MELLINGER: Dear Chiefs fans: C'mon, it's not that bad ...

[pugsnotdrugs19]

LINK: https://www.kansascity.com/sports/sp...223324950.html

ARTICLE:

Spoiler!

BY SAM MELLINGER
December 19th, 2018

This will be hard for some of you to understand. That’s not said negatively. Just factually. Because some of you came to follow the Chiefs because of Patrick Mahomes. Which is fine. Kansas City is not accustomed to rooting for trendy teams. These are strange times we live in.

But here’s a quick primer for those who started rooting for the Chiefs once they began playing a wizard at quarterback: Your new team is a habitual heartbreaker. The darkness in the stories you hear from your new brothers and sisters is real. They are not whining. They are speaking their truth.

And, you know, while we’re on the topic, here’s something for those of you who fell in love with this team long ago — you’ve never cheered for a team like this.

More specifically, you’ve never cheered for a quarterback like this.

You know that, of course. That’s been obvious since Week 17 of last year, if not earlier. But if last week’s loss shook your confidence, it’s worth pointing something out.

If this same Chiefs team — flaws and strengths, studs and duds — wore different uniforms and played in a different city, you would be jealous.

If this Chiefs team wore Colts uniforms, for instance, you would be terrified with all the scenarios of Mahomes driving a figurative knife through your metaphorical heart with a game-winning drive capped by a Tarkenton scramble with a sack-avoiding cartwheel and left-handed no-look pass threading four defenders.

This is, basically, what Kansas City has waited decades to see.

The Chiefs have the best quarterback in a league that’s never been more dominated by quarterbacks. They have the best offense in a league teaching fans who can’t remember the 2000 Baltimore Ravens that, actually, Offense Wins Championships.

These Chiefs have lost three games, by a total of seven points, each literally or essentially coming down to the final play. They are 3-2 against teams currently holding an AFC playoff spot, with two of those wins on the road.

The losses came against the New England Patriots, who have lost three of five, and the Los Angeles Chargers, who lost to the Chiefs at home and have led the Chiefs for just 4 of 7,200 seconds this season.

The Chiefs have flaws. Oh brother, they’ve got flaws. They have a defense fronted by Chris Jones and Dee Ford and Justin Houston with a solid group of cornerbacks and they’re still somehow terrible.

They have averaged 39.7 points in their losses. The defense scored or set up three touchdowns and the offense gave up two touchdowns in those losses, but still. If you can’t relax with 40 points, you can’t ever relax.

This team has problems keeping its quarterback clean, and has consistently amplified its problems tackling (worst among projected AFC playoff teams, according to Pro Football Focus) by being the NFL’s most penalized team.

So even without a playoff collapse presented in regular season form last week, you wouldn’t have to think too hard to come up with ugly scenarios.

But the AFC lacks a singularly dominant team. Usually, when that happens, the fallback logic is that the hottest team wins. Well, the Chiefs are well-positioned to be that team with a win this weekend in Seattle.

The Seahawks are a terrible matchup for the Chiefs, the league’s best rushing team against the worst rush defense. But they are also beatable, and a home underdog against the team so many here in Kansas City are freaking out about.

Win this weekend and no matter what the Chargers do the Chiefs can clinch another AFC West title and first-round bye with a win over the Raiders in week 17 (the NFL’s version of a layup).

Do all of that and they will be going into the playoffs with the league’s best quarterback and offense, and a defense that is at least getting healthier and presumably a little better with the return of safety Eric Berry.

That’s enough to fight with.

Look, the Chiefs might ruin your January. That is in play. Berry could be injured at any moment, a two-score lead disintegrated in 5 minutes, and a badly timed penalty or missed kick will stir up a lot of ghosts. The new fans will be quick learners on that. Welcome to the heartbreak, suckers.

But the longtime fans can learn something here. Meet in the middle. Open your eyes, and see a quarterback and team capable of scoring an average of 37.7 points against six projected playoff teams.

