Chiefs Chronicles: NFL Week 18
Bye Week Part 2: The Sequel, Learning to Live With Disappointment, Who Travis Kelce Works For, Pre-Chiefs Super Wild Card Game Arctic-Style Jitters, & More Links, GIFs, Plus Assorted Other Nonsense!
A quick recap of my Week 18 (or Bye Week Part 2: This Time It’s Personal) thoughts before we get to the matter of the game tomorrow. They are as follows:
It bummed me out that Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco didn’t get the opportunity to go on the field and get those last yards they needed to complete their 1,000-yard seasons. I get that they were nicked up and it’s better they had the rest before the playoffs, but still. Disappointing.
Also, high on the disappoint-o-meter was the fact that Travis Kelce could have played and, if he’d gotten 16 measly yards, extended his TE record for consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. The decision was a bit baffling to me. He said that it “didn’t feel right” to put himself before the team. That sounds reasonable, I guess, but when I listened to the explanation he gave his brother, the last bit really stood out.
He was probably joking there at the end, but hearing it makes his sitting out seem less altruistic. I get that the stats and extending his record weren’t important to him, but by saying it was for the team (and he didn’t want to be selfish) he risks coming across as disingenuous- mostly because if there was enough money in it, it looks like he’d have been out there no matter what the team thought.
Or not.
He could have been joking. It does make for a funny soundbite. Maybe he didn’t want Andy Reid to take the heat for benching him, so he took the blame. That’s noble, I suppose. Who knows?
What I do know is that all the poor schlubs (not to mention the children) who are huge fans and have to live vicariously through the Chiefs (because the lives they have aren’t necessarily spectacular) were disappointed. That should count for something.
Whether the players realize it or not, fans are the reason they have their jobs. Without fans, those millions ain’t rolling in. If no one watched football they’d be playing it for love (AKA for free)- just like every regular person does with their buddies in the park or at the local middle school. Here’s a short rhyme to help the players remember:
The days fans spend doing jobs they hate
Is what puts the dollars on your plate
So, the next time you NFL players make a big career decision, how about factoring in the millions (probably) of people who have watched, cheered for, and financially supported you the whole time? Don’t give us much thought (we don’t need a lot), but a little would be nice.
This round of the playoffs has always been “Wild Card Weekend” to me. This year I’ve noticed it’s called “Super Wild Card Weekend” and, apparently, this isn’t new. I did 5-seconds worth of research and found out that they added the “Super” (possibly because adding the word “Super” makes almost anything seem cool and exciting) in 2021. Weirdly, I didn’t notice. It’s almost as if a bunch of crazy stuff was going on that year. Can’t recall at the moment. Anyways. Am I the only one that didn’t notice the change?
Perhaps it’s because the Chiefs haven’t been a Wild Card team much, “super” or otherwise, lately. Just once with Patrick Mahomes-led teams. That was two years ago and the new name somehow didn’t penetrate my gargantuan cranium at that time. Moving on…
As far as the game itself, is anyone feeling nervous? I know I should be, with the high-powered Dolphins offense coming into Arrowhead, but the Chiefs’ Defense has been outstanding this year- 2nd Ranked in Total Defense-level outstanding. They did a great job against the Dolphins earlier in the year and they’ve only gotten better in the months since.
The offense still worries me a bit but with the well-rested (as covered above) four-headed monster of Mahomes, Kelce, Pacheco, and Rice (not to mention Mecole Hardman having a decent game last week), maybe the offense will be solid tomorrow (the weakened Miami defense should help matters). Now maybe I’m a cock-eyed optimist (like Billy Mumphrey), but my gut tells me that the Chiefs’ offense will do better than most people expect. They may even just lean on Pop to matriculate the ball down the field. Miami will come to fear the Chiefs’ ground game powers!
There’s one other thing to consider- Miami’s dismal record in cold weather games should make all of Chiefs Kingdom feel a little less jittery before and during the game. Andy and the squad will be ready for it. Miami (probably) won’t.
It’s funny (not ha-ha funny) that every time a new weather report comes out of KC, the low temperature is even lower (factoring in wind chill). Last I heard it was expected to reach -30 degrees. Really?!? If a fan or a Miami player doesn’t get frostbitten toes, I will be greatly surprised. Ok, another weather report just came in:
Due to the cold, tickets to the game are getting cheaper by the minute (two behind the Chiefs’ bench on the 50-yard line Row 10 for $200 apiece) and if I lived a little closer I’d figure out a way to be there. For all you fans who will be there, you have my respect. Supporting your team in weather like that ought to come with an Arctic Chiefs blanket, free BBQ with a side of fries, and bottomless hot buttered rum. You don’t care about all that, though. You don’t do it for free stuff (that isn’t to say you wouldn’t accept all those items, should they be offered). In fact, you pay to be there. That’s the mark of true fans.
That’s it for this week. Stay warm and safe and cheer as loud as you can for the Chiefs, wherever you are tomorrow. As always, thanks for reading and please spread the word to any Chiefs fans you think may be interested in checking out Chiefs Chronicles. GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!
That boys head is like Sputnik! I can't believe how cold it is supposed to be for the game.. I'd have to show up in full ski gear.