Chiefs Chronicles: The Most Important Game in Kansas City Chiefs History- Super Bowl LIX
It's Time for THE Big Game, My Closing Argument on This Annoying Chiefs Topic, My Super Bowl Predictions, & Just a Little Bit More of the Random Stuff That Chiefs Chronicles is Famous For!!!
Super Bowl LIX (or 59 for those of us who have trouble with Roman numerals) is the biggest game involving the Kansas City Chiefs up to this point in time. It’s kind of crazy to think about it in those terms.
ICYMI, two weeks ago I wrote about how the AFC Championship Game against the Bills was, up to that moment, The Most Important Game in Kansas City Chiefs History. I also said that if the Chiefs beat the Bills and advanced to the Super Bowl, then that game would be bigger by magnitudes of importance (illustrated in comparison to earthquakes) and would immediately become:
The Most Important Game in Kansas City Chiefs History
(Here’s a link to that column for an in-depth breakdown of why each game is growing in importance, for anyone who didn’t see it⬇️)
While it is cool to think about the fact that we are all witnessing the most amazing time (and hopefully win) in Chiefs history, there is a scary side of that thought to consider. Super Bowl LIX might end up being the biggest game involving the Kansas City Chiefs, win or that other outcome that we shall not mention, that we ever get to watch. It’s true.
Over the past several years, this Chiefs Dynasty has accomplished an astounding amount of amazing things (more on that below and, on an unrelated note, I just noticed that I seem to be leaning towards alliteration today- I’m just gonna go with it) and today they’re going for the never before completed NFL Super Bowl Three-Peat*.
But beyond this game, nothing is promised in the NFL. None of us knows exactly what the future holds (football-wise or any other-wise) and it’s possible (but not probable considering who our QB is) that this is the last Super Bowl the Chiefs are ever in. Or the last one some of us will see, anyway. Sorry about that last line- I really wasn’t trying to be grim. Just keeping it real, as the kids say.
(*Note: I specified “Super Bowl Three-Peat” to head off those annoying Packers fans who want to tell us how great Green Bay was in the 60s when there were less than half as many, smaller roster teams in the unfairly and not entirely integrated NFL- look it up.)
Hank Stram and the Chiefs kept matriculating the ball down the field in Super Bowl IV, evening their Super Bowl record at 1-1
The following example is the best way to show you what I’m talking about:
Before Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and that fantastic 2019 Chiefs team collaborated to win Super Bowl LIV on February 2nd, 2020, the last Super Bowl the Chiefs played in and won was Super Bowl IV which took place on January 11th, 1970.
That’s over 50 years between Super Bowl wins.
I bet Chiefs fans in 1970, having just watched their team thoroughly dominate the Minnesota Vikings, had not even a tiny bit of an inkling that their Chiefs wouldn’t win another Super Bowl for over 50 years.
Can you imagine if they did know? How much more do you think they would have tried to soak it in and enjoy it?
Yes, today’s Super Bowl is The Most Important Game in Kansas City Chiefs History (I shrunk the font down to make this sentence easier to write- just imagine it extremely HUGE), but don’t forget to enjoy every moment of it.
Who of us knows if or when, something this magical will happen again?
(Note: First, it was alliteration. Now, I’m rhyming. This lack of sleep/writing at 3 AM thing is making for some interesting side effects.)
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My Closing Argument on This Annoying Chiefs Topic
(Quick Note: I know the ⬆️ video isn’t of a closing argument, but it’s a good court scene from the very underrated/virtually unknown courtroom-dramedy From the Hip which stars a post-Breakfast Club Judd Nelson, a pre-Big Elizabeth Perkins, a very creepy John Hurt and also features a memorable comedic-turn by Ray Walston as a frustrated judge.)
I have a few more things to say about a particular Chiefs discussion topic that has made the rounds recently. It’s been irritating me quite a bit, so I’ve decided to make my case (think of this as my closing argument) and then I’m not going to engage in anymore debate on the subject.
Probably. Arguing is pretty fun and I’m very likely to forget I wrote this…
Ok. This is addressed to all of the folks I’ve heard (online and in-person) recently who are putting forward the idea that the Chiefs haven’t been the best team in the NFL (some have actually said they haven’t been the best team in the AFC!) over the past few years. Not only that, but they believe (and will tell anyone who will listen all about why it’s true) that the Chiefs don’t even deserve to be playing today because they’re cheaters or lucky or just not that great.