Unless you are old enough to remember 1969, this is the closest the team you root for has ever resembled the team you’ve wanted it to be.

If you’re giving up hope because of one loss in a year without a dominant team, well, nobody can fault you for protecting your heart. But they might also ask a simple question.

What are you waiting for?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Yep... it's been said for years that people around here love to complain and will always find something to complain about. My general thought was always... well, how the hell do we know that if the Chiefs can't even compete in the playoffs?

Well, now they have the one guy at the one position they've ignored for decades, who can keep them near the top of the NFL for years.... and people are bitching about not being undefeated and being the same old Chiefs.

It's like reading Royals threads in 2014-2015, except this is just the beginning... FFS, if you can't enjoy this, WTF are you here?

Yeah, I always have trouble understanding the angst. When we were 2-14? Sure. But now?

Like it or not, THIS is about as good as sports get. Obviously winning a Super Bowl would be fantastic, but that's never happened in my entire life, and I still enjoy watching. If the only way you can be happy is if your team goes 19-0, that seems like a lot of misery to put up with for something that will almost certainly never happen.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Yeah, I always have trouble understanding the angst. When we were 2-14? Sure. But now?

Like it or not, THIS is about as good as sports get. Obviously winning a Super Bowl would be fantastic, but that's never happened in my entire life, and I still enjoy watching. If the only way you can be happy is if your team goes 19-0, that seems like a lot of misery to put up with for something that will almost certainly never happen.

Again, i'm pretty jaded from last Thursday. That was just a typical Chiefs experience.

I hope this year ends differently. I know they weren't ever going undefeated, but it's just that they keep losing games in these fashions.

It's frustrating as shit.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by O.city

So they should be scoring 45 per game? Blowing everyone out by what, 4 scores?

That's essentially what youre saying here, no?

That happens, well never in the NFL, but maybe it should have happened here?

No. But with a big lead in hand, if you're dominating in the first half theres no reason for all the three and outs or six and outs. You don't have to score on every big lead possession. Just try to not suck.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

No. But with a big lead in hand, if you're dominating in the first half theres no reason for all the three and outs or six and outs. You don't have to score on every big lead possession. Just try to not suck.

Well, I mean, the other team is going to eventually make a change no?

So what you're saying, is they need to go on long time consuming drives when they get up by multiple scores and not go 3 and out?

Like they just did last Thursday?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by O.city

Again, i'm pretty jaded from last Thursday. That was just a typical Chiefs experience.

I hope this year ends differently. I know they weren't ever going undefeated, but it's just that they keep losing games in these fashions.

It's frustrating as shit.

I get the frustration, and I certainly agree with you.

My point is just that fans of every other team have at least a few of those games every year, too.

The frustration IS football, just as much as elation is when there's a big comeback.

At its core, I think the problem is that fans have trouble coming to terms with the fact that a huge part of winning games is luck. That's frustrating, but it is what it is when you have a 16-game season.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I get the frustration, and I certainly agree with you.

My point is just that fans of every other team have at least a few of those games every year, too.

The frustration IS football, just as much as elation is when there's a big comeback.

At its core, I think the problem is that fans have trouble coming to terms with the fact that a huge part of winning games is luck. That's frustrating, but it is what it is when you have a 16-game season.

It's a bounce of an oblong ball. Hell yeah theres luck.

But the Chiefs seem to always leave things up to "luck".

They had a chance to make that not matter last week and in typical Chiefs fashion, they ****ed it up.

[ChiefBlueCFC]

I always enjoy reading Mellinger's articles

[OKchiefs]

Can you blame fans for being jaded and negative when we haven't even been to a super bowl in almost half a century and we have 1 playoff win since 1993?

[notorious]

Not that bad? These Chiefs will create a new way to make it even worse.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by O.city

Again, i'm pretty jaded from last Thursday. That was just a typical Chiefs experience.

I hope this year ends differently. I know they weren't ever going undefeated, but it's just that they keep losing games in these fashions.

It's frustrating as shit.

I think the whole mentality should change, and I was pretty damn jaded prior to Mahomes.

