Ten Things About AFC Championship: KC 23 Jabronis 20

[gblowfish]

I post this as the request of my good pal Twisted Chief. I'm as happy as a little gurl!!

Ten Things About the AFC Championship: KC 23 Jabronis 20

10. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Like 18 degrees with a -2 wind chill cold. I had a conversation with my good pal Gary a couple nights ago. When I asked him what he thought would happen, he said he thought the Been-Gals were three points better than KC, especially accounting for Mahomes gimpy ankle. The news about Kelce’s back hadn’t been made public at that point. He thought we’d have trouble with Perine, like we had in the regular season match up, and that our mostly rookie secondary would have a hard time stopping arguably the best receiving corps in the NFL. I said I thought Cincy spent most if not all of their emotional capital last week in Buffalo, kind of like we did last year against Buffalo; then the next week faded in the second half to lose in OT to these pukes. The Bengals are a brash, cocky bunch; and like all the AFC North teams play dirty and hurt a lot of people in playoff games. KC had been relatively healthy during the season. Only core players who had major issues were Buttkicker, Hardman, CEH and Toney. In the game we lost Sneed in the first two minutes. Then we lost Toney, Hardman, Gay and Ju Ju; Pacheco got beat up and Mahomes and Kelce were both damaged goods. In Championship Games, players have to step up. That’s what we got with MVS, Clark, Jones, Skyy and Buttkicker. They stepped up and because of that, we’re going to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years. After a 50 year drought, three Super Bowls in four years. I still can’t believe it.

9. A lot is being made of Mahomes’ toughness. For a lot of NFL players, they’re on crutches for two weeks or more with a high ankle sprain. Mahomes was back out and starting eight days later. As the game progressed he was hobbling more and more. Getting sacked three times didn’t help, and he only ran for eight yards. His last run with seconds left was the big one. There’s been a lot of Chiefs QBs that have played hurt. Dawson played with a bad knee during the Chiefs first Super Bowl victory season. DeBerg played with a steel rod holding his pinky together. Montana played concussed several times -before the league cracked down on CTE. Cassel played a week after having his appendix out. This performance by Mahomes will be one of the things most remembered when he goes into Canton on a first ballot. On one leg, he outplayed Macaulay Culkin (aka Joe Burrowhead). Mahomes threw for 326 yards and two TDs, one to Kelce and a tight, near impossible throw to MVS. Mahomes spread the ball around as usual, completing passes to ten different guys. And he did all that with no ground game; Chiefs only had 42 yards rushing on 20 carries. The Chiefs longest rush the entire game was six yards. And Mahomes did the bulk of that passing while his main receiving corps was dropping like flies. He lost Hardman, Ju Ju and Toney and in the fourth quarter was down to MVS, Skyy Moore and Marcus Kemp.

8. Kelce continues to destroy NFL records. He was a game time decision with back spasms. Anybody who’s ever had back trouble knows that if your back is having spasms, its like somebody jabbing an ice pick into your spine. He sucked it up and had a great game with 78 yards and the Chiefs first TD -although Pacheco had one called back previously on a hold by Wiley. Kelce passed Gronk (1,389 yards) to move into first place for all time postseason receiving yards by a tight end. And only one player -Jerry Rice- has more post season TDs.

7. The Been-Gals were talking a bunch of smack the week before the game. Even their mayor Aftab Purival got into the act. Three Chiefs in particular have ties to Cincinnati: Kelce and Bryan Cook both went to college there and Carlos Dunlap spent most of his NFL career there. Cook had a rough rookie game. Chase beat him bad on a fourth and forever jump ball at a critical juncture; but he made up for it by swatting the ball away from Tee Higgins for the Williams pick. Dunlap brought good pressure on Burrow from his spot, and he’s off to the first Super Bowl of his career. He won a National Championship at Florida, but this is his first Super Bowl. Kelce always introduces himself on TV as being from “Cleveland Heights, Ohio”, his hometown. Cleveland and Cincy hate one another. After the game, Kelce said ““I’ve got some wise words for that Cincinnati mayor. Know your role and shut your mouth, you Jabroni!” Point of reference: “Jabroni” is a pejorative term used for years by WWE wrestlers which in rough translation means “Jackass.”

6. Last year in this AFC Championship, KC was driving for the go ahead score. Kelce caught a pass and as he was fighting for yards, got stripped of the football killing the drive. Chiefs then lost in OT. This year, Mahomes dropped back to pass and the ball squirted out of his hand for a fumble. Totally unforced error. This time, the defense came to the rescue. Both Burrow picks were by rookie Chiefs DBs -Joshua Williams and Jackson Height’s Favorite Son Jaylen Watson. Sneed is our best cover guy. Right out of the gate he got hurt. In the play before he got hurt, McDuffie had a pass hit him right in both hands and dropped it. If he makes that pick, Sneed probably makes it through the game uninjured.

5. Spags played six rookies in meaningful roles on defense. No Cincy receiver had over 100 yards. Chase had 75, Higgins 83 and Boyd only 40. This vaunted receiving corps only produced one TD between them. Burrow only scrambled for 30 yards. Another interesting stat about Burrow: The last 16 QBs to lose their Super Bowl debut have never made it back to the Super Bowl game as a starter. So that doesn’t bode particularly well for Burrow’s future.

4. A big reason KC held on to win is because they dominated the first quarter. They got Cincy off the field in their first series, and chewed up most of the first quarter. KC had three sacks on Burrow early, and the Bengals did not gain a single positive yard of offense in the first quarter. Chiefs also had two early TDs negated; one on Toney not being able to fully secure a pass in the end zone, and a second Pacheco TD negated by a Wiley holding call. Chiefs took three points both times, so that’s a potential early swing from fourteen points to six points. It seemed like in the previous three losses to Cincy, the game always went that way. KC would blow a scoring opportunity, or have penalties, or have turnovers. This season Cincy led the league in scoring on drives that were sustained by some sort of penalty on the defense. So they live on the defense getting penalized, mostly on DPI or illegal contact.

3. The defensive star was Chris Jones. He lived up to his billing finally in a playoff game. In the old days, people criticized Derrick Thomas for disappearing in playoff games. Jones had the same rap until this game. He had two sacks -his first post season sacks ever, including the critical one to snuff the Bengals final drive. He was double teamed 31 times but still got five QB hurries and two sacks. Frank Clark continues to build his reputation as a big game player. Clark passed former Raven and Chiefs edge rusher Terrell Suggs for third most all time post season sacks (12.5). Furious George had a sack, and Danna forced Burrow into sacks by others. KC team speed on defense is light years beyond last year, and the defense has been deep enough to rotate pass rushers to keep them fresh for the fourth quarter. Jones pretty much put the game on his back and forced his will on Cincy. It was what Buck Buchanan used to do in his prime.

2. In the final minute of the game, the two heroes were players who have gotten tons of scathing criticism -including from me. Skyy Moore is a guy we all agreed should never EVER be allowed to field punts for this team after muffing punts that led to a loss in Indy. He didn’t field punts in college, so he hadn’t been asked to do it until he came here. Once Toney and Hardman were out, and Pacheco was banged up, Dave Toub sent the kid out there. If he muffed it, it could have been a historic disaster. He didn’t muff it. He made a great return to midfield. Then with less than :20 seconds, Mahomes makes his first meaningful scramble of the game to get a first down, and the Cincy linebacker Ossai cheap shotted him out of bounds. The 15 yard roughing penalty was a clear penalty, and dirty play. So move the ball 15-yards closer and with just a few ticks on the clock. Buttkicker calmly goes out and nails a 45 yarder right down the pipe. Buttkicker had shown some yips in December, but thankfully was the hero and not the goat, like the Kicker Who Shall Remain Nameless decades ago. I don’t feel sorry for Ossai at all. Play dirty, lose dirty. My love of schadenfreude especially relished his crying like a little girl after the game. That’s what you get for cheap shotting the Grim Reaper. I don’t hate Cincy like I hate the Raiders and Donks. I put them in the same category with the Pats and Colts; teams that have caused me great pain. But I’ve had payback on the Colts, and one day we’ll knock the Pats out of the playoffs. This one was especially gratifying and will be remembered for a very long time as one of our finest hours.