These extremely overconfident individuals are ready to back up these contentions using a two-pronged attack- some use one prong or the other and some use both. The prongs are as follows:
Prong One- Conspiracy Theories: These often revolve around a dastardly plot in which the Chiefs, the NFL, and the officials (making sure to include their confederates: Taylor Swift, Bigfoot, and the Illuminati) are colluding to fix games and wrongly prop up the small market Kansas City football team. These theories include poorly researched “proof” in the form of AI-narrated video clips or fan-written “articles” that are filled with easily disproven narratives (which these folks could figure out for themselves with just a few seconds of non-emotional/crazypants intellectual honesty)- often about suspicious penalties or the lack thereof (“But the refs always do or don’t do it at the key point in the game to guarantee the Chiefs win! Why can’t you see it- it’s so obvious!!!”).
Prong Two- Advanced Statistics: These are used to show how the Chiefs are inferior to (insert name of team NOT in the Super Bowl here) and, thus, stink.
For all you folks in the “Prong One- Conspiracy Theory” group out there, I just want to say: I’m not going to argue when you proclaim “it’s all a giant plot to (insert crazy nonsense here)” anymore. I’m done.
It’s useless to try and use logical, fact-based arguments to combat the highly-emotional (read: unreasonable) viewpoints of sports fans- especially fans of teams that are perennial losers or that the Chiefs have beaten. The word “fans” is short for “fanatics” for a reason (I’m not even going to address the drive-by fans who haunt the internet). Trying to change the minds of people who base their ideas purely on love, hate, or a mixture of the two, is historically a futile endeavour.
Don’t believe me? Here’s an experiment that I would like you to try: Prove to someone you know, who’s head-over-heels in love, that they’re making a huge mistake. The only tools you’re allowed to use are facts and logic. Go ahead and change their mind! I’m interested to see how far you get. Don’t worry- I’ll wait.
Yeah, I didn’t think so.
So with that out of the way, let’s move on to the “Prong Two: Advanced Statistics” proponents. Don’t get me wrong, I think statistics (and their children, advanced statistics) are great overall and an indispensable part of sports.
That being said, there’s a reason the phrase, “Statistics can be used to prove anything,” exists. Stats can show a person what they want or expect to see, through confirmation bias, or be taken out of context to prove pretty much whatever point someone wants to prove- to themselves and/or to others.
Statistics are useful (and fun!) tools, but they are not the be-all and end-all when it comes to sports. There is nuance in every sport that, to borrow a phrase from the Chief in the North writer Seth Keysor, “goes beyond the box score.”
(Speaking of The Chief in the North Newsletter, for a great read about arguing with the anti-Chiefs crowd, check out this unlocked post from Seth⬇️)
My argument when it comes to those who use statistics (advanced or otherwise) to tear down the Chiefs starts with a few simple questions:
What is the point of playing a football game? Is it to rack up stats? If it is, which of those stats would most prove if a team is good or great?
I believe that the point of playing a football isn’t just to create statistics. So, what exactly is the point, boiled down to its essence? I’ll let a former Chiefs coach, Herm Edwards, answer that question.
Very succinctly put, Coach.
That’s it. The point of playing a football game (or most any game) is to WIN. That makes WINS the ultimate statistical measuring stick for any team. Ergo, the team that WINS THE MOST is, by definition, THE BEST TEAM.
Any and all other stats, while useful and awesome and pretty to look at, come in a distant second importance-wise.
So, looking at the NFL from a straight wins and losses (regular season & playoffs) viewpoint we find that the Chiefs, based on wins, are far and away the best team in the NFL. Oh my goodness gracious, Henrietta! Who woulda thunk it?!
That’s not only for this season (where they are 17-2 including the playoffs), but since Patrick Mahomes became their starting quarterback. The 2018 season is when he took over as QB1 in KC (and the league, though no one knew it at the time) and the Chiefs win/loss record including the playoffs since then blows away every other team in the NFL- it isn’t particularly close, either.
To all who live and die by the stats, I can only say this (while pointing at those numbers): “Scoreboard.”
(A Longish Side Ramble on These Stats: Look closely at them again. Beyond the all-important “one stat to rule them all” WINS, how good have the Chiefs been over the last seven seasons when it comes to scoring points or getting first downs? How have they handled themselves in the clutch moments, namely those high-pressure 3rd and 4th down situations?
Well, they have been the BEST IN THE NFL over the course of seven seasons.
“Sure,” the haters say, with their self-satisfied smirks, “But this year and last, they’re not so great are they?” Before I refer to the Chiefs record over the last two seasons and say “Scoreboard” again, I just want to point out something about those supposed “superior” teams that we’re getting “cheated” out of watching on the biggest stage.
Those teams, despite having less wins than the Chiefs, did mostly look better or more dominant when they won. They may even have had some fantastic stats to go along with those dominant wins. Someone could see all that and then, when that “dominant” team inevitably gets beaten by the Chiefs (who barely squeaked by all season) in the playoffs, think that the better team didn’t win.