In the past, there was always this hope of just making the playoffs (which I've always found dumb... it's not baseball), followed by the whole choking "because Chiefs" narrative. Why people would get their hopes up that it would ever be different was beyond me, yet every year that started off well and they were champions of September, some would yell "it's different!" and then "people will complain about anything!" when someone suggested waiting until the games really mattered.

It's no longer -- shitty/mediocre QB --> mediocre team --> maybe something will be different this year.... uh, even though nothing has changed in decades.

It is now different. There's no more year-to-year hope that doing the same damn thing every year will create a new result. The Chiefs weren't/aren't cursed, that's just a dumb narrative... bad/mediocre teams do bad/mediocre things.

However, it's year one of being different... sit back and enjoy it.

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I get the frustration, and I certainly agree with you.

My point is just that fans of every other team have at least a few of those games every year, too.

The frustration IS football, just as much as elation is when there's a big comeback.

At its core, I think the problem is that fans have trouble coming to terms with the fact that a huge part of winning games is luck. That's frustrating, but it is what it is when you have a 16-game season.

I think that besides the lack of playoff wins, the frustration comes from having the same exact problems on this team last year, the Chiefs telling us that they are fixing it and then it being even worse.

The fear is having this amazing QB and never winning anything with him. That would totally be a Chiefs thing to do.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by RunKC

I think that besides the lack of playoff wins, the frustration comes from having the same exact problems on this team last year, the Chiefs telling us that they are fixing it and then it being even worse.

The fear is having this amazing QB and never winning anything with him. That would totally be a Chiefs thing to do.

How quickly people forget that this was the rebuilding year. No top draft pick, limited cap space, etc. Next year was supposed to be the year we make a run, remember?

Don't get me wrong - I'm nervous about this year, as we're as close to a legit Super Bowl team as we've been since probably 2003. But that fact doesn't change the fact that next year is when all of the stars should finally align.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

I think the whole mentality should change, and I was pretty damn jaded prior to Mahomes.

In the past, there was always this hope of just making the playoffs (which I've always found dumb... it's not baseball), followed by the whole choking "because Chiefs" narrative. Why people would get their hopes up that it would ever be different was beyond me, yet every year that started off well and they were champions of September, some would yell "it's different!" and then "people will complain about anything!" when someone suggested waiting until the games really mattered.

It's no longer -- shitty/mediocre QB --> mediocre team --> maybe something will be different this year.... uh, even though nothing has changed in decades.

It is now different. There's no more year-to-year hope that doing the same damn thing every year will create a new result. The Chiefs weren't/aren't cursed, that's just a dumb narrative... bad/mediocre teams do bad/mediocre things.

However, it's year one of being different... sit back and enjoy it.

It's easier to win in the NFL playoffs than baseball though. It's a single game.

It is year one, hopefully of a long tenure for Pat here. But I don't think anyone figures he's going to have years like this every year. As RUNKC just said, would anyone be surprised if the Chiefs were to waste a QB like this because they're the Chiefs?

The NFL this year doesn't have a clearly dominant team and the Chiefs are at the top of the heap of teams that could be right there. They aren't going to do that by having to go on the road in January which is what looks to be happening.

Now that they have the QB, why fall into the "theres always Next year" mantra?

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DaFace

How quickly people forget that this was the rebuilding year. No top draft pick, limited cap space, etc. Next year was supposed to be the year we make a run, remember?

Don't get me wrong - I'm nervous about this year, as we're as close to a legit Super Bowl team as we've been since probably 2003. But that fact doesn't change the fact that next year is when all of the stars should finally align.

That was supposed to be the Rams this year, and look how that's played out. You're always one injury away from a lost year or a failed run.

Having Mahomes should give the Chiefs a chance every year, but as we've seen with Rodgers and the Pack, that alone isn't enough.

I don't have much confidence that the Chiefs will put enough around him for the next decade.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

11-3 against this schedule is pretty damn impressive guys. They really should be undefeated...