1. Andy is very good against NFC teams. Our last loss to an NFC team was the last time we were in the Super Bowl. At least this time we won’t have to play at our opponent’s crib! Seems like Andy has had Philly’s number since leaving there. I believe he has won every match up with Philly since becoming the Chief’s coach. Mahomes will now have the opportunity to join Tommy Boy, Montana, Aikman, Rapistburger, Bradshaw, Plunkett, Roger the Dodger, Greise, Horseface, Starr and both Manning Brothers as starting quarterbacks that have won multiple Super Bowl rings. Mahomes will have to beat an Eagles defense that had 70 sacks during the regular season.* On defense, Philly set a record with 37 rushing TDs this year alone. So they pound the rock. Hurts has fashioned his game much like Josh Allen and could be a real problem to stop. But his game led to his injury in the regular season, so he is subject to reckless play. This match up should be a ton of fun. You know Eagles fans really want to stick it to Andy. The Kelce’s will be the first brothers as players to match up in a Super Bowl. The Harbaugh’s matched up as coaches before, but this is the first time for players. The early odds have the Eagles as a 2-point favorite, some betting sites initially had it as a pick em. I think a lot of the odds will depend on the injury report, and how many of the Chiefs players will be able to be ready in two weeks, including Mahomes and Kelce. A big part of the match up will depend on whether OBJ and Wiley can protect Mahomes -avoid another disaster like the Tampa Super Bowl; if the Eagles can stop Kelce and if the Chiefs rookie secondary can stop DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown. We’ve got two weeks of hoopla. So everybody relax. Let’s hope they fix the crappy turf in Glendale, and savor being in the big one three out of the last four years after 50 years in the wilderness.

[Marcellus]

Great as always George!

[Graystoke]

Thank you George. This one is special and we all appreciate it.
Please give us another real soon.

[Bl00dyBizkitz]

I knew there was something missing this year.

Great read as always, George.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Another interesting stat about Burrow: The last 16 QBs to lose their Super Bowl debut have never made it back to the Super Bowl game as a starter. So that doesn’t bode particularly well for Burrow’s future.

Welcome back!

That's one of the crazier stats you'll see, even though I'm sure there are a lot of shitty NFC quarterbacks in there.

[stumppy]

Great write up George. Now it feels normal around here.

Hope you plan on sticking around.

[L.A. Chieffan]

Missed ya George

[Rainbarrel]

[Halfcan]

Nice write-up! Welcome back!

[T-post Tom]

Not enough superlatives in my vocabulary for George. CP icon and future Hall of Famer.

[Stryker]

George, you mean the world to me and I always value your opinions. I have never met you in person but I promise to one day. Thank you for returning and give your Ten Things report. LET'S FREAKING FINISH THIS! Super Bowl or bust CHIEFS KINGDOM!

[Hammock Parties]

ya'll notice how pacheco has REALLY good hands?

the chiefs held their water on that all year to throw off tendencies...the bengals certainly weren't looking for him to catch five balls in this game

[Titty Meat]

Good to see you back GB!

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

ya'll notice how pacheco has REALLY good hands?

the chiefs held their water on that all year to throw off tendencies...the bengals certainly weren't looking for him to catch five balls in this game

Gonna be huge in the Bowl. The screen game and getting creative with RBs on routes is gonna be a big part of the path to victory for us.

[EPodolak]

It's not a Chiefs fan board without Chiefs Fans.

Great to read your ten things again.

[Straight, No Chaser]

Hope you can do another celebration cameo in a couple weeks