Quote:
Originally Posted by smithandrew051
2019 Divisional Playoffs against the Colts.
Not his best statistical start, but he absolutely controlled that game. Glad he was able to snap that playoff game losing streak in his first playoff game.
Crazy to think we’ve won 4 of our last 5 postseason games.
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This is an underrated game in general.
First playoff game of Mahomes career, against the team who had haunted the Chiefs playoff experience for the previous two decades. I know the 97 playoff loss is tortuous because it was against Denver, but let's face it, that was a damn good Denver team and we just did not have a QB who could engineer a game winning drive at the end of the game.
The Colts? Nah, it didn't matter what incarnation of the Colts we were playing against. Hell, before he was named Uncle Rico, he was known as "Jim Harbaugh". But it didn't matter who the QB was, because against the Chiefs in the playoffs, you better believe Uncle Rico could throw a football over them mountains.
95 playoffs? No explanation needed.
03 playoffs? The peak of the Vermeil era goes up in flames as Peyton Manning obliterates the defense.
06 playoffs? We pick Manning 3 times. It doesn't matter. Remember how we didn't force a punt in 03? This time we decided not to get a first down until the [I]3rd quarter[/I}
13 playoffs? Alex Smith IS a franchise QB! Holy crap we are shredding this team 38-10, Andrew Luck threw 3 picks, we got this in the--
OH GOD PLEASE NO OH GOD.
Seriously, the Colts in January singlehandedly made TV's Euron Greyjoy into a believable villain. People were mad that Euron managed to shoot down a dragon flying thousands of feet above him from wooden ships? Oh please. You never watched Eric Berry posterize the runner at the goal line, force a fumble, only for Andrew Luck to pick the ball up and leap into the endzone. You never watched Ty Law catch a for sure pick 6 against Peyton, only for his old age slowness to be tracked down by PEYTON MANNING, and then have Lawrence Tynes miss a 2 yard field goal after it was all said and done. Jesus, Euron Greyjoy looks as nuanced as Anton Chigurh compared to the ridiculous works of fiction the Colts threw at us in the playoffs.
The Chiefs have the best team in the NFL? Well, it's no match for JIM HARBAUGH.
The Chiefs have the best offense in the NFL? Well, it's no match for Peyton Manning.
The Chiefs have the best defense in the AFC? Well, it's no match for the Chiefs offense.
The Chiefs have a 28 point lead in the 3rd quarter? Well, it's no match for ricochet'd fumbles, Andy Reid refusing to run, 17 Chiefs injuries, and Andrew Luck remembering he was the second coming of Joe Montana.
All of this is to say that we had A LOT more nerves than we remember going into the 19' playoffs. The Colts were the hottest team in the NFL, and not only that - their team was built to CRUSH KC in January. The 19' Chiefs had all the hallmarks of previous playoff disappointments. They had a first round bye (95, 97, 03, 16), they had a hot start before their D got exposed and struggled to the finish line (03, 13) and were against the COLTS. Not only that, but the football Gods decided to prank us and have give us a BLIZZARD during the game, neutralizing Patrick and playing right into the Colts strengths. We were all worried, and not only that, but the hot take was that the Colts were going to send us home.
I encourage you all to watch this game, seriously. It gets forgotten because of the epic AFCCG the following week, but it is truly amazing. Patrick Mahomes takes the field and it's like he was sent to fulfill a single mission, to prove that he was leading Kansas City to a new era in Chiefs football. Despite being born in rural Texas and never before playing in the snow, Patrick takes the field and goes "lol I prefer throwing in the snow" and unleashes an ass kicking on the Colts that a Chiefs home crowd hadn't seen in the playoffs since... lemme check real quick, oh right, NEVER! I'm dead serious, the Chiefs biggest win at home in the playoffs in KC was a
FOUR point, 10-6 win against the Raiders in 1991 (I was NEGATIVE 10 MONTHS OLD).
It was like Patrick was sent in the worst possible conditions, the conditions that always guaranteed a heartbreaking loss and laughed his way through all of them with ease. He starts the game throwing flamethrowers through the snow and gashes the Colts to a 17-0 lead. He takes a big hit and hurts his knee, in previous Chiefs playoff matches this guaranteed that he'd never play football again or some such - not only that, but Colquitt takes a blocked punt and gets the Colts back in the game. In previous seasons this would be the start of a heartbreaking comeback. So it was only natural that Mahomes would scorch the Chiefs down the field to take a 24-7 lead and score on a dazzling rushing touchdown (putting all fears about his knee to bed). The Colts then miss a chip shot field goal (at this moment, it seriously felt like Mahomes turned all of the Chiefs negative playoff energy against the Colts and harrowingly, this would be Luck's last ever start in the NFL).
The expectation going into the game was Mahomes would come in his first ever playoff game amped, so naturally for him he was in complete control for every single moment of the game. He even (in his first year as a starter) broke out a hard count that drew the Colts offsides (5?!) times and eventually lead the Chiefs on a drive to ice the game for a 31-13 victory.
Seriously, this game is my pick. It was as if Mahomes took 4 decades of playoff misery and performed a ritualized catharsis in front of 80,000 people (with an amazing no look pass and side armed laser for funsies). We may not have won a Super Bowl that year, but for the first time in my life, I felt like the Chiefs were finally going to win a title. For me, the game continues to signify a turning point in the Chiefs fandom. A new era that I still can't believe that we're getting to experience.
Full game here: