’ve ever witnessed.

Charles ran for 159 yards on only 20 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns. He also caught two passes for an additional 19 yards. He accounted for 60 percent of the Chiefs’ total yards against a Seahawks defense that was swarming every passing lane and ball carrier. But those numbers don’t account for how brilliant Charles was that day. This wasn’t a case where mistakes by the defense such as missed tackles or poor angles led to Charles’ production. He had to earn every yard against a great opponent by being greater, and he was.

This game, more than any other, will always be the definitive Jamaal Charles game for me. It didn’t have the gaudy stats he produced in some of his other performances, but it was the best example of how, when he was at his best, Charles was better than anyone else on the field. As defenders chased, grasped, missed,and fell time after time, Charles spent the day making a group of All-Pros look like they were slogging through the mud while he ran on a perfect surface. Charles once said that his life changed when he learned he could fly, and this game was the moment he soared highest.

During hard times, it’s easy to focus on the problems in front of us and wonder whether things will ever get better. It might seem like it’s impossible that they will. But it’s important that we keep in mind that “impossible” is just a word, one that holds only as much power as we allow it to have. After all, before the last two years, I would’ve thought it was impossible for the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl on the back of a quarterback who looks ready to join the ranks of the greatest in history. And before Jamaal Charles, I would have thought it was impossible for a man to fly.

Sports are a silly thing, but in times like these, we need silly things. I hope that looking back and watching these games can provide a little joy while we sit and wait. Next time, in Part 2, we’ll look at 2015-18 as the Chiefs finally moved into the new era.