You’re wrong and here’s why:
The higher the pressure and the stakes, the better the best players and teams tend to play. That can be seen in the Chiefs stats and is something that I believe is overlooked by many who want the narrative to be something other than it is.)
What have we learned when it comes to stats in football? Winning trumps all. Using just the numbers, we’ve clearly established that the Chiefs are currently the best team in the NFL and have been for at least seven years.
Numbers, though, can be cold and they don’t really tell the whole story in a satisfying way.
Let’s use our words to do that. The numbers show that the Chiefs are 17-2 so far this season, but they don’t show that they’ve every team’s best shot in every game this year (for most teams a regular season matchup with the Chiefs is their Super Bowl) and have only lost one game they were trying to win. That tells more than the numbers alone can.
Here are some more words for you:
Patrick Mahomes became the Chiefs starter in 2018.
How many times have the Chiefs been to the AFC Championship Game since then?
Seven times in seven seasons.
How many Super Bowls have the Chiefs advanced to since 2018?
Five Super Bowls in seven seasons.
Of those five Super Bowls, how many have the Chiefs won?
They’ve won three of four, with a chance to win four of five. Also, defeating the Eagles would give them three Super Bowl Championships in a row.
How many teams in NFL history have had a shot to win three Super Bowl Championships in a row?
Nine, including these Chiefs.
Of those nine great teams, how many have made it back to the all-important-for the-three-peat third consecutive Super Bowl?
Only one.
This team.
The 2024 Kansas City Chiefs.
Whatever happens today, this has been a GREAT team for a seven year stretch (which is hard bordering on impossible in today’s NFL) and they deserve a lot more respect than they’re being given. The Chiefs are a true NFL Dynasty and here’s hoping that they have plenty more WINS AKA the Ultimate Statistic going on into the future.
Wow! It got late (early) fast. That’s what I get for posting an argument- I tend to get carried away.
Without further ado, here are my…
Chiefs Chronicles Super Bowl LIX Predictions:
The Chiefs are going to win
Travis will not propose to Taylor on the field, opting instead for somewhere actually romantic (he’s not Gronk)
As I said recently, Nikko Remigio will have at least one big return at some point during the game
I have a sneaking suspicion DHop is going to catch a TD
Kareem Hunt is going to be pumped! I expect him to have a good game- he gets a TD as well.
The offense (especially PM15) is going to look really good. The reason being? I think the Chiefs are mad about all of the cheating talk and will be looking to prove something… with a vengeance.
Spags is gonna go full Spags to an extent heretofore not seen- SPAGS!
Because of all of the Spags going on, the defense is going to perform much better than the national media has anticipated, leading to almost no introspection or soul-searching on their part
Yes, I’m predicting one final blowout for the Chiefs for the 2024 Season
The final score will be 42-24 with the Chiefs completing the very first Three-Chief or Chiefs-Peat or Reid-Peat (there was like one vote for each- you can’t blame me when y’all don’t vote) in NFL History!
That’s all I’ve got. If there’s never another Chiefs Chronicles after this one, just know that it was either the game or trying to finish this before the game or both that did me in.
I hope everyone has a good time and I hope every one of my predictions comes true. Until next time…
If the Chief’s win the battle in the trenches and contain Barkley from breaking big runs, then this Super Bowl will be dominated by K.C. However, if Philly’s O’line opens up holes for Saquon and he finds his rhythm today, it may be smooth flying for the Eagles to a championship.
Hmmm…Gary, you brought up a key point of motivation for the Chiefs…the refs favoring them in big games. The Chiefs want to prove that they have won due to being a disciplined and poised team that doesn’t buckle under pressure, and they will prove that today. They will come in to this game extremely focused.
I’m going 31-20 Chiefs. I just don’t understand why everyone says the Eagles are so much better 2-53 as a team. I actually think they are a worse team than KC (not saying they’re bad, just not as good). Maybe I’m delusional, but I’m sticking with it!
If the Chief’s win the battle in the trenches and contain Barkley from breaking big runs, then this Super Bowl will be dominated by K.C. However, if Philly’s O’line opens up holes for Saquon and he finds his rhythm today, it may be smooth flying for the Eagles to a championship.
Hmmm…Gary, you brought up a key point of motivation for the Chiefs…the refs favoring them in big games. The Chiefs want to prove that they have won due to being a disciplined and poised team that doesn’t buckle under pressure, and they will prove that today. They will come in to this game extremely focused.
Chiefs 34-17 over the Eagles.
I’m going 31-20 Chiefs. I just don’t understand why everyone says the Eagles are so much better 2-53 as a team. I actually think they are a worse team than KC (not saying they’re bad, just not as good). Maybe I’m delusional, but I’m sticking with it!